Blogs of author

From an old bank to a former social club, competitive bidding brought great results for commercial properties in SDL Auctions Bigwood’s latest Birmingham auction.

The hammer came down at £330,000 for a former branch of the Santander Bank at 25 Market Place in Nuneaton, which had a guide price of £295,000+.

A mixed-use property that once hosted the Royal British Legion downstairs with accommodation above at 25 Station Road in Kings Heath, Birmingham sold for £415,000 from a guide price of £200,000+.

Another commercial property in Birmingham that sold well was a two-storey unit at 1722 Bristol

Leading land agent Aston Mead has hit out at the practice of local councils betting on the commercial property market, saying that they should spend the money building affordable homes on their own land instead.

Land & Planning Director Adam Hesse was speaking out after it was revealed that despite guidelines which are supposed to limit the practice, local authorities are still spending £100m every month buying retail centres, shops and offices, chasing returns to replace revenue lost in government cuts.

He said: “Not only is it an unnecessary risk to bet taxpayers money in this way, but the

This abandoned stone quarry, now filled with water, is thought to be 80ft deep, but its history goes far deeper.....

If you have ever dreamt of buying your own secret wild swimming retreat, now could be the time to take the plunge.

An abandoned quarry, now filled with water thought to be 80ft deep and hidden within an overgrown sanctuary for wildlife, is going to auction, offering a unique opportunity for any nature-loving outdoor swimmer or hard rock fan looking to invest.

Nestled within the parish of Constantine in Cornwall, Tresahor Praze Quarry was abandoned more than half a century ago

Network Auctions last ballroom auction of the year held at Grosvenor House Hotel on the 13th December has raised a Christmas cheer as the total £5,374,500 raised is the highest at a December sale for the firm going back over a decade.

Toby Limbrick, director, said, “It is a tough market out there, but I’m delighted to see we raised almost £2 million more this December than last year and to end the year with one of our highest for some 13 years is a great boost to the team.”

“Market conditions remain uncertain and those who are certain about wanting a sale are choosing auction as the most

If you’re moving house, the first thing to do is finalise your moving date, and then you can start ticking things off your checklist. Use our guide below so you don’t forget anything:

Four weeks before you move house:

• Book a removals company as soon as possible. This will guarantee you get the date and the company you want. Keep in mind that weekend moves are likely to be more expensive.
• Check your home contents insurance policy to see what cover you have regarding moving home. Your removal company may provide this if you are not covered.
• Arrange for parking of the removal van

The Georgian home of the columnist, writer and Times Literary Supplement editor, Philippa Toomey, has sold at auction (Wednesday 12 December 2018) exceeding expectations of auctioneers at Auction House London.

She had lived at her semi detached five bedroom home in De Beauvoir Town, Hackney, London for 44 years, until she died last year. The house was in need of total renovation, where some ceilings had collapsed and the garden was completely overgrown. Despite its condition, the property attracted a lot of attention from buyers when bidding started at £1.35m.

4 Ardleigh Road was one of 106

Pugh & Co's final auctions of the year took place earlier this month and resulted in sales of over £14m on behalf of clients and joint agents. Below, their experts give us a few of their highlights from the Pugh & Co December Property Auctions.

Paul Thompson, Managing Director and Auctioneer

"Our December auctions delivered a very strong ending to our year with over £14m sold and many outstanding results for our clients. With guide prices ranging from Nil Reserve to over £1m, this auction provided an excellent selection of investment opportunities for our investors. The packed room and very

Just a quick note to wish everyone a WONDERFUL Christmas holiday.

Whilst there are several unsold lots in our database from December, auctions recommence from the end of January, so we look forward to sharing lots more new properties next year!

Off to do some last minute present wrapping, and eat a mince pie or three... :)

2018 has seen strong auction activity for leading North West auction house Sutton Kersh, with an end of year sales hitting a whopping £50m - and still rising!

Continuing to smash national statistics, this news comes on the eve of their most recent auction, in which 6.5m worth of properties were sold in the packed auction room; many of which being over their guide price. The auction continued to offer a huge selection of lots, with over 115 available on the day.

Commenting on the auction's success, Managing Director, James Kersh, said: "I'm thrilled to see such a fantastic end to the year

The final Acuitus commercial property auction of the year saw the sale of 59 lots for a total of £34.89m. This took the total volume of Acuitus sales in 2018 to just under £240m.

Acuitus auctioneer, Richard Auterac, commented: “This is a remarkable result for our clients, who in the main are institutions, investment funds and asset managers. It has been delivered against a political atmosphere that some pundits say hasn’t been seen since the days of Cavaliers and Roundheads!”.

Despite the continued negative press towards UK High Street retail, it was assets of this type which produced some of