With substantial unsatisfied investor demand in the commercial property auction sector, Acuitus expects to see buyers out in force at its first auction of 2017.

Acuitus auctioneer, Richard Auterac, comments: “Although this has been a tremendous year for the sector with more than a £1bn of commercial property assets being sold at auction for the first time since 2007, the reality is that there is still a lot of unsatisfied investor demand out there.

“This means that there are significant opportunities for sellers. However, we have seen this year that a common denominator among assets that sell well has been the depth of information provided. Accordingly, vendors should be instructing us as early as possible so we can ensure that the appropriate level of data is collated and can be professionally presented to potential buyers.

“We’d strongly recommend that sellers contact us as soon as possible if they are considering selling in early 2017.”

The final Acuitus commercial property auction of the year saw £41.125m of assets sold, and took the firm to £354m of sales for the year – its highest-ever total. The volume of properties which have sold at Acuitus auctions is up 23% year-on-year. Among the good quality investments sold on the day was a Barclays Bank on Godalming High Street in Surrey (pictured). Let until 2026 - with an option to break in 2021 -at a current annual rent of £57,600, it sold for £1.23m at a yield of 4.4%.

Richard Auterac commented: “Whether it’s buying a standing investment or a property which has asset management or conversion potential, investors and their advisers see that the high-end commercial property auction room can supply the product which fits their investment goals.

“If sellers can bring to market the right assets at the right price with the required depth of information, they can tap into this growing private investor demand.”

The first Acuitus auction of 2017 will take place on February 16th at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, 22 Portman Square, London W1H 7BG.