Symonds & Sampson have enjoyed success with two property auctions held over the last couple of weeks.

On the 24th June, Yarde Farm at Churchill, between Axminster and Chard was offered for sale. The property had been in the Perring family for over 100 years and, since Miss Perring passed away, had been empty for about 8 years.

The farmhouse was listed Grade II and required full renovation, there was also an attached barn, farm buildings and just over 12 acres of land.  With nearly 50 viewings taking place, there was a busy auction room.  The guide price of £450,000 to £500,000 was easily exceeded, with the gavel falling at £555,000 to local buyers.

Just a week later we offered Thorncombe Farmhouse in the main street at Thorncombe for sale.  This property again required renovation – the handsome house had attractive mullion windows and enjoyed fine views over Thorncombe towards Pilsdon Pen.  Our guide price was £280,000 to £300,000 and, with competition, the property sold at £306,000.

A 2 bedroom bungalow at Meadowbank, Kilmington was also for sale.  The property required modernisation and sold for £224,000, against a guide price of £200,000.

And on 26 June, the auction in Sherborne included 14 lots spread throughout Dorset, Somerset and Hampshire.

Auctioneer, Mark Lewis, said that there had been terrific interest in many of the lots and a total of 190 bids were received.

Land at Duncliffe Wood near Stour Provost sold extremely well.  This had a pond and was a wildlife haven.  The 12 acres sold for £103,000.

At Lower Sandhills Farm near Hazelbury Bryan there were 43 acres and buildings and again this received enormous interest.  You always think of the Blackmore Vale as clay land but this is on a sandstone escarpment and the hammer fell at £535,000 (£12,000 per acre).

A dilapidated house in New Borough Road, Wimborne, made £206,000 and a cottage at Stalbridge Weston with fantastic views over the surrounding countryside exceeded our expectations and also sold for £206,000.

Spring Hill Farm at Harbridge, between Ringwood and Fordingbridge, had 0.34 of an acre and sold prior to auction well ahead of the guide price of £400,000. A woodland at Ferndown also sold prior to auction for over £10,000 per acre.

One of the most iconic buildings in Shaftesbury, Toby’s, which belonged to the Young Peoples’ Project, measured in excess of 7,500 square feet and proved very popular.  This is sold at 78% above the guide price and after 43 bids the hammer fell at £267,000.

The star of the show, however, was The Old Harbour Masters House on the quay at Weymouth.  A few days earlier David Beckham had been photographed after enjoying a fishing trip with his son, Brooklyn, and this caused quite a stir in the town.  Whether it was his sprinkling of stardust or the fact that the quay is such a wonderful place, the bidding was very strong for the Old Harbour Masters House.  It had been on the market with another local agent for over a year and was unsold but we attracted 53 bids and the hammer fell at £351,000.