How to Kickstart Online Auction Selling in 2025!

Picture this, you launch a property for the ‘Christmas Day’ rush, arrive back in the office a few days later, fed up with all the leftover Turkey sandwiches, ready to kick start 2025 and deal with all your buyer enquiries. After around a month of marketing, viewings and maybe a price reduction, finally a sale has been agreed. Now it’s the start of February and the post-conveyancing works have just started.

You now have around 151 days to wait for your commission, your client has 151 days of worry and your buyer has 151 days until they can move in. Of course, that's unless they are part of the 33% of all transactions that fall through before completion.

Finally, it’s July, it’s now light when you leave the office and after some challenges and firefighting, you finally have completed the purchase and have been paid!

Or, you could have sold via auction, completed in March, and have a fall-through rate of under 1% to help you reinvest your time and money quicker.

So what to expect in 2025...

Transaction times for private treaty sales are still a key decision for vendors opting to go the auction route. With the April 2025 changes in SDLT, there is pressure, especially from first-time buyers to complete sales before April. The conditional auction method is already being used to help FTB complete in time whilst allowing for the time for mortgages / additional financing to be arranged.

Throughout 2024, Online auctions have seen yet another increase in awareness from both sellers and buyers and this has been reflected in the type of lots being offered. This trend looks set to rise again in 2025 with a focus on minimum renovation requirements and ready-to-move-in properties that can be sold for occupancy or investment purposes in a quick, transparent transaction, making auctions an attractive option.

Another trend we are likely to see continue into 2025 is the swift exit of Landlords looking to sell their investment properties. Recent legislation changes and higher taxes are two of the many reasons landlords are leaving the market in huge numbers. Speed, transparency and the ability to attract a wide range of potential bidders help ensure the best price is achieved for your clients, whilst they retain rental income until the property completes.

If you’re an estate agent looking to unlock the benefits of online property auctions, take a look at our recent blog post ‘Offering Online Property Auctions as an Estate Agent’, or reach out today to speak to one of our property experts.