If there was ever a time for agents to add auctions to its suite of services, it’s now, especially as an alarming statistic is doing the property rounds. The result of analysis conducted by TwentyEA for Cavendish Estate Agents found it takes an average of 205 days to sell a UK home.
Avoiding the lose-lose situation
During that protracted process buyers will lose their mortgage offer, sellers will lose interest and agents will come close to losing their minds (and may lose out on commission too). Auctions, therefore, are coming into their own.
In fact, Kevin Gilbert at Clive Emson Auctioneers believes it is due diligence for agents to offer an auction option: “It’s important for all estate agents to promote a sale by auction in order to give the seller the best possible advice.”
Robin Rathore at Bamboo Auctions agrees that auctions are essential in today’s market: “Transaction times have increased dramatically over the last few years and auctions, in all forms, help agents win more instructions, sell properties faster and earn better fees.”
At the front of the pack
With TwentyEA’s data revealing there’s an average of 125 days between SSTC and completion, it’s no surprise auctioneers, including Toby Howd from Pattinson Auction, are pressing home their legal pack advantage. This set of upfront information usually contains deeds, title plans and conveyancing searches – the holy grail of elements that can really delay a sale.
“While the property industry moves towards more upfront information, Pattinson Auction is already there,” comments Toby. “Our process includes the provision of a legal pack, which ensures full transparency from the onset, allowing buyers to make informed decisions. This aligns perfectly with the Government’s push for reform and we can help position agents ahead of the curve.”
Jamie Cook at Iamproperty is another auction professional alarmed by the 205 figure. He sees daily how auctions eradicate what he calls the ‘painfully slow’ sales process, with new research illustrating how the gavel can give home movers what they really want.
Deliver commitment & certainty
“An Iamproperty online survey of 353 people conducted between 7th and 22nd July 2025 found 93% of buyers and sellers want assurance of the other party’s commitment to a transaction, and 90% want certainty over timescales,” comments Jamie.
“The Modern Method of Auction (MMoA) delivers fast, secure and transparent transactions that can complete within just 56 days and with a 95% completion success rate, based on standard properties from receipt of draft contracts,” adds Jamie.
Just because some agents don’t warm to the concept, it doesn’t mean movers are adverse to this style of auction.”
Also being marketed as conditional property auctions, the MMoA has been subject to negativity but just because some agents don’t warm to the concept, it doesn’t mean movers are adverse to this style of auction.
On the contrary, Jamie believes the latest generation of movers expect digital-first experiences, with MMoA ready to deliver. “Iamproperty’s survey found 41% of participants were aware of MMoA, which is up from 37% in October 2024. It also found awareness of MMoA was greater amongst 18–34-year-olds (57%) than it was for traditional auctions (47%), presenting a great opportunity for agents.”
Myth busting required
If there was a weakness in the survey’s results, it was public misconceptions surrounding the MMoA but these could easily apply to traditional auctions too. When asked what stopped them having an entirely positive perception of MMoA, 35% of respondents cited ‘problem properties’, followed by 29% saying it was because they didn’t fully understand how MMoA worked.
Robin says misconceptions can be banished through better education and publicity. “Bamboo is helping agents change the stereotype that an auction is a last resort,” he says.
“With us, agents can choose whether to offer an immediate online exchange or a conditional auction. We take a client-first approach, which helps us give credibility to a fast growing method of sale.”
Despite clear advantages, Toby’s feel it’s the lingering misunderstanding that auctions are only suitable for distressed properties or cash investors that need addressing. “Our auction method brings the speed and security of immediate exchange, allowing bidders to purchase from the comfort of their own home at any time that suits them, comments Toby.”
Many movers still don’t fully understand how the different methods of auction work and education remains essential.”
“The Pattinson approach opens auctions up to a broader market, including buyers with mortgages, and offers secure timeframes that are ideal for residential sales. Yet many movers still don’t fully understand how the different methods of auction work and education remains essential.”
Andrew Parker at Eddisons validates the argument that auctions are not just for problem properties: “It’s a myth that all auction properties are cheap terraced houses with faults: the most expensive residential property I’ve sold at auction recently was worth £2.2 million. Choosing to sell at auction can be more to do with a vendor’s motivation than the type of property they have.”
Agents in control
With auctions attracting million-pound properties, where does that leave agents in terms of money – valuations as well as fees. Andrew stresses that auctions are about empowering agents, not taking away opportunities.
“We understand a valuation is gold,” says Andrew. “Eddisons will offer fact-based guidance using our whole-of-market database of past sales but the final valuation figure rests with the agent.”
Andrew also points out that as well as the agent retaining the right to set the seller’s fee, the agent can also negotiate to receive a percentage of the buyer’s fee. That said, Andrew believes an auction sale should not be fee motivated.
The gavel isn’t a magic wand but is a brilliant tool in the right circumstance.”
“There has to be a good reason why a property is sold at auction,” adds Andrew. “Properties ideally need to be rare, unusual or advertised at a price that entices people in and creates competition. The gavel isn’t a magic wand but is a brilliant tool in the right circumstance.”
Auction options
For agents wanting to offer a holistic sales offering, there are a number of ways to bring auctions into the fold:
1. White label
White labelling is the ultimate hands-off but branded approach, with an agent tapping into an expert auctioneer’s existing framework. There’s no need for the agent to invest in software or learn how to run a property auction.
For example, Pattison’s white label service gives agents full access to an auction department, complete with their own branding, marketing materials and an agent-branded subdomain. To the buyer and seller, it appears as if the auction is run entirely by the agent. Eddisons provide a similar white label service to Knight Frank.
2. Agent-run auctions
In-house online auction technology is growing in popularity as it allows an agent to keep control and deliver an end-to-end service to clients, with no outsourcing.
Bamboo, for example, gives agents the ability to run its own online auctions, with the system built into their website under its own branding. A dashboard allows agents to control its auctions, with full integration with Reapit and Alto.
3. Auction partnership joint agency basis
An agent can choose to work with a preferred auctioneer, with both the agent and the auction house’s names visible on the marketing collateral. A buyer or seller is reassured that an expert auctioneer is onside, and any fees are split between the auction house and the agent, by negotiation.
At Iamproperty Auction, every partner enjoys its own branded microsite to showcase their auction properties, as well as listings on the Iamsold portal and automatic data sharing with Reapit.
All marketing, legal preparation and sales progression, however, is handled by Iamproperty. To help boost awareness, iamproperty recently launched Auction Watch magazine to promote the benefits of auctions to clients, and to offer a consumer-friendly overview of MMoA.
4. Referral agreements
Keeping matters simple are straightforward referral agreements, where an agent passes on a property they think may benefit from an auction sale. The auctioneer communicates with the seller, advertises the listing and hosts the auction, transferring the referral fee to the agent.
No longer the last resort
Property auctions, once a last resort of estate agents to off-load hard-to-sell houses, have become a sophisticated and effective method to sell homes, with a plethora of options around how to offer the services.
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