Essential Information Group

March 2024 Newsletter

EIG monthly Newsletter

Essential Auction News

In February 2024, the UK property auction market saw substantial growth across all year-on-year metrics. National data reveals significant increases in the number of lots offered, lots sold, and total funds raised compared to the previous year, indicating a continued buoyancy to the market sentiment. Of the 36 metrics we measure for auction activity on a national scale, all bar six have shown increases on the same period 12 months ago, and those six drops are for the most part in single digits. Despite a lower number of auctions being held compared to 2023, the abundance of stock featured in catalogues contributed to bolstering these figures.

The residential sector notably stood out, with an impressive 18.3% surge in lots sold and a substantial 20.8% rise in total funds raised, reflecting robust demand and the increase in average transaction values. In the commercial arena, despite some sector-specified auctioneers presenting smaller catalogues than last year, there was still growth observed in lots offered, lots sold and total raised.

At a regional level, the performance varied, showcasing the diverse nature of the UK auction landscape. Regions such as the North-East experienced remarkable growth, with significant increases in lots offered, sold, and funds raised, indicating strong market vitality. Conversely, areas like Scotland encountered challenges, with a decrease in the percentage of lots sold, suggesting potential fluctuations in demand.

Despite these regional disparities, the overarching trend indicates a thriving auction market with resilience and growth. The landscape continues to appear positive and promising for buyers, sellers, and investors navigating the dynamic world of property auctions.

Please note the newsletter can also be viewed online.

Kind regards

David Sandeman
davids@eigroup.co.uk

P.S. Here at the Essential Information Group we maintain a database of virtually every property coming up for sale at auction as well as almost 900,000 lots that have been to auction in the past. It is fully searchable and allows you to identify properties coming up for sale that you might be interested in, and to see what similar properties have sold for in the past.

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Overall Statistics February 2024
Total Lots Offered 4,281
Total Lots Sold 3,210
Percent Sold 75%
Total Realised £622,697,800

National Auction Analysis

Overall

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2024 December 2023 to February 2024 March 2023 to February 2024
Lots Offered 4,281 (3,692) 16.0% 9,162 (8,383) 9.3% 37,032 (32,011) 15.7%
Lots Sold 3,210 (2,746) 16.9% 6,682 (5,967) 12.0% 26,087 (23,017) 13.3%
Percent Sold 75.0% (74.4%) 0.8% 72.9% (71.2%) 2.4% 70.4% (71.9%) 2.1%
Total Raised £622.7M (£523.4M) 19.0% £1,243.1M (£1,066.4M) 16.6% £4,968.4M (£4,825.2M) 3.0%

Residential

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2024 December 2023 to February 2024 March 2023 to February 2024
Lots Offered 3,813 (3,258) 17.0% 8,126 (7,501) 8.3% 32,497 (27,624) 17.6%
Lots Sold 2,864 (2,420) 18.3% 5,948 (5,325) 11.7% 22,921 (19,935) 15.0%
Percent Sold 75.1% (74.3%) 1.1% 73.2% (71.0%) 3.1% 70.5% (72.2%) 2.4%
Total Raised £485.3M (£401.6M) 20.8% £985.3M (£840.1M) 17.3% £3,885.5M (£3,613.2M) 7.5%

Commercial

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

February 2024 December 2023 to February 2024 March 2023 to February 2024
Lots Offered 468 (434) 7.8% 1,036 (882) 17.5% 4,535 (4,387) 3.4%
Lots Sold 346 (326) 6.1% 734 (642) 14.3% 3,166 (3,082) 2.7%
Percent Sold 73.9% (75.1%) 1.6% 70.8% (72.8%) 2.7% 69.8% (70.3%) 0.7%
Total Raised £137.4M (£121.8M) 12.8% £257.8M (£226.3M) 13.9% £1,082.9M (£1,212.0M) 10.7%

Regional Auction Analysis

As is usually the case, variations across all the measurable parameters can be seen across the regions.

N.B. Figures in brackets denote the comparative period last year

East-AngliaEast Anglia

(Includes Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 389 (366) 6.3% 353 (331) 6.6% 36 (35) 2.9%
Lots Sold 289 (267) 8.2% 263 (242) 8.7% 26 (25) 4.0%
Percent Sold 74.3% (73.0%) 1.8% 74.5% (73.1%) 1.9% 72.2% (71.4%) 1.1%
Total Raised £46.9M (£44.9M) 4.5% £41.1M (£37.0M) 11.2% £5.8M (£7.9M) 26.9%

East-MidlandsEast Midlands

(Includes Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 681 (664) 2.6% 574 (592) 3.0% 107 (72) 48.6%
Lots Sold 521 (500) 4.2% 436 (439) 0.7% 85 (61) 39.3%
Percent Sold 76.5% (75.3%) 1.6% 76.0% (74.2%) 2.4% 79.4% (84.7%) 6.3%
Total Raised £101.1M (£78.7M) 28.5% £70.2M (£59.6M) 17.7% £30.9M (£19.1M) 62.2%

LondonLondon

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 684 (611) 11.9% 632 (543) 16.4% 52 (68) 23.5%
Lots Sold 517 (471) 9.8% 480 (413) 16.2% 37 (58) 36.2%
Percent Sold 75.6% (77.1%) 1.9% 75.9% (76.1%) 0.3% 71.2% (85.3%) 16.5%
Total Raised £236.6M (£188.3M) 25.7% £199.0M (£151.8M) 31.0% £37.7M (£36.4M) 3.4%

North-EastNorth-East

(Includes Cleveland, County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 801 (612) 30.9% 757 (586) 29.2% 44 (26) 69.2%
Lots Sold 631 (406) 55.4% 599 (385) 55.6% 32 (21) 52.4%
Percent Sold 78.8% (66.3%) 18.9% 79.1% (65.7%) 20.4% 72.7% (80.8%) 10.0%
Total Raised £41.5M (£34.4M) 20.5% £34.4M (£28.1M) 22.2% £7.1M (£6.3M) 12.9%

North-WestNorth-West

(Includes Cheshire, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 1,383 (1,330) 4.0% 1,243 (1,186) 4.8% 140 (144) 2.8%
Lots Sold 1,014 (927) 9.4% 910 (825) 10.3% 104 (102) 2.0%
Percent Sold 73.3% (69.7%) 5.2% 73.2% (69.6%) 5.2% 74.3% (70.8%) 4.9%
Total Raised £124.6M (£107.9M) 15.4% £102.0M (£84.8M) 20.3% £22.6M (£23.1M) 2.4%

North-West-Home-CountiesNorth-West Home Counties

(Includes Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Oxfordshire)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 610 (522) 16.9% 554 (471) 17.6% 56 (51) 9.8%
Lots Sold 454 (381) 19.2% 412 (341) 20.8% 42 (40) 5.0%
Percent Sold 74.4% (73.0%) 1.9% 74.4% (72.4%) 2.8% 75.0% (78.4%) 4.3%
Total Raised £122.2M (£108.4M) 12.7% £97.6M (£82.8M) 17.9% £24.6M (£25.6M) 3.9%

Northern-IrelandNorthern Ireland

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 35 (54) 35.2% 34 (45) 24.4% 1 (9) 88.9%
Lots Sold 20 (17) 17.6% 19 (14) 35.7% 1 (3) 66.7%
Percent Sold 57.1% (31.5%) 81.3% 55.9% (31.1%) 79.7% 100.0% (33.3%) 200.3%
Total Raised £2.4M (£1.9M) 29.9% £2.1M (£1.7M) 22.3% £0.3M (£0.2M) 111.3%

ScotlandScotland

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 324 (277) 17.0% 213 (187) 13.9% 111 (90) 23.3%
Lots Sold 116 (120) 3.3% 80 (75) 6.7% 36 (45) 20.0%
Percent Sold 35.8% (43.3%) 17.3% 37.6% (40.1%) 6.2% 32.4% (50.0%) 35.2%
Total Raised £19.6M (£12.9M) 51.9% £7.3M (£6.3M) 15.6% £12.3M (£6.6M) 86.4%

South-East-Home-CountiesSouth-East Home Counties

(Includes Channel Islands, East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 1,444 (1,189) 21.4% 1,327 (1,076) 23.3% 117 (113) 3.5%
Lots Sold 1,042 (817) 27.5% 946 (728) 29.9% 96 (89) 7.9%
Percent Sold 72.2% (68.7%) 5.1% 71.3% (67.7%) 5.3% 82.1% (78.8%) 4.2%
Total Raised £234.4M (£194.0M) 20.8% £192.6M (£153.6M) 25.4% £41.8M (£40.5M) 3.2%

South-WestSouth-West

(Includes Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, Somerset, Wiltshire)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 692 (614) 12.7% 603 (546) 10.4% 89 (68) 30.9%
Lots Sold 503 (442) 13.8% 436 (390) 11.8% 67 (52) 28.8%
Percent Sold 72.7% (72.0%) 1.0% 72.3% (71.4%) 1.3% 75.3% (76.5%) 1.6%
Total Raised £93.1M (£87.4M) 6.5% £74.8M (£66.5M) 12.5% £18.3M (£20.8M) 12.4%

WalesWales

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 531 (423) 25.5% 447 (374) 19.5% 84 (49) 71.4%
Lots Sold 354 (280) 26.4% 297 (255) 16.5% 57 (25) 128.0%
Percent Sold 66.7% (66.2%) 0.8% 66.4% (68.2%) 2.6% 67.9% (51.0%) 33.1%
Total Raised £40.5M (£32.8M) 23.5% £31.4M (£29.1M) 7.6% £9.2M (£3.7M) 149.8%

West-MidlandsWest Midlands

(Includes Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 853 (897) 4.9% 737 (800) 7.9% 116 (97) 19.6%
Lots Sold 677 (729) 7.1% 586 (655) 10.5% 91 (74) 23.0%
Percent Sold 79.4% (81.3%) 2.3% 79.5% (81.9%) 2.9% 78.4% (76.3%) 2.8%
Total Raised £109.9M (£106.2M) 3.5% £81.9M (£83.7M) 2.1% £28.0M (£22.5M) 24.3%

Yorkshire-and-The-HumberYorkshire and The Humber

(Includes North Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Humberside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire)

December 2023 to February 2024 Total Residential Commercial
Lots Offered 735 (824) 10.8% 652 (764) 14.7% 83 (60) 38.3%
Lots Sold 544 (610) 10.8% 484 (563) 14.0% 60 (47) 27.7%
Percent Sold 74.0% (74.0%) 0.0% 74.2% (73.7%) 0.7% 72.3% (78.3%) 7.7%
Total Raised £70.3M (£68.6M) 2.4% £51.0M (£55.1M) 7.4% £19.3M (£13.6M) 42.6%

Disclaimer: The figures in this newsletter are based on sales data provided to us by the auctioneers.

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