Selling a much-loved family home is never an easy decision, especially when time is of the essence. For Christine, choosing Auction House South West to sell 68 Craven Avenue in Plymouth provided reassurance, support and a result that exceeded all expectations.
The four-bedroom mid-terrace period property had been Christine’s family home since she was just 18 months old. Over the years, her parents had adapted to living downstairs as they became less mobile, while the upstairs of the property gradually fell into disrepair following the passing of her father. After Christine’s mother became unwell and moved from hospital into a care home, the decision was made to sell the property to fund her ongoing care.
Although the house required full modernisation throughout, Christine wanted a sale method that would provide certainty and speed.
“We had three estate agents come round, and they gave us valuations on the open market,” Christine explained. “However, the thing we had at the back of our mind was that mum’s cash to pay for her care would be running out soon, so we didn’t want to hang around.”
One of the agents had suggested auction, while Plymouth City Council’s Empty Homes Scheme also pointed Christine in the direction of Auction House South West.
“Time was of the essence,” she said. “That was the main reason why we went with auction. We wanted to know that when the hammer came down, it was sold.”
The property was offered in the Auction House South West Livestream Auction with a guide price of £130,000. Interest from buyers quickly gathered momentum on auction day, eventually resulting in an impressive final sale price of £179,000.
Despite feeling nervous ahead of the auction, Christine decided to watch the bidding live.
“I was in two minds about watching it because it was our family home so meant a lot to us,” she said. “But I knew I would regret not watching it.”
As the bidding climbed above the guide price, Christine and her sister began to realise just how successful the sale was becoming.
“When it exceeded the reserve price, I messaged my sister saying, ‘It’s going really well, this is good.’ We were just thinking the whole time about how this is paying for mum’s home and allowing her to have the care she needed so we didn’t have to worry anymore.”
The skilled auctioneer worked hard on the day to maximise each bid and reach the highest final sale price possible, before the hammer finally fell at £179,000.
“We were over the moon with the result,” Christine said. “It was a really good experience, and I did shed a tear of happiness as well as relief.”
Throughout the process, Christine praised the Auction House South West team for their professionalism, communication and support.
“Olivia held our hands the whole way along,” she said. “She was excellent. Even when there was a little hiccup towards completion, she sorted it out. I can’t speak highly enough of Olivia and all the office team too.”
Christine also reflected positively on what happened to the property after the sale, having since seen photographs of the renovation work carried out by the new owner.
“My mum was also very pleased with the auction result and what’s happened to the house since,” she explained. “Somebody’s bought it and they’ve done a really great job modernising it. It looks lovely.”
Looking back on the experience, Christine says she would not hesitate to recommend Auction House South West to others considering selling property by auction.
“They just made it very easy and were willing to give their time,” she said. “The whole service was very professional, and the actual auction itself worked really well. We would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone else to use.”
If Christine’s first-time seller success story has inspired you to sell your property through auction, do not hesitate to get in touch with our team who will be more than happy to talk you through the process on 01752 474200.
