The Biggest Mistakes Sellers Make at Auction
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Produced by Ruban Selvanayagam
Transcript
In this video, I want to walk through the 10 biggest mistakes we see sellers make when putting their property up for auction.
These are mistakes that can cost time, money, and sometimes the sale itself – and the frustrating thing is that almost all of them are completely avoidable with the right preparation and advice.
At Property Solvers Auctions, we have extensive experience managing auction sales across the UK, including many complex and time-sensitive disposals. We’ve seen outstanding results – but we’ve also seen how a lack of proper preparation can seriously damage a seller’s final price.
My goal here is simple: give you The Inside Track so you don’t fall into the traps that so many people do.
Let’s get straight into it…
1. Choosing the Right Auctioneer
This is the decision that sets the tone for everything else.
A lot of sellers assume auctioneers are all the same, or they choose based on who charges the lowest fee, or who tells them the property is worth the most. In reality, the choice of auctioneer has a massive impact on the outcome.
Some auction houses do very little beyond uploading your property onto their own website or getting it live on Rightmove and Zoopla.
Others run proper campaigns – multi-channel marketing, strong exposure across the portals, a professional and consistent LinkedIn presence, targeted investor outreach, pre-auction engagement, and proactive buyer cultivation throughout the campaign.
This difference in approach can be the difference between a handful of views… and a true competitive bidding environment.
When we take on a property, we don’t just run the auction – we project manage the entire process so the result is as strong as possible. And that level of involvement is what often separates a great outcome from a mediocre one.
2. Setting a Guide Price That Sends the Wrong Signal
A guide price isn’t just a number. It’s a message to the market.
Too low, and buyers immediately get suspicious asking questions like What’s wrong with it? Why is it so cheap?
Too high, and many won’t engage at all – they assume it’s not worth their time.
The best guide prices are engineered to generate early interest and strong bidder registration. They’re grounded in reality, not flattery.
At Property Solvers Auctions, we always combine data, local knowledge, and buyer psychology when advising on guide prices, because the guide heavily influences how many bidders you attract.
3. Setting a Reserve Price That’s Not Realistic
The reserve is your safety net – but it only works if it’s grounded in reality.
Unrealistic reserves usually come from sentiment, outdated figures, or relying on valuations that no longer reflect today’s market. When that happens, the auction stalls: bids fall short, momentum dies, and the seller is forced into relisting or post-auction negotiation.
The smarter way is to set a reserve that matches actual conditions on the ground – using genuine Land Registry sold prices, sizes based on EPC data and supplementing them with open-market signals such as asking prices, Sold STC and Under Offer comparables as a broad sense-check.
When the reserve reflects real demand, you get stronger bidding, better competition, and genuine protection.
4. Not Preparing a Full Legal Pack
The legal pack is a cornerstone of auction success.
If the legal pack feels incomplete – whether that’s missing title documents, searches, certificates, lease information, or details on rights of way and restrictions – strong buyers lose confidence fast. Unanswered questions lead to weaker bidding, and in some cases, no bidding at all.
Auction buyers are fast, but they’re also cautious. They want clarity and certainty before bidding. A weak legal pack is one of the biggest confidence killers.
We always advise our sellers to get their legal pack prepared as early as possible. In many cases, having things ready before the marketing even starts can significantly improve the result.
5. Not Reviewing Special Conditions Added by Your Solicitor
Most sellers don’t realise their solicitor can accidentally sabotage their sale.
Some solicitors add unusual fees, long-winded clauses, complicated conditions, or extended completion periods. Buyers see these and think: “This looks messy”, or “This looks risky”.
And the result? They don’t bid.
As the seller, it’s essential to review the special conditions before the auction goes live. If something is unnecessary, remove it. Clean, sensible conditions help create confidence.
6. Believing Auctions “Sell Themselves” Without Real Marketing
A common misconception is that once a property is entered into auction, the interest will take care of itself. It won’t.
Even with a solid marketing strategy in place, buyers still need active engagement: clear information, timely updates, quick access to documents, prompt replies to enquiries, and confidence that the seller is committed to the process.
Auctions don’t succeed by accident – they succeed when buyers have everything they need to bid decisively. Passive campaigns produce passive bidding.
7. Failing to Disclose Key Issues Upfront
Auction buyers don’t expect perfection. They’re used to refurbishment projects, short leases, tenant complications, title quirks, and structural issues.
What they don’t like are surprises.
If you hide something – or delay sharing important information – buyers will assume the worst. They either walk away or bid much lower.
Being transparent upfront actually increases competition, because buyers know exactly what they’re dealing with. It builds trust, which translates into stronger bidding.
8. Forgetting to Highlight Planning Potential or Uplift
This is one that consistently costs sellers money.
If your property has development angles – permitted development rights, expired consents, pre-application advice, potential for conversion or extension – please don’t forget to highlight it clearly.
Buyers price opportunities differently from ordinary homeowners. If the potential isn’t obvious, they don’t include it in their valuation. And that means you lose out.
We always look for uplift opportunities before we take a property to auction, because the right positioning can add thousands to the final result.
9. Not Understanding Buyer Psychology
Auction buyers are different from private treaty buyers.
They’re typically
- investors
- landlords
- developers
- builders
- cash buyers
The average auction buyer is analytical, risk-aware, and driven by numbers.
If the property isn’t positioned with this audience in mind, they simply won’t engage. The more clearly you communicate potential, clarity, and certainty, the stronger the bidding becomes.
Lastly is Not Checking Whether the Buyer Is Planning a “Back to Back” Flip or Trade-On
This one catches many sellers out.
Some buyers bid with the intention of selling the property immediately – often on the same day – using a back-to-back transaction.
If that onward sale collapses, they may not be able to complete your purchase. And suddenly your “sold” property isn’t sold at all.
Understanding the buyer’s exit plan gives you insight into how secure the transaction is. Our own auction team assesses this risk before we recommend accepting or rejecting post-auction offers.
So to draw things to a close, selling at auction can be incredibly effective – fast, transparent, and competitive – but only when the process is handled properly.
Most sellers who feel disappointed by auctions weren’t given the right advice or support from the start. With the right auctioneer and the right preparation, the difference in outcome can be significant.
If you’re thinking about going down the auction route, or would like a FREE auction valuation report to see how your property sits in today’s market, you can email me at ruban@propertysolvers.co.uk and I’ll be happy to assist.
A big thanks for watching!
