With both the number of lots for sale and the funds raised increasing during 2025, it’s been a bumper year for property auctions.
As 2025 slowly draws to a close, auction agents, vendors, and property buyers are all looking ahead to a well-earned break over the Christmas and New Year holidays. It’s been a busy and eventful year.
However, while we focus on hanging the last of the festive decorations and finding that elusive last-minute gift, there’s still time for a brief round-up of the auction market during 2025, and a short look into what to expect in the New Year.
According to the Essential Information Group (EIG), the number of auction lots offered for sale increased by 4.3%, from 39,439 to 41,125, from December 2024 to November 2025. (1)
This represented a 4.9% increase in auction revenue from £5,499.6M to £5,768.3M.
The residential property market has proven to be a strong driver of auction sales.
In July 2025, we reported that residential sales had provided a solid foundation for auction growth across the North West, with a 4.2% increase in residential lots and a 13.5% increase in revenues.
Returning to a yearly overview, EIG reveals that between December 2024 and November 2025, the number of residential lots available at auction increased by 4.7% (36,441), while revenues increased by 7% (£4,4680.1M).
November 2025 has proven to be a bumper period for residential auction sales, with a 16% (2,635) increase in the number of lots available compared to the same period last year, and a 21.3% (1,780) increase in the number of lots sold.
This was an increase of 28.4% (£358.8M) in total residential auction revenue.
The commercial property market has performed more sluggishly at auction throughout 2025, with an increase of just 0.7% (4,684) in the number of lots for sale from December 2024 to November 2025, compared to the previous period.
While the number of lots sold during this time did increase by 0.5% (3,260), reviews from these sales fell by 3.2% to £1,088.1M.
Interestingly, the months September 2025 to November 2025 (just prior to the delivery of the Autumn Budget) saw a significant spike in commercial property sales.
The number of commercial lots for sale increased by 7.1% (1,472), while the number of lots sold increased by 10.4% (1,029) compared to the September to November period last year.
The percentage of lots sold increased by 3.1% (69.9%), representing an increase in sales revenue of 6.2% (£336.0M).
Regional variations in performance have permeated the auction market throughout 2025.
Growth in the level of funds raised was strong in the Midlands and South East of England during November 2025, while the North West has continued to show a strong presence in terms of the number of lots offered and sold.
Although the number of lots offered for sale across the North West between September 2025 and November 2025 fell by 0.4% to 1,683, the total revenue from these sales increased by 4.1% to £159.0M compared to the same period last year.
During the August 2025 to October 2025 period, the number of lots offered for sale in the North West increased by 0.8% compared to last year, while revenues also increased by 3.9% (£135.5M).
In terms of the comparative size of the North West auction market, the number of lots offered for sale has been consistently strong throughout 2025.
Across England, only the South-East Home Counties offered more properties for sale between September and November 2025.
The strength of the North West as a ‘property powerhouse’ is arguably unsurprising since we reported in August 2025 how Manchester ranked as one of the UK’s leading residential investment cities, according to the Colliers Top UK Residential Investment Cities Report H1 2025 (2).
As a major metropolitan hub, the attractiveness of living and working in Manchester is shared by much of the wider Greater Manchester region. With its high number of renters, available rental stock and reasonable house prices, the North West is a highly attractive prospect for both rental and residential auction buyers.
Auction sales have continued to grow in popularity across the UK for several years, and all indicators suggest that this will continue to be the case.
Online auction sales have also established a commanding lead in how properties are sold at auction, accounting for 52% of all auction transactions during 2024.
Livestream auction sales account for around 37% of the market, while in-room events represent just 11% of sales.
In terms of the current property market and the demand for homes, it is expected that the resilience seen throughout 2025 will continue into next year for both traditional and auction sales.
A softer-than-anticipated Autumn Budget should alleviate much of the nervousness of buyers ahead of the expected Boxing Day and New Year rush in property enquiries, opening the door to a buoyant market for both traditional and auction sales in 2026.
However, changes to income tax, including the creation of a separate rate for property income tax, will mean that landlords will need to reassess their property strategies, and it is likely that some will decide to divest their assets or even exit the rental market entirely.
This will result in a flurry of activity for both buyers and sellers at auction, continuing the trend we’ve seen of savvy landlords competing with first-time buyers for the rush of new housing stock coming to market.
Looking further ahead into the year, Nationwide recently announced that it expects house price growth to be within the 2% to 4% range over the coming 12 months. (3)
This is good news for sellers, which is further bolstered by the analysis that affordability pressures for buyers have eased slightly in recent months.
“House prices evolved broadly in line with our expectations. Annual price growth slowed steadily from 4.7% at the end of 2024 to 2.1% in the middle of 2025 and then to 1.8% in November. As a result, prices were close to the all-time high recorded in the summer of 2022 as the year drew to a close,” observed Nationwide’s Chief Economist, Robert Gardner.
“With price growth well below the rate of earnings growth and a steady decline in mortgage rates, affordability constraints eased somewhat, helping to underpin buyer demand. The first-time buyer share of house purchase activity was above the long-run average, supported by easier credit availability, with the share of high loan-to-value lending (i.e. with a deposit of 15% or less) reaching its highest level for over a decade.”
As one of the largest and most successful residential and commercial property auctions in the North West, Edward Mellor Property Auctions has established a proven reputation for innovation and consistently achieving excellent auction results.
We’ve been a pioneer in auction sales since the earliest days of the online auction industry, and today can help sellers achieve rapid sales for any property in any condition.
With rising buyer confidence and a high demand for properties across the North West, the door is open to a highly buoyant action market during 2026, so now is the time to register your interest in selling to get ahead of what will be a highly competitive environment.
To book a free, zero-obligation property appraisal and to discuss potential sales strategies with our friendly and professional team, contact us today using the link below.
(1) – Essential Information Group, December 2025 Newsletter
(2) – Colliers Top UK Residential Investment Cities Report H1 2025
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