It’s been an impressive year for auction sales so far, particularly for the North of England. In our October 2025 Auction Market Update, we’ll look at the state of the current market and how selling at auction can help vendors to sell property in as little as seven weeks.
According to the Essential Information Group (EIG), the number of lots offered at auction climbed to 4,637 (+2.2%) during September, while the number of lots sold increased to 3,313 (+2.2%) for the month. (1)
However, while this suggests that the Auction market continues to deliver positive results, the overall picture is more nuanced.
For example, the Founder and Managing Director of EIG, David Sandeman, notes that while the number of lots offered and sold had increased in September, the total amount raised from sales lowered slightly by 1.2% to £679.4M.
This can be attributed to regional differences in auction performance and an ongoing disparity between residential and commercial sales.
Yearly analysis of the auction market is also highly positive, with the number of residential lots sold between October 2024 and September 2025 increasing by 2.3% to 25,022.
This generated sales valued at £4,564.3M, representing an increase of 7.8% compared to the same period last year.
On the commercial side, sales have remained fairly flat over the past year compared to the previous period.
The number of lots sold at auction has increased by 0.7% to 3,196, generating sales valued at £1,085.4M.
This represents a modest dip of -4.0% for commercial auction revenue.
With its reputation as a ‘power house’ for the rental market, the North of England has continued to grow as an attractive market for auction sales.
The North West, in particular, has demonstrated consistent growth throughout 2025, while other areas have shown sporadic activity or cooled off in recent months.
The number of lots for sale across the North West has continued to grow during 2025, and even more encouraging is that both the number of lots sold and the percentage of lots sold have also increased.
This indicates a highly invested market, with buyers taking advantage of the increased levels of stock on offer, generating healthy returns for sellers.
While the number of commercial lots sold has fallen nationally during July to September 2025, falling by 2.5%, the revenue from these sales has increased by 5.8% to £1,238.9M.
This appears to be driven by an overall increase in the number of commercial units available at auction. In the North West, the number of available commercial units for sale has fallen during the same period, while the percentage sold, and crucially, the amount earned from sales, have both increased.
These figures suggest that demand for commercial property remains strong, even if the overall number of lots available is less than for residential properties.
In contrast to much of the rest of the UK, commercial property sales appear to be showing strong signs of demand across the North West.
In the period July 2025 to September 2025, despite a dip in the number of properties coming to market, the number of lots sold increased by 5.9% to 108.
The revenue from these sales also increased by 5.1%, from 25.7M to 27.0M.
This suggests that the region is equally attractive for buyers of both commercial and residential properties, marking the North West as one of the UK’s strongest performing auction markets.
The indicators are that the auction market remains resilient, with growing sales and healthy returns for investors.
This has been reflected in the last two Edward Mellor property auctions, with combined sales totalling over £15 million.
We’ve seen an increase in vendors coming to market throughout the year, along with a shift in buyer behaviours, with more first-time buyers choosing auction to secure their first home.
This continued competition has helped to maintain brisk sales and good sale prices, as well as a growing awareness of auction as an effective method of selling property.
If you’re thinking of selling at auction, now is the time to act to do so before Christmas.
One of the main advantages of auction sales is the speed and ease of our proven sales process, which enables Edward Mellor to sell property in as little as seven weeks.
This has huge advantages for sellers who need to unlock funds quickly, and can be applied to any property, in any condition.
The time to sell before Christmas and the New Year is rapidly closing, so if you are planning to sell, act now and book a free, no-obligation property valuation with our auction experts.
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