Auction Land for Sale at Incredible Prices

Seized and foreclosed land by the government is put up for auction from time to time and this offers a great way to buy amazing acreages at unbelievable prices. This offers a great way to invest in real estate with the help of reliable auction sites.

Auction websites purchase seized and foreclosed land in bulk and make it available to you at discounted prices. Since the land parcels were purchased at a cheap price, by the auction websites this low price is made available to you as well. While some auction websites require you to pay and register on their site in order to participate in the auctions, others allow you to bid free of cost without you having to pay any registration fees. Browsing the listings is also made available only to paid members on some websites while others allow visitors to the website to freely view and bid on the properties listed. Significant amount of savings is possible through purchase of land through auction websites and the land must be thoroughly researched before purchasing it. Listings on auction websites provide complete details of the property and this can be used to visit the land parcel in person in order to assess it.

Details about the land can also be checked and viewed at the local county office to verify any and every detail about the property before you put money into buying it. Auction websites must be regularly visited to keep a track of all listings and to avail the benefits of bidding for acreages that are available without any reserve price or minimum bid value. This allows you to buy excellent properties in numerous states at unbelievably low prices. Most of these land parcels are located in rural areas and offer scenic views of the natural landscape. Creeks and waterfalls are also a common sight in some of these land parcels along with an abundance of numerous trees and shrubs. A variety of activities can also be indulged in these land parcels ranging from trekking and camping to fishing and even hunting.

Most of these land parcels are easily accessible and are conveniently located close to major highways and are thus well connected. These acreages in rural areas can be developed into an estate or can be used for building a cabin and can serve as a weekend retreat. You can also choose to build a home and live in this tranquil environment if you like being close to nature. Auction websites provide financing options for all and this can be availed of to help you pay your monthly installments in case you win the bid. These financing options are provided to all irrespective of your credit history and is thus also an excellent opportunity to correct your credit ratings. Once you win the bid you are required to make a down payment and this is followed by payment on monthly installments till you pay off the entire value of the land.

Paperwork for auction land for sale is also done by auction websites and this includes providing free and clear title for the land to you. Auction websites also have an excellent customer service team who are trained and equipped to answer all your queries regarding purchase of land through the website.

Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Auction-Land-for-Sale-at-Incredible-Prices/7350644/

Help to Create an Auction Website Properly

If you have plans to create an auction website where visitors can enjoy an open premise to have their goods sold and bought, the first thing that you will need is good auction scripts that are in sync with the need and convenience of your website. Now a day, it is seen that an increasing number of people opt for auction sites to avail goods in unbelievable low costs. If you hope to start your own auction website to bask in the benefits of this current trend, there are some things other than auction scripts that you should consider rightly to enjoy maximum result. Here in this article we bring for you some of these prominent criteria to consider when opting for a auction website:
• Go slow: The first thing to remember when planning an auction website is that don’t rush to make it big and quick in order to avail maximum profit within a short time. Trying to gain all instantly is a common mistake that most people do and suffer. When dealing in any business, it is better to go slow yet steady so that you can maintain a proper and systematic working which will prove fruitful in the long run.Start small so that the business is within your budget and control initially as it is always suggested that to make a trade big it is important that you grow with the growth of your customer base. Choose auction scripts that are either free or within easy cost so that you do not have to face huge financial problems later.

• Choose one category to start with: As a beginner in auction website, you should maintain to choose one category at one go, instead of opting for multiple. Use auction scripts of specific characteristics initially that will help cater to your target customer’s need rightly. Also make sure that you make your website search engine friendly so that it secures a good rank, thus attracting increasing number of customers.

• Proper process of auction website domain creation: When planning to start a website, maintain to opt for the right and proper process of auction website. Decide on the domain and register it beforehand so that you can work smoothly with the auction scripts. Make sure that your website has enough space if you have plans to continue it for long.

• Proper promotion: Make your auction website catchy and attractive with various deals and offers that will help promote it to maximum number of customers. Add to it a good choice of auction scripts that is easy and effective to handle.

Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Help-to-Create-an-Auction-Website-Properly/5106530/

Grab Your Dream UK Home On The Cheap - Property Auctions

Did you know that every year thousands of UK properties are sold at significantly below market value? The majority of these properties are released through property auctions where regular savings of between 10% to 40% are available to market value. Even so, property auctions continue to be used only by the elite and for the astute buyer/investor this generates a fantastic opportunity to secure a dream home/good investment at bargain basement prices.

For example, at a recent auction a studio flat was sold in London for a mere £9,000. In another, a 2 bed flat right on the south coast with a market value of upto £100,000 sold for just £14,000 at auction. And those are just a couple of examples of the bargains that people do find at property auctions. However it's also important to know the potential issues and problems when dealing with auctions and to understand exactly where the best deals are available. If you're interested in getting into the world of property auctions the below tips & tricks of the trade should be very helpful.
TYPES OF PROPERTIES FOUND AT AUCTIONS
UK Property Auctions Home Contact
The following is a guide to help anyone unlock the value available through UK Property Auctions. Thousands of homes are available at any given time with property auctions, most of which are sold at prices far below market value. However it's important to know the potential issues and problems when dealing with auctions and to understand where the biggest bargains are available. Details of thousands of cheap, repossessed & auction properties are also available at Property Auction Bargains.
Its perfectly reasonable to expect to pay between 15% to 40% less for a property at auction than you would for the same property through an estate agent. For example, at a recent auction a studio flat was sold in London for a mere £9,000. In another, a 2 bed flat right on the south coast with a market value of upto £100,000 sold for just £14,000 at auction. And those are just a couple of examples of the many bargains that people find at property auctions each and every week.
TYPES OF PROPERTIES FOUND AT AUCTIONS
Repossessions - Sadly for the previous owners, repossessions can often be picked up at bargain prices through auctions.
Investment properties - Properties, which are valued due to the return on investment that they provide. Includes everything from individual office/shop investments to blocks of flats.
Rundown properties - Auctions are great places to pickup properties that are unsaleable in their current state. The attraction here is if you can get such a property in a good location at a cheap price it's perfectly possible to refurbish and resell on at handsome profits. Indeed there are individuals and organisations that make their living doing this. Unsaleable properties come under the following categories:
Derelict or in derelict areas.
Subject to severe disrepair.
Subject to local authority notices.
Subject to closing orders.
Offered with ambiguous legal titles.
Sold without access.
Sold with major fencing, paving, drainage or other similar responsibilities.
Sold subject to covenants or restrictions, which prevent normal use.
Exceptional properties - Include ones that have historical meaning and plots which 'get in the way' of major development projects.
TYPES OF AUCTION
Large composite - Tend to have over 100 lots. Expect well over 300 people to attend and the venue to be held in a large hotel or conference centre. Large composite auctions are likely to be run by a single auction house. The type of property may be restricted to just one (e.g. vacant possession houses, factories, warehouses etc) or may be a mixture of different types.
Medium composite - Have between 5 to 100 lots and will typically attract between 200 to 500 people, most likely in a hotel or conference centre. It's similar to a large composite, only on a smaller scale.
Small composite - Offer between 2 to 5 lots and will attract upto 5 bidders. The likely venue is likely to be somewhere like a pub, restaurant, church or small hotel. Small auctions will generally follow a theme - for example the properties involved may have been part of a bigger group (such as a portfolio of properties owned by one company) who believe the best returns will be obtained by offering the properties for sale individually.
Single lot - usually for a property that is in great demand.
IDENTIFYING AUCTIONS
Auctions aren't as easy to find as you might expect. Traditionally auctioneers get more than enough interest from in-the-know regulars so they don't need to spend much money on costly advertising to the public. Here's where the list of auction houses that comes with this guide becomes invaluable. There are details on each auction house including which area the auction house covers. Go through the list and identify ones, which cover the areas you are interested in. Then:
Phone the auction house and ask them when their next auction is likely to be held. Ask them to put you on a mailing list, which details forthcoming auctions. Some may charge a small fee for this, others offer the service for free.
Prepare a list of questions for each auction house you contact. These should include:
Do you have a mailing list?
How long do you keep people on your mailing lists and can you let me know if I am about to be removed?
What type of properties do you auction?
It may also be worth subscribing to certain pedigree property magazines. These include Property Auction News, Under The Hammer and Property Week. Local newsagents usually carry these.
THE INFORMATION AN AUCTIONEER WILL PROVIDE
Obviously they will provide the details of the properties going under the hammer at their auctions. These tend to be more detailed than the snippets given by estate agents (there are laws such as the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 which make it illegal for auctioneers to give false information about a property). On the whole, for any given lot they will provide:
Location
Construction details
Tenure (e.g. freehold)
Accommodation details (e.g. 3 bedrooms etc)
Notes (e.g. refurbishment required)
Viewing details
Solicitor details
Auctioneers usually publish a catalogue with the lot details - this is a book detailing the various properties available at auction. These will usually be available a month or less prior to the auction date.
IDENTIFYING REPOSSESSIONS
Some banks/building societies can be sheepish about revealing that they are selling repossessed properties so you need to be alert in the auction for clues. Auction adverts may reveal that a bank may be the seller of a number of properties, or the auction catalogue may state a phrase such as 'on instruction of a liquidator' or something similar - this should tell you that the property being sold is a repossession. If you are unsure, ask the auctioneer directly if the lot being offered is a repossession.
FINDING PROPERTY AUCTIONS NEAR YOU
There are several thousands of properties available for auction at any given time all over the UK. It's important to understand how auctions work before purchasing a property from one. To find out where you can get hold of a list of UK property auction venues and websites of auction properties for sale take a look at my resource box below. I wish you every success in finding your dream bargain home at auction

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/20044

Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions

Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:

• An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.


• If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.


• Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.


• Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.


• Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.


• After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.

Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:

• Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.


• Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.


• Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.

Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country's largest cities, with several hundred "black tie" participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection... exception the Fundraising Auction.

• Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.


• Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I'm not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn't necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member's computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.


• I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member's computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order... hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.


• There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the "Raffle Table", it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.


• According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken... directly in front of the podium where I was to stand... which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say "awkward moment"?


• As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the "Raffle Committee" approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it's conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.


• When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.


• While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide... because apparently no one was assigned that job.


• So with only the Auctioneer's verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling... or when we were selling it... until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been

The learning experience is this:

• The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.


• Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.


• If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item's specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.


• When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.


• And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer... use the services that you are paying for.

Don't let this happen at your Fundraising Auction.

Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania's Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the "Special Pledge Appeal" or "Fund-A-Cause Appeal" which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6668294

Shop Auctions - Bypass the Crowds this Holiday and Shop Auctions

Christmas is fast approaching. And with Christmas comes that time for massive present shopping. However, I'm here to tell you that how easy it is to shop auctions and not deal with the mall crowds and traffic jams that come with the Christmas season. You can actually stay home and shop for the holidays in your pajamas!

If you shop auctions, you can buy gifts with a breeze.

Let's take a look at how it works.

Auctions allow you to search by specific category or product. It's also a great place to get great gift ideas from. Take for instance a birthday gift that you recently bought. In most auctions, you will have a search toolbar. So just type the product name or category in and see the vast selection of items available. If you get too many results, narrow your search down and sort by product name or price.

You haven't purchased on the internet before? Are you hesitant about fraudulent activity? I was too. But most reputable auctions keep a history on everyone that sells on their site. You can review their feedback and see how active they are. It really is one of the safest options on the internet. I personally have had a great experience shopping auctions.

If you plan to shop auctions for your holiday shopping this year, don't wait until the last minute. The bidding prices will be much higher during this crunch time because people start to panic, plus you will risk not getting your item by the holiday deadline.

If price is not an issue then you are in luck when a company comes out with a new video game system or hard to find toy. They're hard to find in retail stores, but when you search on auctions such as eBay there is plenty of supply to bid on. At this point you know you are going to pay premium price. It is the natural law of supply and demand at work here. Some are willing to pay top dollar for something just to make sure their kid will have it first. But it still won't be a guarantee of receiving it before Christmas. Avoid this potential problem by shopping auctions earlier than later.

The holiday season is the premium time for auctions sites because thousands of shoppers have opted for internet shopping and it's gained popularity over the years. An important tip to remember is that this is still an auction site. So make your bids carefully. Many times, people new to shopping on auctions are so anxious to win the product, they end up driving up the prices and paying higher than normal pricing. I have seen this time and time again.

No matter how anxious you are, the auction will not end early. Another thing is make sure to check all details of the auction before placing your bid. And please don't forget to also check the cost and method of shipping that's listed in the auction. Many, including me have gotten caught with huge shipping bills because I did not check the costs before winning the bid. If you get too caught up in the competition, you may end up paying way too much for the product when you factor in shipping cost.

Now if you want to avoid the auction process altogether, you can seek out the "Buy It Now" items. You can easily only view the list of "Buy it Now" items by using the search bar. You can use this purchasing option to avoid the bidding game. Just remember, the closer you get to the holiday season the more you will see the "Buy it Now" options. Auction sellers know how to appeal to us last minute shoppers.

Two other popular options include delayed payment, gift wrapping. Whatever options you choose, make sure that you enjoy the experience. And don't forget that shopping auctions allows you to avoid the mad rush at the mall.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/68988/shop-auctions-bypass-the-crowds-this-holiday-and-shop-auctions.htm

Shop Discount Travel Auctions for Bargains

I have a bit of a reputation among my close friends and family members, that of being somebody that loves to vacation. In fact, if I had things my own way, I would likely be vacationing much more often than I was at home. It really does not even matter what type of vacation I am taking, regardless of whether it is visiting a neighboring town and staying in a hotel or going on a cruise for a week or longer, I am going to enjoy myself. Of course, along the way I have amassed quite a bit of knowledge about finding the perfect vacation and doing so at a price that was affordable. None of them were quite as affordable, however, as when I discovered how to use a travel auction to save money. One of the things that I really have enjoyed about using a travel auction is the fact that it was rather unique when compared to other bidding sites. I have been on the Internet for quite some time and I have used all types of penny auction websites, as well as some of the more popular types of bidding sites, such as eBay and craigslist. When I found a travel auction website, however, I was completely blown away by the number of different choices that were available. In fact, my first experience with this type of auction got me a vacation that I had never even considered taking before, and I had a wonderful time. Since I first discovered the travel auction websites, I learned how to use them effectively to save the most amount of money possible. There are some things that you should know that can help you to do the same. First of all, not all bidding sites that offer vacations are going to stack up equally, as there are some significant differences in the way that they operate. One of the ways that they are different is that some travel auction websites will take your bid, but they will not reimburse you if you do not win that bid. That can add to additional expenses that are not going to help you save money in any way, shape or form.

Another thing that I noticed about using the travel auction is the fact that you need to be ready to bid on something at a moments notice. When you see an auction appear that you want to take advantage of, begin the bidding and continue to keep up on the bidding, as that may frighten the other bidders away. Additionally, you should ensure that you are available for the end of the bidding, as that is when the majority of the penny auction action is going to take place.

Some travel auction websites will also limit you to a larger extent than others as far as the bidding options that are available. One of the top auction websites that I have found, ubidugo, did not place any unnecessary demands on their members, but rather, gave a flat 24 hours for the bidding to begin and began all of the bidding at zero dollars. This helps level the playing field and gave me the advantage, especially with my experience with online auction websites. Another significant difference is the fact that when you use ubidugo, you are not in the dark about who you are bidding against. You are not only able to see the total bid at any given time, you are able to see who you were bidding against and who is winning the race.

Another fun thing that I can say about ubidugo is the fact that when it got down to the final minute of the penny auction, each bid extended the length of time by 15 seconds. It was a lot of fun to see all the bids come flying in and know that I was only putting in a penny at any given time. All that is really necessary is for you to stay on top and to be at the top when the time runs out and you will be on your way to a fantastic, inexpensive vacation.

Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Shop-Discount-Travel-Auctions-for-Bargains/6261023/

Selling Your Car at Auction - A Beginners Guide

With many people struggling to make ends meet and TV adverts with catchy jingles tempting you to sell your car for quick cash, it can seem appealing. Your car (next to your house) is probably your most expensive piece of equity and with this in mind, it can be tempting to sell it, purchase a cheaper make or model and pocket the difference.

Car auctions, whether they be physical or on-line, can be a good way of selling your car, safe in the knowledge that an experienced auctioneer has yours, and the auction house's, best interest at heart. You may think that these things do not always necessarily go hand in hand but bear in mind that the auction house will take a percentage of the purchase price (buyers fee) as commission so it is in their interest to get you as much money as possible!

So, let's start with the basics:

What is a car auction?

Car auctions have a long history within the automotive industry with many different types of business using them to either sell excess stock or purchase new stock for resale.

They are extremely popular in the USA and Japan and are gaining popularity in the UK where they are no longer seen as dirty places. This is mainly thanks to the industry making a concerted effort to change the reputation of the sector and make it more appealing to all people, not just those 'in the trade'.

Car auctions sell cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, plant equipment, and some of them will also sell large goods vehicles and possibly caravans and motor homes.

Auction houses do not own the vehicles which they sell. They merely act as a shop front for many different types of seller. These can include leasing companies, fleet management companies, dealer groups, banks and financial institutions, governmental bodies, police, and of course private individuals.

Let's look at each of these different sellers more closely:

Leasing Companies

Leasing companies rent vehicles to companies or private drivers for a set period of time (sometimes as little as 1 year) so the vehicles put into auction are usually young models with a good mileage and because the cars are usually leased from new, they may have only had one person driving them whilst going to a meeting twice a week! When the lease or rental period ends, leasing companies will enter their old stock into auction as their customers are more interested in leasing brand new vehicles. These companies are usually owned by banks or financial institutions.

Fleet Management Companies

These are similar to Leasing companies in that they lease their stock to organisations but differ in that they will supply their customers with a whole fleet of cars and manage that fleet on behalf of their client. Again, when the rental period for the fleet ends, the companies wish to take advantage of the capital wrapped up in their stock in order to replace it with new models.

Dealer Groups

If you have ever part exchanged your old car at one of the large, glass fronted dealers or showrooms, chances are it has subsequently been put into auction and sold. Dealer groups will also enter old or unsold stock (known as overage) from their forecourts in order to keep their showrooms looking fresh with the latest that the manufacturer(s) have to offer. Of course, buying a vehicle at auction which has been entered by a dealer group can be a bit riskier than the leasing or fleet companies as if someone has part exchanged their old car, you have to ask yourself why did they do it, what sort of person where they, how well did they keep it and how many previous keepers has it had?

Banks and financial institutions

Banks and financial institutions can fall into fleet and leasing companies as many of them have these elements within their respective corporate families and follow the same trends. However, banks can also enter cars into auctions that have been repossessed from their customers after defaults on loan or mortgage repayments. Obviously a car itself is of little or no interest to a bank, they are only interested in the value and the money which can be made from it.

Governmental bodies

Government bodies will run fleets of cars for their staff and key executives and will update this fleet on a regular basis with the old stock being put into auction. Separate Government departments will also enter a wide range of vehicles at auction from ex-defence Land Rovers or staff cars, to lawn mowers and diggers used on the local playing fields or in the local cemetery! Local Government may also enter cars into auction that have been seized by bailiffs follow non payment of bills such as Council Tax (depending on the Local Authority in question, these can be quite high end models).

Police

Police forces will auction vehicles seized from convicted criminals to either compensate victims, break up an illegal estate or regain public money gained fraudulently. The police also auction a variety of other items seized for similar reasons and may do this through an auction house or by holding their own property auctions. As well as these lots, all police forces will also run a fleet of undercover or unmarked vehicles and these will need to be constantly updated, with the old stock being put into auction to raise funds for the force.

Private individuals

This is the category of seller that we are really interested in. Private sellers can enter and purchase cars from auction and if their car is not sold first time round, they can tell the auction house to keep putting it in until they receive an acceptable bid. Be warned though, auction houses will charge you for each time they enter the car so if you have sold your car after a couple of sales, you may want to check your reserve price or rethink your options.

How does it work?

Most auctions work on the same principal; your prospective buyers bid against one another, raising the amount which they offer with each new bid they make until their competitors drop out and they are left as the highest bidder. All of your bidders will be in the auction hall (although an online element is becoming increasing popular) and all bids are made in the open. This type of auction is known as an 'English Auction and its formula applies to the majority of vehicle auctions.

When your vehicle arrives at the auction centre, it will be inspected by the auctions technicians who will highlight any scratches, dents, scuffs, rust, etc and value the overall damage costs. It can be important to consider this when you think about your reserve as trade buyers will have a good idea of the vehicles value and of the damage costs and will factor this into their bidding. The damage cost will not be shown to any buyers, it is purely for the auction house's records.

Your car will then be photographed and 'lotted', the process whereby your car is entered into a sale. It will be assigned a lot number and will be placed in the auctions yard to be viewed by the buyers.

At the same time, your vehicles details will be published online for buyers to look at before they arrive at the auction. This is a good way of building interest in your car and most auction houses will send our copies of their latest catalogues to their buyers.

You should do your best to ensure that you car is entered with all of the paperwork and material which you have relating to it:

• V5c Registration Document
• Hand book
• Any other manuals (SatNav, radio, etc)
• Service book
• Historic garage receipts of details of work carried out
• Locking wheel nut key (if your car has one)
• Any other information or items that came with your car when you bought it

All of these things are important to buyers and if you were buying a car, you would expect to have everything that you could have relating to it so think of these when you enter your car.

Of course, you will also have to leave your key and any spares with the auction.

In the auction halls...

When your vehicle is lining up to be driven into the auction halls, buyers will start to look closely at the car, looking for any damage and they may open the doors to look at the interior. Buyers are not usually allowed to test drive cars or look under the bonnet so this process of final inspection is important to them.

Once your car is in place in front of the auctioneer, the cars details and any special features, such as extra interior features, alloy wheels, etc, will be read to the audience. The auctioneer will then start the bidding with an opening bid below your reserve. If there is a great deal of interest in your car, bids can rise fast with many people competing. Eventually, the auctioneer may drop the increases in size to amounts that the last couple of bidders feel more comfortable with. This could mean that you see increases of £50 for your car rather than the £500s you were seeing right at the start. The buyer with the final highest bid has now bought your car as long as their highest bid was over your reserve. At this point the buyer has entered into a legal contract.

If the final highest bid did not quite meet your reserve, the auctioneer may class this a provisional bid and the auction will then attempt to negotiate between you and the buyer. At this point, you can ask for more money or demand that your reserve be met. If you go too high and the buyer pulls out, the sale will fall through. It is a balancing act between what the buyer is prepared to offer and the minimum amount you are willing to accept.

If you reach an agreement, the sale will go through as normal.

If agreement cannot be reached, you have the option to take your car out of future auctions and keep it, or enter it again in the hope of getting a better bid. Hopefully this won't happen and you will sell your car but if you have to consider this you should remember that many auctions are used by motor traders who attend most weeks and if they see the same car go through each week, they will be less inclined to offer a high bid. Auctions will also charge you for each time you enter your car, with some also charging storage after a certain amount of time and sales, so you should consider these costs when thinking of the money you intend to make from the sale.

How much will it cost?

The fee to enter your car in an auction can range from £15-£30 depending on the size and reputation of the auction house and will be deducted from the total sale value of the car. This fee will be payable each time you enter your car in to a sale if it does not sell.

On top of this, there will also be commission deducted from the sale price. This will be on an increasing scale and will depend on the sale price of the vehicle in question. Always check with the auction house before you enter your vehicle and shop around the auction houses local to you to get the best deal.

After the sale

Assuming that a deal has been reached or that your vehicle sold straight away, the auction will not give any of the vehicles paperwork to the new buyer until full payment has been made. Once this happens, the auction will pass all material relating to the car to the buyer.

Most auction companies will also deal with the legal change in ownership on your behalf and will communicate the sale to DVLA Swansea with the vehicles V5c Registration Document on your behalf, as you do not know the buyers details. Some auctions charge for this service so check at time of entry.

Car auction companies are usually pretty quick in sending you the money for your car and can be as quick as a couple of days after the sale, usually by cheque or bank transfer. The entry charges and commission taken by the auction will usually be details on a remittance advice sent to you once your money has been sent to you.

Other things to consider:

When you are thinking of putting your car into an auction, you may want to think of these things which can increase your chances of getting a sale:

• Is the interior clean?
• Having crisp packets, drinks bottles or cigarette ends n the ashtray is not appealing and you would not by a car like that so why would anyone else?
• Do you smoke in your car?
• If you smoke in your car, try to banish the smell of stale smoke as best you can. Smoking in cars can also lead to burns on seats, trim and just about anywhere else so be aware of them.
• Have you got a complete or good service history on your car?

Buyers look at the service history on your car to see how it has been kept. A good service history usually mean that the rest of the car has been looked after properly. Main dealer stamps are highly sought in service history but your local approved garage will suffice.

Is there any tax left on your car?

Selling a car with tax allows the buyer to drive away with that car on the day they bought it. If your car does not have tax, they buyer will need to insure it, then sort out the tax before they can drive it. Since auction houses will not pass any vehicle documents to the buyer before full payment is made, this can lead to a great deal of hassle for the buyer as they will have to go away, sort the insurance, come back and pay for the car, go away and sort the tax (now that they have the MOT certificate), come back and finally drive away.

Trade buyers buying many cars will not worry about the hassle factor too much as they will get their new cars delivered by transporter, it mainly matters to them for the resale value which tax can add onto their forecourts.

When does the MOT run out (or does it even have one?)

Selling your car with MOT gives your car a boost in auction as buyers will just see it as an added expense if it does not have one. Your buyer will also need to have a valid MOT before they can ensure the car!

Are there cosmetic things that could be tidied or corrected before you enter it?

Are there stains on seats or interior trim that can be removed? Is there a brake light bulb that could be replaced? Are there stickers on the windows that could be removed?

Is it worthwhile sorting out that scratch before you enter it?

Getting a small scratch or dent repaired before you enter your car can increase the chances of it selling as it will not be noted on the damage report (as long as it is a good job!)

Do you have a spare key, SatNav disk, or old garage bills in the back of a cupboard somewhere?

You should do your upmost to ensure that you give everything associated with your car to the auction along with your vehicle. Things like spare keys add to the value and old garage receipts let your buyer know exactly what has been done, added, changed or mended to their new car as well as who done it.

Obviously, if your car has built in SatNav, you should include the disk for this along with any instruction manuals.

Remember, auction houses will inspect your car and so will our buyers sonly sort out scratches or other problems if you feel you can be a good job of it otherwise it just means that someone else has to redo your attempt meaning more cost and time!

This article is only meant as a guide as all auction companies have different processes, fees, client base and ethos but I hope that this article has given you some insight into the considerations of selling your car, van, lorry, tractor (or any other vehicle) at a car auction and if you do decide to follow this route, good luck!

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