Transforming sticky stock into swift sales

How Auction can help when Private Treaty sales are stuck!  

Even the best Estate Agents see listings lose momentum. When things aren’t working, don’t slow your pipeline or a vendors’ sale by holding out for a change in the market – act and explore a change in direction that could help you and your client complete faster.  Sometimes, a property launches at Private Treaty with promise, but then weeks turn into months, viewing numbers fall and the seller grows increasingly frustrated. 

With average Private Treaty timelines surpassing 200-days* across the UK, this scenario is not uncommon and Estate Agents are increasingly turning to the Modern Method of Auction as a method of sale that can get sellers moving. 

The impact of slow-moving stock 

Consumer data shows that when a listing stalls at Private Treaty: 

• Vendors begin to lose confidence in their agent.  
• Repeated price reductions can weaken the property’s appeal.  
• Branch pipelines become crowded with ‘sticky stock’ 

Auction can give properties a faster and more secure route to sale without you losing the instruction or the relationship with your client.

When to consider a new strategy 

The strongest agents don’t wait for the market conditions to be right – they know when to recommend a different route. What’s more, consumers have already confirmed that they want choice in their method of sale. Data from our Consumer Tracker^ shows that consumer expectations continue to rise, with demand growing for faster, more certain property transactions. 84% of sellers identified that they’d be more likely to choose an agent offering a range of ways to sell – by offering an alternative strategy you are giving a bespoke service that clients will remember. 

Here’s our practical checklist to help you decide if a vendor is ready for a conversation about moving their property listing to auction: 

• It has been on the market significantly longer than comparable properties.  
• The vendor needs greater certainty around timescales.  
• Several price reductions have failed to generate meaningful activity.  
• Online interest is not translating into viewings.  
• Viewings are taking place but offers are not following.  
• The same objections repeatedly appear in buyer feedback.  
• A buyer has withdrawn or the chain has collapsed.  
• The seller is becoming disengaged or considering changing agents.
  

How auction can reset market expectations of a property 

While price reductions might be the go-to for prompting more interest in a listing, this can have some adverse effects, such as buyers waiting for the property to go down further in price, lowball offers coming in, or buyers questioning if there is something wrong with the property. 

Instead, auction creates a clear timeline for people to make decisions and act within, and competitive bidding can often drive a price to its full potential when there is more than one interested buyer.  

Rather than just adjusting a listing in the hope of attracting new buyers, auction can help reset perceptions of a property through: 

• A fresh marketing story and renewed visibility.  
• A clearly defined buying process.  
• A transparent starting point for buyer interest.  
• Competition between interested parties.  
• A Reserve Price set by the seller, giving them greater certainty around expectations.
• Exposure to a new pool of motivated buyers actively looking for auction opportunities.

Offering auction as an alternative method of sale to anxious sellers 

When your sellers are anxious to see some progress in their sale, emotions can be high, so bringing the vendor back to what their key priorities are can help make the right route clear. 

Questions you can ask your vendor: 

• Is achieving the highest possible sale price the only priority?  
• Are you working towards a particular timeline? 
• How important is security and that the sale won’t fall through? 
• What would happen if the property remained unsold for another three months?  
• Has your appetite for viewings, negotiations or chains changed?  

If your vendor has a clear deadline in mind, wants less chance of a fall-through and would be reassured by a clear view of how the sale is progressing, then introducing auction is a great option. 

Communicating the benefits of auction to sellers 

We have long moved past auction being a channel for distressed properties – it is now the choice of buyers and sellers who value speed, transparency and security in their sale. Auction can be a strong fit for chain-free sellers, with all types of properties. Make sure to tell sellers what the key benefits are for them: 

• A speedy sale - The Modern Method of Auction takes just 56-days^^ to complete, from receipt of draft contracts.   
• Secure transactions - Once the sale is agreed, the buyer pays a Reservation Fee. This gives the seller peace of mind that their buyer is committed to the purchase and means there’s no renegotiating once the sale is agreed, and no risks of gazumping or gazundering.  
• Competitive offers - The transparency of auction means buyers can easily see each other’s bids, encouraging interested parties to bid more competitively to win the property. A Reserve Price is set to guide the minimum price that a seller is willing to accept and the property will not be sold for less than this agreed amount .
• No selling fee - With auction, selling fees are typically paid by the buyer. This makes it a lower-cost alternative to Private Treaty (or ‘open market’) transactions where the seller will often pay the Estate Agent commission. The only fee for sellers is the Auction Pack fee upon completion, making sure potential buyers have all the information they need to bid with.  

Remember that auction is just another tool for agents to help vendors achieve the right outcome, not a last resort to shift the property. Focus on how auction helps them meet their objectives, set realistic expectations of what auction can deliver and make your best recommendation to the vendor – the element of choice is key for modern consumers, and by offering choice you empower them to get the best out of their sale.  

Our Partner Agents have access to our Success Hub, which is packed with guides on how to explain auction to vendors.

If your client needs a little more time and help to decide if auction is right for them, then our Auction Watch magazine explains everything they need to know about selling at auction.

How auction supports your branch

Switching from Private Treaty to auction can be as beneficial to your branch as it is to your vendor.

Auction can:

• Demonstrate your expertise by offering a tailored approach based on your vendor’s priorities.
• Build your local reputation by offering customers more choice in how they sell.
• Earn higher fees, with payments available in as little as 7 days^*.
• Keep your pipeline moving with more defined timescales.

Don’t let slow-moving stock force your agency to stand still 

Private Treaty is often the default method of sale but it’s not right for every property. Sticking with this traditional method of sale because it’s familiar is not always the solution that will get your client the best result. The right auction conversation, held at the right time, can turn an ageing listing into an active opportunity. 

Speak to the iamproperty team about identifying suitable listings, introducing auction to your vendors and adding the Modern Method of Auction to your agency’s sales toolkit. 

* TwentyEA 2025  

*^Home Owners Alliance 2022  

^ Independent consumer research commissioned by iamproperty, March-April 2026. 1,000 recent, current or prospective sellers across England and Wales.

^^Based on standard properties. From receipt of draft contracts  

^*From receipt of auction fee. Must qualify. Not applicable to caveated or £400k+ properties.