Interview with our very own Auctioneer and Managing Director... Phillip Arnold!

Explain what Phillip Arnold Auctions do.

Phillip Arnold: "My title is managing director, auctioneer and chartered surveyor - a man of all trades! We do property auctions which is the main part of our business, but we are also RICS registered valuers so we do valuation work including probate, insolvency and proceeds of crime, although not for lending purposes. We are also members of the Expert Witness Institute so we do expert witness reports and attend court if we need to. At auction, our main focus is London and the Home Counties, but we sell property from all over as well."

Why should someone use you instead of another auction house?

PA: "There are certainly bigger auction houses around than us. But we have some big-hitting clients and the reason people say they prefer us is because we're personable and we're easy to talk to. If someone's got an issue on Sunday afternoon and they’re desperate to talk it through, they can ring me and they'll get an answer. Our Google reviews are pretty indicative of what people think of us. Even on auction day, we have people coming to their first auction feeling really nervous and by the end, they always have a big smile on their face. That's the way we like to work."

How would you describe the lots you feature?

PA: "We prefer to deal with quality lots rather than bulk. A lot of the bigger auctions might use dealers who have 20 properties and are flipping them. We don't really work like that. We tend to get a decent probate property from one person or a good insolvency case from another. That means our auctions our obviously smaller, with 20 to 30 lots instead of 300, but we feel they are of a better quality."

What can buyers expect from you?

PA: "We are very honest. If we come across a property with lots of fees contained in the legal pack, we won’t ignore it and let the buyer find out. If we find anything we're not comfortable with, we will make sure people realise what they’re dealing with before they bid."

Can sellers leave the marketing of their property to you?

PA: "Yes. We’re strong on social media and we're on all the main sites such as Rightmove. We also have an email database of around 25,000 people so we can get news out there as well as boards. We generally do our own viewings too, which is unusual for an auction house. Then when it comes to auction day, we recognise faces and can work on them to get the price up. The buyers appreciate someone knowledgeable being there too. It works both ways."

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