Birmingham City Council raises nearly £3 million as bidder registrations surge at our September auction

A significant increase in registered bidders helped drive another successful auction for Bond Wolfe in September, with total sales reaching £25,077,500 and Birmingham City Council raising nearly £3 million from the disposal of surplus properties and land.

Our September live-streamed auction saw 150 of the 178 lots offered successfully sold, achieving an overall success rate of 87% and taking our total sales for 2026 to more than £120 million.

Interest from buyers was particularly strong, with remote bidding registrations increasing by more than 30% compared with our previous auction in July.

A total of 1,329 bidders registered to participate, up from 1,017 in July, while our website attracted 1,476,156 page views in the lead-up to the auction.

Prospective purchasers also watched 76,495 property video tours and downloaded 46,565 legal packs, highlighting the significant levels of engagement across the catalogue.

Gurpreet Bassi, Chief Executive at Bond Wolfe, said:

“We are delighted with the results of our September auction, which generated more than £25 million in sales and took our total for the year beyond £120 million.

“One of the most encouraging figures was the substantial increase in registered bidders, rising from 1,017 in July to 1,329 in September.

“This demonstrates the continued appetite for buying property through auction, with purchasers attracted by the transparency, speed and certainty that the process provides.

“The high levels of website activity, video tour views and legal pack downloads also demonstrate just how much interest our properties are generating before auction day.”

Birmingham City Council properties attract competitive bidding

Birmingham City Council was among the major vendors benefiting from the strong demand, raising nearly £3 million from the sale of properties and land.

Ten of the 11 lots offered on behalf of the council were successfully sold, with several achieving prices considerably above their guide prices.

One of the most significant sales was the former Skilts School at Gorcott Hill, near Redditch, which achieved £1.2 million from a guide price* of £1 million+.

The former Halescroft Youth Centre in Northfield also attracted competitive bidding, eventually selling for £550,000, more than double its guide price of £250,000+.

Elsewhere, five of the six shops offered in Harborne Park Road, Harborne, sold for a combined £873,000.

Among these was 23-25 Albert Road, which achieved £237,000 against a guide price of £150,000+.

Land disposals also performed strongly, with three of the four plots offered successfully sold. One site in Northfield achieved £162,000 from a guide price of just £20,000+.

Gurpreet Bassi added:

“It was extremely pleasing to secure such a satisfactory result for Birmingham City Council, with ten of the eleven lots offered successfully sold.

“Several properties achieved prices well above their guides, demonstrating the competitive environment created when properties are exposed to our extensive database of buyers.

“Our longstanding relationships with local authorities continue to be an important part of our business, and these results highlight how the auction process can help public sector organisations achieve strong returns from surplus assets.”

Strong results for Wolverhampton Council and private sellers

City of Wolverhampton Council also enjoyed a successful auction, with four residential properties sold on its behalf.

Houses in Leicester Street, Vicarage Road, Blackburn Avenue and Phoenix Street all attracted buyers and were successfully sold.

Private sellers also benefited from competitive bidding, with one of the standout residential results coming from 9 Nicholls Close in Solihull.

The four-bedroom detached house, offered with a guide price of £195,000+, eventually sold for £430,000, more than double its guide price.

Commercial and specialist properties also attracted interest.

The Staff of Life, a vacant freehold pub and restaurant in the picturesque Leicestershire village of Mowsley, sold for £312,500 from a guide price of £295,000+.

Meanwhile, the former United Reformed Church in Dodington, Shropshire, achieved £94,000 against a guide price of £91,000+.

Gurpreet Bassi said:

“These results demonstrate the breadth of demand across the auction market, from residential homes and development opportunities to commercial investments and more unusual properties.

“Our ability to attract buyers for such a diverse range of assets remains one of our greatest strengths, and we look forward to building on this momentum in our remaining auctions of 2026.”

Next Bond Wolfe auction – Thursday 22 October

Our next auction takes place on Thursday 22 October, starting at 8.30am.

The auction will be live-streamed via our website, with remote bidding available by proxy, telephone or internet.

For more details and to register to bid, visit our auction properties page, email auctions@bondwolfe.com or call 0121 312 1212