Cathy Holt on the year so far...

It is encouraging to see improvements across the board in Merseyside for total lots offered, lots sold, percentage sold and total revenue, when compared to the same period in 2010. So far this year there have been 563 properties offered on Merseyside compared to 315 during the same period last year marking a 44% increase. Of these properties offered, 351 have sold generating a total revenue of £24,530,699.

On a personal note, Sutton Kersh Auctions has had a positive start to the year achieving a selling average of 74.25%; more than the national average. Since February, we have auctioned 285 properties and sold 209, generating a total revenue of £12,195,000. These figures account for a high proportion of the total figures for Merseyside. When compared to the same period last year, we have experienced 22.1% growth in the number of lots offered and 25.84% growth in the number of lots sold. Our total revenue is also up by 4%, and sold average by 5.35%.

The availability of finance continues to hinder any substantial recovery, but the above results do demonstrate improvements in the market, something we should all take confidence from.