Most estate agents refer auction as a last resort. First for Auctions partners with agents who want to offer it from the start. With an 82% sold success rate, 4.9-star rating, and 100,000+ registered buyers, First for Auctions turns the auction channel into a competitive advantage for your agency - with no extra workload for your team.
The open market is slow, uncertain, and increasingly subject to fall-throughs. For the right property and the right vendor, auction delivers certainty of sale, competitive bidding, and exchange in weeks. Most estate agents treat it as an afterthought. First for Auctions exists to change that - by making auction a professional, profitable sales channel for agents who want to use it from day one.
The average open market sale takes 22 to 32 weeks from listing to completion. Properties that attract interest but lose buyers to gazundering, chain collapse or survey issues cost your team weeks of work and goodwill. Auction exchanges on the day - that certainty is worth something to the right vendor.
When a deal falls through six weeks in, you eat the cost of viewings, negotiation time, and marketing spend. Auction creates commitment on both sides from the start. The buyer pays a reservation fee or exchanges on the day. Your instruction converts to a completed transaction.
Buyers who want to move quickly - investors, downsizers, landlords selling up - actively seek auction properties. Without an auction offering, you are sending those buyers to competitors. First for Auctions brings over 100,000 registered bidders to your property from day one of the auction campaign.
Sellers often assume auction means a below-market price. In a competitive bidding environment with 100,000+ registered buyers, that simply is not true. Educating your vendors on what Modern Method of Auction actually delivers is a genuine point of difference against agents who still treat it as a distressed sale tool.
First for Auctions operates as a partnership, not a competitor. Your agency lists the property and maintains the vendor relationship. First for Auctions handles the auction infrastructure, buyer marketing, and legal process. You share the fee. Your vendor gets a faster, more certain sale.
Not every property suits auction - but many more than most agents think. Probate, landlord exits, properties needing work, time-pressured sellers, and properties with competitive local demand are all prime candidates. First for Auctions helps you spot them in your existing pipeline.
First for Auctions sets a realistic reserve price based on local comparables and market evidence. The property is marketed to 100,000+ registered buyers through the First for Auctions platform, Rightmove, and Zoopla. Your agency is credited as the listing agent throughout.
Online bidding creates genuine competition for the right property. Multiple motivated buyers bidding against each other typically pushes prices above a cautious open market offer. The auction hammer gives the vendor certainty and often a stronger result.
Under the Modern Method of Auction, the winning bidder pays a reservation fee and exchanges contracts within 28 days, with completion within 56 days. Traditional auction exchanges on the day. Either route delivers certainty of sale far faster than the open market.
Estate agents who partner with First for Auctions earn a share of the auction fee on every successful sale. Adding auction to your offering generates a revenue stream from properties that might otherwise sit unsold on your books - or go to another agent willing to try a different approach.
First for Auctions has operated for over 20 years with a dedicated team of auctioneers and valuers. When your vendor has questions, the First for Auctions team handles them. You stay in the agent role without needing to become an auction specialist yourself.
No specialist auction knowledge required. No extra admin for your team. First for Auctions handles the auction process end to end while you maintain the vendor relationship.
Work with First for Auctions to build your eye for auction candidates: probate, landlord exits, time-pressured sellers, properties with competitive demand or requiring renovation. Build a list from your existing book.
Introduce your vendor to First for Auctions. The team handles valuation for auction purposes, reserve price setting, and the vendor conversation about how the Modern Method of Auction works. Your agency stays credited throughout.
First for Auctions markets the property across its buyer database, Rightmove, Zoopla, and partner channels. Viewings are coordinated. All buyer enquiries are handled. You are updated at each stage.
The winning bidder pays the reservation fee or exchanges on the day, depending on the auction method used. Contracts are in place. Your vendor has certainty. The open market uncertainty is gone.
On completion, your agency receives the agreed fee share. You have added a new income stream, delivered a faster result for your vendor, and strengthened your reputation as an agent who can solve difficult sales problems.
First for Auctions works with independent and multi-branch estate agents across the UK. Kerfuffle and Compare The PropTech members get a prioritised introduction, a direct conversation with the partnership team, and commercial terms reviewed with your Kerfuffle AM before you commit to anything.
Standard agent enquiry queue
Open pipeline
Kerfuffle & CTP member route
Fee share, partnership structure, and support model are reviewed agent by agent. Your Kerfuffle AM sits in on the commercial terms conversation so you know exactly what you are committing to before any agreement is signed.
A walkthrough of the First for Auctions agent partnership model: how to identify auction candidates, how the buyer marketing works, what exchange timelines look like, and what fee share your agency earns.
Property auction - particularly the Modern Method of Auction - has moved from a distressed-property tool to a mainstream sales channel for motivated vendors who value speed and certainty over waiting months on the open market.
PropTech That Pays Back is the Kerfuffle initiative that rewards estate agents with kredits when they actually use what they have bought - not just when they sign the contract. First for Auctions is not on the platform presently. If you would like to see First for Auctions added, register your interest below.
Kerfuffle members get a direct introduction to the First for Auctions partnership team, commercial terms reviewed by your AM, and a clear picture of what auction adds to your agency - before you commit to anything.
Want to talk through how auction fits your agency?
Grab fifteen minutes with the Kerfuffle team. We will walk you through the member offer, answer your questions, and figure out how to position auction for your vendors.
Book a quick Zoom to discuss options →