Sunday Times property writer Mary Wilson is encouraged that the erstwhile locked and barred doors of property auctions are now open to the public. No longer are these events the sole domain of developers, landlords and professional dealers. She writes:   The auction room is becoming a popular place to buy property.A property auction can be an excellent way to get a property bargan. The days are gone when only the dealers bought in the auction room. No longer is it the domain of sharp dealers and developers looking to make a quick return. At the beginning of last year I would say that 95% of the people in the room were dealers, in the last 12 months that has reduced to a 60/40 plit between dealers and private individuals. There are so many properties to choose from- anything from two bedroomed miner's cottage to a disused bunker to a former water mill. Properties they are selling vary hugely, from repossessed flats to good quality family homes. These days the auctioneers are doing all they can to help the private individual. Free surveys and independant legal and financial advice. Banks too are getting better at organising finance.

BBC Watchdog Finds The Cheapest Flat in Britain   Here's the bargain that everyone hopes to find. It's a one bedroomed flat in Salford, Manchester and it's got double-glazing, central heating, a fitted kitchen and carpets. Waqar Arbassi bought it at a house auction for.....£140. It's the cheapest flat in Britain, and amazingly for his £140 Waqar also gets to use the building's gym and sauna!   Ann McKevit BBC Watchdog: On The House

One of the main attractions of house auctions is the potential for the hard pressed homebuyer to land a bargain. One recent survey calculated that buying a property at auction was 20% cheaper than from an estate agents window. Many of the propertiesat auction are sold for no other reason than the vendor wanting to move quickly. It may also be that a home is being sold due to debts, bankrupcy or repossession or by a housing association clearing some of it's stock.