How to Find Empty Homes (Part Two - Auctions and Websites)

This is part two of a three or four part look at ways in which individuals and developers can track down empty homes that they may be interested in buying. The place that most empty homes come up for sale is at auction. Auctions are a quick and decisive way of disposing of property, which is why neglected properties that don’t have immediate saleability appeal are often sold through them. Loads of properties are sold through auctions every week.For a comprehensive list of property auction houses in the UK and Ireland see here.

As the country wakes up to the possibilities of rescuing empty homes some websites have sprung up that can really help. The sites feature empty and neglected properties that are not actively marketed elsewhere.The first www.empro.co.uk is a not for profit website featuring empty properties. It is designed simply to put you in touch with owners of properties featured on the website. Currently the website covers West London and Birmingham, but there are plans for expansion. Register your interest in any of the properties featured on the site and your enquiry will be put to the owner. With a bit of luck the owner will contact you to discuss a possible sale. The site is free to use, the start www.propertyrenovate.co.uk this site is a portal for properties in London in need of renovation that are being marketed by estate agents. Many of these are the properties I talked about as lemons in part one and the estate agents may not be marketing them as strongly as other properties on their books. This site lets you see lots of them without the hassle of visiting each estate agent in turn.

Finally for this post nothing beats having a walk around. If you have a reasonably clear idea of the geographical location in which you want to buy a home, you could just have a wander round and see what properties are there. Don’t try and save time and drive instead, you won’t be able to look at the properties properly, or if you do you will probably crash your car. It’s amazing what you will see when you are walking; most roads have a few rather unloved looking houses on them. Some may be empty, and there may be the odd redundant commercial or agricultural building that may inspire you with its potential.