Guides, tips, and insight to help you sell your house quickly and confidently.
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Guides, tips, and insight to help you sell your house quickly and confidently.
Visit our blog
| Feature | Property Auction (Traditional / MMoA) | Springbok |
|---|---|---|
| Completion time | Traditional: ~28 days from hammer / MMoA: ~56 days | 7–42 days, depending on route, with a date you choose |
| Seller fees | Entry/lot fee + 2–3% commission + your legal pack + EPC | ZERO. Springbok covers all legal and survey costs |
| Sale certainty | Risk the reserve isn't met, and the lot doesn't sell | Guaranteed — own funds (Cash Sale™/Fast Cash™) or deposit-secured buyer (Fixed Price™) |
| Price you receive | Unknown until bidding ends; guide price set low | Agreed in writing up front. The price agreed is the price paid |
| Buyer commitment | Traditional: high / MMoA: buyer pays a non-refundable fee that lowers their bid | Fixed Price™ buyers pay a reservation deposit; no buyer fee suppressing your price |
| Property condition | Sold as-is, but buyers discount heavily for condition | Any condition. No repairs, cleaning, or staging |
| Chain risk | Depends on the buyer | None. Springbok buys directly or secures the buyer |
Property auctions in the UK come in two formats, and the difference matters before you commit to either.
Traditional saleroom auctions are unconditional. The property sells on the fall of the hammer, contracts are exchanged straight away, and the buyer must complete within roughly 28 days.
The second format is the Modern Method of Auction (MMoA), an online conditional format operated by specialist firms such as iamsold. With MMoA, the winning bidder pays a non-refundable reservation fee to secure the property and has around 56 days to complete.
Both house auctions can move faster than a conventional estate agent sale. But in both cases, the seller pays the fees, the final price remains uncertain until bidding ends, and there is a real chance the property fails to meet its reserve and does not sell.
Springbok is not an auction house and does not sell properties at auction. We are a regulated, direct cash buyer offering three fast-sale routes that give sellers the speed and certainty they typically seek at online property auctions, without the costs or risk.
The auction process follows the same broad path for both formats, splitting only at the final stage.
You instruct an auction house, set a guide price (deliberately low to attract bidders) and a confidential reserve (the minimum you will accept), and pay an entry or lot fee.
A legal pack must be prepared by your solicitor before marketing can begin, and that cost is yours regardless of whether the property sells.
The property is advertised for a fixed period across the auctioneer's platform and the major portals.
Viewings happen in this period. At a traditional auction, the hammer falls, and contracts are exchanged in the room.
With MMoA, the highest bidder reserves the property by paying the non-refundable reservation fee online.
With a traditional auction, exchange is immediate, and completion is typically within 28 days.
With a Modern Method of Auction, the buyer has roughly 28 days to exchange and a further 28 days to complete, totaling around 56 days.
If no bid hits the reserve, the property does not sell, but your entry and auction fees are usually still payable.
Auction is the right tool for certain sellers and certain properties. Most ordinary residential sales aren't among them, and the honest picture sits across both sides.
Springbok runs three sale routes, each suited to a different priority. Pick by what matters most: speed, money up front, or hitting close to market value.
Maximum Speed
The fastest of the three. Completion in seven to 21 days, typically at 80 to 90 percent of market value, using Springbok's own funds, completion on a date you choose, and no hammer to wait on.
Learn more about Cash SaleImmediate Relief
Built around immediate liquidity. You can move out in as little as three days, with a cash advance within three to seven days. Springbok takes over your mortgage, utilities and insurance on move-out, so the financial pressure lifts straight away.
Learn more about Fast CashMaximum Value
Aimed at near-market value. Between 95 and 99 percent of the market value, completed in 28 to 42 days. Buyer reservation deposits lock the sale in place, so you get the buyer commitment people hope for from MMoA without the buyer fee that erodes your price.
Learn more about Fixed PriceOur routes work for a wide range of circumstances. They suit best where certainty and timing matter more than the chance of a bidding war pushing the figure up.
Avoid renovation costs and the risk of a no-sale at a probate auction.
A clean, certain sale on a known date at a known price, with no waiting on reserves or bidding outcomes.
Complete fast enough to clear mortgage arrears without gambling on a reserve being met.
Sold as-is at an agreed figure, with no last-minute buyer discounting on the day.
Move on a fixed date with no chain to manage and no fees coming off the top.
No. Springbok is a direct cash buyer, not an auction house. We do not run, host, or charge for auctions of any kind, including the Modern Method of Auction.
Traditional auctions are completed in around 28 days from the hammer, plus weeks of marketing beforehand. MMoA adds another 56 days. Springbok's Cash Sale™ completes in seven to 21 days, and Fast Cash™ in as little as three.
Yes. Sellers typically pay an entry fee (£300 to £600+), commission of 2 to 3 percent, a legal pack (£300 to £800), and an EPC. On a £200,000 property, that easily runs to £4,000–£8,000. Springbok charges sellers nothing.
If bidding doesn't reach your reserve, the lot is withdrawn. The entry fee and legal pack costs are usually non-refundable, leaving you out of pocket and back at the start.
MMoA is one of the main online auctions that UK sellers come across, run by specialist providers such as iamsold. It is not a Springbok product. Our Fixed Price™ route offers similar deposit-secured buyer protection without the buyer fee.
Yes. Springbok's Fixed Price™ route secures a buyer with a mandatory reservation deposit. You receive 95 to 99 percent of market value, complete in 28 to 42 days, and pay nothing in fees.
We enforce zero fees, auction risk, or obligation. Just give us your postcode, and we will get back to you within 24 hours with a free valuation and a clear figure for what each Springbok route would mean for your property.
We cover the whole of the UK, and completion can be scheduled on a date you choose, as little as 7 days away.
Interested in learning more about a clever alternative to house auctions? The pages below cover each part of the auction process in more detail. Browse them to build a full picture before you decide on your route.
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