Venmore auction raises £2m

The auctioneer said 25 of the 71 lots on offer sold at its last sale held at the Hilton Hotel in Grosvenor's Liverpool One development in the city centre.

Venmore said 14 properties sold prior to the auction on Friday 19 November, which raised £2.25m in total.

Ronan Connolly, sales negotiator at Venmore, said: "The room seemed quiet and was not as busy as our auction in September but we did sell more than last time. There were around 125 people who attended. People were mainly selling two and three bedroom properties in the Anfield and Everton area of Liverpool."

The auction was offering a mix of residential and commercial property in the Merseyside area with some selling above their guide prices.

A vacant two storey mid terrace in Hahnemann Road off Carisbrooke Road in Walton, comprising three bedrooms, sold for £16,000 above its guide price of £30,000.

Connolly added: "Lot 71 [a vacant two storey mid terrace also in Walton] was guided at £30,000 and sold for £48,000. We've sold four or five properties since the auction."

Among the properties for sale was the Whitehouse pub on the corner of Berry Street and Duke Street in the city centre featuring landmark artwork by graffiti artist Banksy.

However, owners Sina Moradian and Billy Palmer withdrew the 200-year-old pub prior to the auction taking place "for no given reason", Connolly said.

Moradian and Palmer, who purchased the property in February this year, reduced the asking price from £175,000 to £125,000 in the days leading up to the auction.

Place has been unable to contact the owners.