Auction House has recorded its highest performing first quarter in the nine-year history of the company, which works closely with local estate agents.

Between January and March, the auctioneer sold 729 lots from 939 offered – a figure which is 14.3% up on 2015 volumes, representing a success rate of 77.6%, and raising a total of £92.2m.

Auction House founding director Roger Lake said: “This is another set of excellent figures for the brand, helped in no small measure by the hectic push for completions before the introduction of extra Stamp Duty this month.”

Auction House is also reporting that entries for its April auctions are at a similar level to last year, but that viewer activity has dropped back – something the group puts down to buyer hesitancy as the Stamp Duty rise and the upcoming Brexit vote take hold.

Lake said: “The property market never likes uncertainty – and the reduced demand means that more bargains could be found around the country in our auctions during April, May and early June.

“Our view is that the time is right for prudent investors to dip in rather than duck out.”