A Liverpool auctioneer who started out with an "old BT answering machine and a classified ad in the ECHO" has created a business which now sells millions of pounds worth of property in the city.
James Kersh of Sutton Kersh Auctions completed a degree in estate management before being "ushered", fresh from university, into the family business by his father: "He told me, 'stop messing around, you're starting work next Monday'. I thought maybe then I'd go off travelling and enjoy myself, but here I am 27 years later."
James trained as a chartered surveyor and had a spell in residential sales before settling into commercial property sales and lettings with his brother Jonathan: "I just found the process very slow," he added. "I was always frustrated that it took ages for deals to be completed."
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It was his father again who pushed James into auctions: "He was fairly influential in my career. He had a auctioneer friend based in Leeds and urged me to talk to them. There was only one other auctioneer in Liverpool at the time.
"I was smitten with it - the process, the organisation, the excitement of creating this marketplace where vendors and buyers come together and trade property."
Ahead of the first auction in 2002, James bought an old BT answering machine and placed a classified ad in the ECHO for people to call up and get a catalogue. He said: "The first auction had support from great clients. We had about 25 or 30 lots and we sold them all. I'd never done 100% auction before and I don't think I'll ever do one again!"
There was a shift in Liverpool's property sector in 2004, James said, when the city was announced as the 2008 European Capital of Culture.
He said: "Liverpool was transitioning from a localised investor market to being put on the map as a destination for out of town investors The property yields were very attractive and still are to this day. We were extremely lucky with our timing."
James told the ECHO the city has changed "dramatically" in 20 years. In 2002 there were houses on the market for £10,000 that you "couldn't sell" that are now worth £100,000 or more".
"I think it's the way Liverpool has become a sustainable tourist and business destination," he said. "It's helped by the publicity of the football teams and the cruise terminal."
Earlier in autumn Sutton Kersh held its most successful auction to date, selling £6m of property. James said it was "a positive result in a difficult auction" as it was the day Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister.
"I think there's always a point in time when the market adjusts and I think that was it."
The Sutton Kersh brand has been operating in Liverpool for more than four decades. It was bought by Countrywide in 2015, which was then itself acquired by Connells Group in 2021.
The next Sutton Kersh Auction is on Thursday, 8 October 2022.
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