Going to auction is still the best way to sell a Sydney property, according to real estate group Raine & Horne. "We have a more traditional sales market in Sydney at the moment where vendors and buyers are on a more even footing, but talk that the auction market has softened is not right," says Angus Raine, Executive Chairman of Raine & Horne. 

"Auction volumes have risen significantly, so looking at auction clearance rates in isolation is not a true indicator of the health of the property market," said Raine. "There are still plenty of vendors using the auction process to find buyers fast and achieve decent sales results, and the auction process remains the cleanest method of selling property."

Raine said it's for this reason the firm has augmented their auction services with the appointment of James Pratt as Director of Auction Services. Pratt, who joins Raine & Horne from another firm, will be solely dedicated to selling homes listed with Raine & Horne under the hammer and promoting the benefits of the auction process. He is a multi-award winning sales agent and auctioneer, and highly regarded within the real estate industry in Australia and overseas.

"Apart from being one of Sydney’s best auctioneers, James has successfully sold homes in one of the US’s hottest and most prestigious real estate markets, Beverly Hills, California," said Raine.

Pratt has a diploma in real estate, and has achieved seven sale price records at auction. He has also won some of the industry’s highest honours and awards, including the REINSW’s prestigious John Hill Award for Real Estate Excellence in 2014. In February 2014, Pratt was successfully nominated as the chairman of the REINSW Auctioneers Chapter and is also a board member of a number of other industry advisory committees.