BUYING a property at auction is fast emerging as a popular method of buying property, with 21,000 homes going under the hammer each year.

There has also been a 60 per cent increase in the number of properties being bought and sold at auction since 1998, according to the latest figures, with thousands of bargain hunters and professional investors turning to the UK's auction rooms to find their perfect property at affordable prices.

But research is the key, and novices keen on buying at auction should carry out sufficient checks before the hammer falls.