A garage with development potential in Margate in Kent, a ground-floor flat in a Victorian house in Shepherd's Bush, London, and a piece of land ripe for building on in Birmingham are all sold under the hammer.But it's not plain sailing for any of the three investors who are hoping to make some money on their auction buys.

A terraced house in Wolverhampton is in a near-derelict condition, a terrace in Aberdare also needs lots of remedial work, and a builder in Romford reckons he will make money extending a three-bedroom semi.