ANDY THOMPSON

Why being a Rising Star at The Negotiator Awards changed everything

Winning the Rising Star of the year at the The Negotiator Awards last year was a really proud moment for me. I’d worked hard over the years to try and promote property auctions not just to savvy investors and experienced landlords but also as a feasible means of buying a home. Having bought my first property under the hammer when I was 22 years old, I knew how daunting it could be but I also knew the many advantages it can bring too, if you’re brave and take the right advice. From that point onwards I made a point of encouraging suitable home buyers to come along and consider auctions as well as their traditional estate agent. While there is still a long way to go with bringing property auctions into the mainstream, they’ve certainly come a long way in those eight or nine years when I first bought my house. Out of the blue In truth, on the night of the bash I hadn’t given the awards a great deal of thought prior to the night starting as the whole thing came a bit out of the blue, with me only realising I’d been nominated when I received an…