WE’RE buying more and more stuff online across a multitude of different platforms and this particular fashion doesn’t look as though it’s likely to be ending any time soon.

The trend has extended into almost every sphere of our online lives.

Cars are frequently bought online, holidays and hotel stays are de rigueur purchases and now you can even bag the ultimate big ticket item – a new home.

Property auctions, where a terraced house, dilapidated former church, detached county home or redundant bank is sold under the auctioneer’s hammer, are as old as the hills.

But now an identical range and variety of properties with guide prices listed from just a few hundred pounds for plot of land to, well the sky’s the limit, are being offered online.

One auctioneer, a pioneer of this modern age of 21st century property auctions is Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions.

Paul Fosh, based in Lower Dock Street, in Newport’s former docklands area, a building he converted after buying it at auction, believes online offers a future for the business.

Paul, who lives in Monmouth, stages monthly auctions in Cardiff with catalogues listing up to 100 properties from across Wales and the West Country at each sale.

Each of the traditional ballroom sales, as they are called, is packed with hundreds of potential buyers with standing room only at the Cardiff North hotel in Llanedyrn, Cardiff.

BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer is a frequent visitor, filming the action and quizzing buyers immediately after a sale is completed, on the new owner’s intention for their new purchase.

With all this interest, which doesn’t seem likely to drop off any time soon, why is Wales’ consistently most successful property auctioneer, selling more properties by volume and value every year than any other in Wales, looking to take some property lots online?

Paul said: “We believe that online is the way forward and offers both sellers and buyers a further option along with attended auction or buying over the ‘phone. We’ll be continuing to have our regular traditional sales; the online offering is an addition to what we already provide for Paul Fosh Auctions customers.

“Online property sales allow buyers to bid from the comfort of their home and also for sellers to follow proceedings in real time. We believe online offers real choice for our customers who, for whatever reason, can’t or don’t want to attend a ballroom sale. It also gives us a chance to list properties which failed to sell at our ballroom sales and for bidders who missed out to have a second opportunity to snap up a deal.

“Online also gives Paul Fosh Auctions a further opportunity for growth by developing our new online market.”

“Our online auction allows people to bid on property using either a computer or mobile device. Our platform allows bidders to register for bidding, download legal packs and we’re currently working on taking online payments for buyers deposits and buyers premium.

“Bidding for our online sale opens for properties on Tuesday, October 1 at 12 noon with the first lot set to close 48 hours later, with each subsequent lot closing in 15 minute intervals thereafter. Once a buyer is registered, bidding is as simple as pressing a button and confirming your bid and bidders are notified instantly if bids from other parties are placed against the properties.

“Exactly the same as our ballroom sales, a catalogue is produced and sent out to prospective buyers for the online auction. This is accompanied with a viewing schedule for the properties entering the auction. The only real difference between these and our traditional sales is that bidding is done online and the buyer is sitting at home or, perhaps, using their mobile device on the train, in a bus, on an aeroplane or enjoying a cool drink while relaxing poolside on holiday!”

The highly respected and well established auction business is now producing a physical auction brochure listing the online opportunities as well as curating viewings of the properties so those that want to can personally inspect a property in person or through a professional agent before placing their online bids.

There are 10 lots up for sale in the online sale which goes live on Tuesday October 1 with a mixture of residential buy-to-lets, some commercials investments and land scattered throughout Wales.

Among the online lots to be offered is a former chapel in the rural hamlet of Garthbrengy, near Brecon. The detached property, which dates from the 12th century, is in grounds extending to one acre and has planning permission for conversion to a four-bedroom home, with breathtaking views looking over to the Brecon Beacons' Horseshoe Ridge. It has a guide price of £160,000-plus.

You can find details on this and the other properties in the Paul Fosh Auctions online auction at paulfosh.eigonlineauctions.com/search.