Our house was a period one, very unusual and difficult to value, so we decided the best route was to go to auction.

Being in the business, I was aware of how well the house could sell this way. Because it was an auction, there was a structure to the sale. We'd already bought a house and this way, we knew the timescale and dates. It's still not guaranteed, but at least we'd have done our best.

I had to step back and hand it over to colleagues at Sherry FitzGerald's Drumcondra office. It was an advantage, no doubt, to have a colleague selling the house, but the traumas are all the same.

We had done a huge amount of refurbishment, but there were still bits and pieces to touch up. A really good spring clean lightened the whole house and gave it a fresher feel. We spent two or three days tidying the garden and smartening it up with fresh window boxes and hanging baskets. Two weeks before the auction, I had to have the house ready for photographs, which was good.

We got a briefing every week on viewers' reactions. I began to recognise the cars of people driving past to look at the house. The third week brought out the serious viewers who came back to have a second look. On the day, there was great excitement. There were a number of contracts out for the house and a great buzz.

When the auction went well, we gave a huge sigh of relief. We were guiding £210,000 to £220,000. There were six or seven bidding for it and we got £290,000.

The buyer had seen the house only on the final viewing day and got surveys and finance in place in four days. It goes to show that every viewing opportunity is important!

The whole process has made me a lot more conscious of the trauma of getting a house on the market.