The Big Six Dublin estate agencies - Lisney, Sherry FitzGerald, Hamilton Osborne King, Douglas Newman Good, Gunne Residential and Jackson-Stops - maintained a strong hold on the auction market in 2001, conducting 79 per cent of auctions this year.

Lisney emerged as the dominant auction house, with just over 26 per cent of the market, up five per cent on last year.

Lisney was also the most successful at auctioning expensive houses, selling six of the 12 most expensive houses of the year.

Sherry FitzGerald slipped into second place in the auction table with just over 23 per cent of the market, down from 26 per cent in 2000.

Douglas Newman Good held its position as the third busiest auction house, with a 9.5 per cent share, slightly down on last year.

Gunne Residential also saw its share slip from 9.3 per cent to just under 8 per cent. HOK Residential gained ground, however, garnering just over 7 per cent of auction sales, up one per cent on 2000.

Jackson-Stops kept its 5 per cent share of the market, putting it in sixth position.