as an auctioneer with over ten years experience, we do not tend to sell things for a low value, as we earn our money from a percentage of the sale price, therefore it is in our best interest to get the highest price possible.
whilst properties at auction, sometimes (and bear this in mind NOT all the time) are sold for less than if they were put on the market in the normal manner, auction houses do not charge people to receive details of forthcoming sales.
Alot of properties sold at auction are usually due to repossession/death if the client eg bank/solicitor were to ask the auction house, how are you trying to get us best price at auction and the response was we only sell to those who subscribe to our database the bank/solicitor would soon be looking for a new auctioneer to use, as they would not be getting the correct exposure to the market place.
All in all it sounds dodgy, there are plenty of property auctioneers around, so tell your friend to google it, and remember companies like savils hold their auctions in london, but sell property all over the uk, so just because there are no local auctions selling properties, doesn't mean they won't becoming up for sale elsewhere in the country.