Most people moving gingerly into property investment for the first time quite naturally gravitate towards the residential market. It's what we all know.

We've all lived in a house or a flat at some point in our lives. We've probably rented in the past. We may well be homeowners now.

Buying a second property to renovate, sell or let is a natural progression, if the funds and the will to do it are there.

While there's absolutely nothing wrong with this approach, auctions can throw up a whole host of interesting opportunities that you'd only spot if you were keeping an eye open for non-residential properties, too.

So don't get too hung up on houses, flats and bungalows! There's a lot more variety out there if you care to broaden your scope a little, and consider other, less ordinary types of property investment.