When flying under average conditions (Weather etc) in the real world, at what point before landing does the pilot normally take over the controls and manualy fly the plane?Does company procedure policies apply here at all or is it P.D.?

Don't know 'bout r/w but I usually take control before 1500 ft/agl on final, configured and ready. On T/O I like to fly the SID and then let the Honeywell take control ;-D

Varies by company SOP. Some say earlier (farther out / higher up), some say later (closer in / lower).I know an AAL captain on the MD-80 who would hand fly at all times under 10,000' to keep her skills sharp and keep her in the game (I'm not sure about the company SOP take on the matter). At the same time, I also know of a few airlines that use 1000' on climbout to 1000' on approach, because the auto-magic has efficiency in mind (mostly).

Unless you are on a CAT III or CAT II approach, it's pilot's decision