Numbers start to dwindle for auctions around the nation
Data firm finds weaker auction numbers in seasonal and cyclical downturn, suggesting buyers are appearing more cautious.
THE number of homes scheduled for auction across the country is likely to drop this weekend, according to property data experts Cotality.
Approximately 1930 homes are set for bidding action across the combined capitals, down about eight per cent from the 2095 auctions held last week and a touch below the 2004 auctions in the equivalent week of 2025.
Sydney and Melbourne account for roughly 83 per cent of scheduled auctions this week, with Sydney having just over 720 on the books, down about eight per cent on last week and seven per cent below the same week a year ago.
Melbourne again leads the country with approximately 880 scheduled (46 per cent of the national total), though that is down about 10 per cent on last week’s 975 and five per cent below the 927 held this time last year.
Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane has approximately 150 auctions scheduled, up almost six per cent on last week and broadly in line with the 152 held a year ago.
Adelaide has about 100 scheduled, down from 106 last week, but well ahead of the 77 held in the equivalent week of 2025.
Canberra drops to just under 70 auctions, down from 76. Perth has 15 auctions scheduled and Tasmania none, against 13 and one respectively last week and five and zero a year ago.
Auction volumes are likely to wind down over the coming weeks and months due to both seasonal and cyclical factors.
Looking ahead, Cotality estimates that roughly 1900 homes are scheduled for auction next week and likely to trend seasonally lower through winter.
Last week, across the combined capitals, 2095 auctions were held, up from 1175 during the previous King’s Birthday week but four per cent lower than the 2183 held in the same week of 2025.
The weighted average clearance rate of 48.3 per cent was the second-lowest result recorded so far this year, behind only the previous week’s 47.3 per cent.
Of the 2094 results collected, 737 were passed in and 345 withdrawn. This means 51.7 per cent of auctioned homes did not sell, with the pass-in rate at 35.2 per cent; 12 months ago, roughly two in three auctioned homes sold. Last week the figure was closer to one in two.
Cotality said the clearance rate data points to a market that is continuing to lose momentum, attributable to weaker buyer demand and a consequent rise in advertised supply.
Volumes are high relative to the recent average, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, but the same-week-last-year volume comparison is now holding in negative territory. Buyers appear more cautious or less willing to meet vendors’ price expectations.
