Auction clearance rates enjoy a spike
Auction volumes increase week-on-week across the country but still markedly down on the same time last year.
HIGHER home volumes led to a strong uplift in auction clearance rates last week, according to property data analysts Cotality.
The preliminary combined capitals clearance rate increased by 5.8 percentage points last week, reaching 58.5 per cent, which represented the strongest result in 19 weeks.
“This improvement followed a period of relatively low rates. Throughout the same 19-week period, the preliminary rate remained below 60 per cent and was significantly lower than the rate recorded a year earlier, when 69 per cent of homes sold at auction,” Cotality said.
“The increase in clearance rate occurred alongside higher auction volumes, with 1594 capital city homes taken to auction.”
Auction numbers rose by 11.4 per cent compared to the previous week but remained 33.6 per cent lower than the same period last year, marking the fifth consecutive week with a decline in excess of 30 per cent on the previous year.
This decline is attributed to fewer new listings and a greater proportion of vendors choosing to sell by private treaty rather than at auction while clearance rates remain subdued, Cotality said.
Melbourne held 45 per cent of all auctions, with 713 homes going under the hammer.
That was an 8.7 per cent rise on two weeks ago but 42.5 per cent down on a year ago, the largest drop of any capital against the same week in 2025.
At 63.3 per cent, Melbourne’s preliminary clearance rate was a 24 week high and the strongest across the capitals.
Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate rose 1.9 percentage points to 59.6 per cent, its highest result in 19 weeks.
The city held 557 auctions, an increase of 11.2 per cent on two weeks ago, though still 32.8 per cent below the level of a year earlier.
Brisbane held more auctions than a year ago, with 168 in total, up 15.9 per cent over the year and 28.2 per cent on the previous week, Cotality said.
The preliminary clearance rate increased sharply to 41.6 per cent, the highest early result in four weeks and 16.8 percentage points above last week’s 24.8 per cent.
It remained around 28 percentage points below the 69.7 per cent recorded a year ago and Brisbane still finished below every other capital.
In Adelaide, 78 homes were taken to auction, representing a rough 17 per cent decrease from the previous week and a 20.4 per cent decline compared to the same period last year.
At 55.6 per cent, the preliminary clearance rate was 21 percentage points above the 34.5 per cent recorded two weeks earlier.
Cotality said there were 57 auctions held in the ACT, up from 35 two weeks ago but down almost 28 per cent on the volume in 2025.
The preliminary clearance rate came in at 46.9 per cent, up 10.2 percentage points.
Auction volumes are expected to rise as the spring season advances, although they are likely to remain lower than the levels recorded last year.
Approximately 1930 homes are scheduled for auction this week, with the number projected to decrease to around 1510 next week due to the AFL Grand Final long weekend in Victoria.
