Clearance rates also improve
Auction volumes across Australia’s capital cities were set to rise last week, although activity remained below levels recorded this time last year.
A total of 1,508 homes were scheduled to go under the hammer, a significant lift from 1,076 in the previous week, but well below the 2,202 recorded in the same week of 2024.
The increase comes after a dip in volumes due to the ANZAC Day long weekend. However, the week’s figures are expected to be influenced by Saturday’s federal election.
“While clearance rates have picked up slightly, they remain below the levels seen last year,” said Caitlin Fono (pictured above), research analyst at Cotality.
According to Cotality’s Auction Market Preview, Melbourne was expected to be the nation’s busiest auction market, with 669 homes scheduled — up from 464 in the previous week. A year ago, the same week saw 1,057 auctions take place in the city.
Sydney followed with 576 homes expected to go under the hammer. That’s a jump from the previous week’s 399, but still well down from 755 at the same time in 2024.
Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane led with 102 scheduled auctions, followed by Adelaide with 97 and Canberra with 50. In Perth, 14 homes were set to be auctioned, while Tasmania had no auctions listed for the week.
This week, auction volumes are projected to rise again, with more than 1,600 homes expected across the combined capitals.
The previous week saw 1,076 homes auctioned across the capitals, a rebound from 644 the week prior. Despite the lift in volume, auction numbers remain lower than the 1,964 recorded this time last year.
Nationally, the combined clearance rate reached 60.8%, improving from 57.6% the week before—the lowest result so far in 2025 outside of January. One year ago, 66.1% of auctions cleared successfully.
Melbourne’s clearance rate rose to 60.5% after slipping below the 60% mark the week before. The city hosted 464 auctions, well above the 148 recorded during the previous long weekend but below last year’s 893. At the same point in 2024, Melbourne’s clearance rate was 62.5%.
Sydney’s auction market showed signs of stabilising, with the clearance rate climbing to 63.7%, ending a month-long streak of sub-60% results. There were 399 auctions in Sydney week, compared to 359 the week before and 667 a year ago.
Brisbane recorded the highest number of auctions among the smaller capitals with 97, followed by Adelaide at 81 and Canberra with 30. Adelaide posted the strongest clearance rate of the three at 63.0%, ahead of Brisbane’s 52.1% and Canberra’s 46.7%.
In Perth, five auctions were held, with four reported as successful. Tasmania remained quiet with no auctions conducted.
Want to be regularly updated with mortgage news and features? Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox – subscribe to our FREE daily newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
