Nearly 2,000 homes are slated for sale by auction across the capitals this week
Auction activity across Australia’s combined capital cities is expected to pick up sharply this week after the Easter long weekend curtailed listings.
A total of 1,980 dwellings are currently scheduled to go to auction across the capitals, up from 688 last week, according to property data and analytics provider Cotality. The lower figure last week coincided with the holiday break.
Melbourne is set to record the highest auction count, with 874 homes due to go under the hammer. That compares with 151 auctions last week and 1,382 over the same week a year earlier.
Sydney is expected to host 781 auctions, up from 386 the week before. Over the same week last year, 1,282 auctions were held in the city.
Among the smaller capitals, Adelaide is forecast to lead with 130 auctions scheduled, up from 50 last week. Brisbane is expected to host 115 auctions, compared with 66 a week earlier. The ACT has 67 auctions pencilled in, up from 31. Perth is set for 12 auctions, compared with four last week, while Tasmania has one auction scheduled.
Looking ahead, auction volumes are projected to rise further, with just over 2,600 capital-city homes currently listed for auction next week.
| Capital city auction statistics (Final) – week ending 5 April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Clearance rate | Total auctions | Cotality auction results | Cleared auctions | Uncleared auctions |
| Sydney | 51.3% | 386 | 386 | 198 | 188 |
| Melbourne | 55.0% | 151 | 151 | 83 | 68 |
| Brisbane | 54.5% | 66 | 66 | 36 | 30 |
| Adelaide | 66.0% | 50 | 50 | 33 | 17 |
| Perth | n.a. | 43 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Tasmania | n.a. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canberra | 64.5% | 31 | 31 | 20 | 11 |
| Combined capitals | 54.2% | 688 | 687 | 372 | 315 |
| Source: Cotality | |||||
The Easter period weighed on auction outcomes last week, with 688 homes taken to auction across the combined capitals. That was broadly in line with the Easter week a year earlier, when 644 auctions were held. The prior week recorded 3,983 auctions across the capitals, compared with 2,427 at the same point last year.
The combined capital city clearance rate edged higher to 54.2%, from 52.7% the previous week, which marked the weakest result since December 2022. Despite the improvement, it remains the second-lowest clearance rate recorded so far this year. Over the same week last year, the combined clearance rate was 61.8%.
Sydney recorded 386 auctions last week, compared with 359 over Easter 2025. The week before saw 1,491 auctions, while the same time last year recorded 898 auctions. Sydney’s clearance rate was 51.3%, following 50.4% the week prior, which was the lowest since July 2022. A year earlier, 59.9% of Sydney auctions were reported successful.
Melbourne held 151 auctions last week, compared with 148 over Easter last year. The week prior recorded 1,843 auctions, and the same time last year saw 1,142. Melbourne’s final clearance rate was 55%, up from 54.2% a week earlier. Over the same week last year, 64.1% of reported auctions were successful.
Brisbane recorded 66 auctions last week, down from 279 the previous week. Adelaide held 50 auctions, down from 189. Canberra reported 31 auctions, compared with 156 a week earlier, while Perth had four auctions, down from 24. No auctions were held in Tasmania.
Across the smaller markets, Adelaide posted the highest clearance rate at 66%, its strongest result in three weeks, up from 62.4% a week earlier. Canberra recorded a clearance rate of 64.5%, up from 47.4%. Brisbane’s clearance rate was 54.5%, up from 51.8% the week before.
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