Surge in scheduled auctions tests buyer demand ahead of long weekend
Australia’s capital city auction markets are set for their heaviest week of activity since November, with latest data from property analytics firm Cotality showing 3,407 homes due to go under the hammer.
That figure represents a 23.6% increase on the 2,756 auctions held last week and is 23.9% above volumes recorded in the same week a year ago, when 2,749 properties were offered.
Auction numbers are expected to ease the following week, with about 1,900 homes listed across the combined capitals. The reduction in supply reflects the impact of the upcoming long weekend in four of the eight states and territories, which typically discourages vendors from scheduling sales.
Sydney is preparing for 1,296 auctions this week, up 31.3% from last week’s 987 events and 35.7% higher than the 955 auctions held in the comparable week last year. If all scheduled auctions proceed, this will be Sydney’s busiest week of auction activity since the lead‑up to Easter 2022, when 1,490 homes were offered.
In Melbourne, 1,648 homes are slated for auction this week. That figure is 24.2% higher than the 1,327 auctions held last week and 19.3% above the 1,381 recorded at this time in the previous year. On current schedules, this will be the strongest auction week since late October 2025, when 1,836 homes went under the hammer.
Among the smaller capital cities, Brisbane is set to be the most active auction market this week, with 175 homes due to be offered, up from 159 last week. Adelaide is expected to host 138 auctions, slightly lower than the 141 recorded the previous week, while Canberra has 134 scheduled, up from 123.
Perth has 11 auctions listed this week, a decline from 15 a week earlier. In Tasmania, five auctions are scheduled, compared with four last week.
Last week marked strongest activity since mid‑December
A total of 2,756 homes were taken to auction across the combined capitals last week, the highest level since mid‑December, when 2,917 auctions were held. The week before had seen 2,004 auctions, while 2,751 homes were offered in the equivalent week last year.
Source: Cotality
The combined capital clearance rate eased to 62% last week, down from 63.3% the previous week and below the 64.1% result recorded a year earlier.
Melbourne hosted 1,327 auctions last week, a sharp increase from 836 the week before. The lift in stock coincided with a clearance rate of 59.3%, marking the second consecutive week below 60% and marginally lower than the prior week’s 59.7%. In the same week last year, 1,437 auctions were held and 64.5% of them sold under the hammer.
Sydney recorded 987 auctions last week, up from 772 the previous week and 922 in the corresponding week a year ago. The city’s clearance rate fell to 62.4%, from 64.1% a week earlier and 65.3% in the same period last year, signalling more selective bidding despite the rise in listing numbers.
Perth posted the highest clearance rate of the capital cities last week at 86.7%, up from 70.0% the previous week, though on relatively low volumes. Adelaide’s clearance rate reached 85.8%, improving from 75.4% a week earlier. Brisbane’s rate fell to 61.6%, from 68.9% the previous week, while Canberra’s clearance edged down to 58.5%, from 62.5%. In Tasmania, two of the four auctions held resulted in a sale.
Brisbane was the most active of the smaller capitals last week, with 159 homes taken to auction, up from 151 the week before. Adelaide hosted 141 auctions, compared with 126 a week earlier, and Canberra saw 123 homes go to auction, up from 96. Perth recorded 15 auctions, down from 20 in the prior week.
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