Auction volumes surge after Easter, before an expected ANZAC Day slowdown
Auction listings across Australia’s combined capital cities are expected to rise this week, with 2,618 homes scheduled to go under the hammer, according to property data and analytics firm Cotality. That is 39.5% higher than last week’s 1,877.
The same week last year recorded 644 auctions across the capitals. Most activity this week is due on Saturday, when 2,181 auctions are slated to be held.
Melbourne is forecast to lead volumes, with 1,213 auctions pencilled in, compared with 875 last week and 148 in the equivalent week a year ago. Most of the city’s auctions are scheduled for Saturday (1,120). Sydney is expected to host 968 auctions, up from 684 last week and above the 359 recorded in the comparable week last year.
Brisbane is set to be the busiest among the smaller capitals, with 211 auctions scheduled, up from 117 a week earlier. Canberra is expected to see 112 auctions, up from 62. Adelaide is forecast to host 104, down from 125 last week. Perth is scheduled for 10 auctions, down from 13. No auctions are listed for Tasmania this week.
Auction volumes are expected to fall sharply next week, with around 757 homes currently scheduled across the combined capitals. The lower figure is attributed to the ANZAC Day public holiday, with New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory also observing an additional public holiday on Monday, 27 April.
| Capital city auction statistics (Final) – week ending 12 April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Clearance rate | Total auctions | Cotality auction results | Cleared auctions | Uncleared auctions |
| Sydney | 48.8% | 684 | 684 | 334 | 350 |
| Melbourne | 52.3% | 875 | 875 | 458 | 417 |
| Brisbane | 58.1% | 117 | 117 | 68 | 49 |
| Adelaide | 66.4% | 125 | 125 | 83 | 42 |
| Perth | 53.8% | 13 | 13 | 7 | 6 |
| Tasmania | n.a. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Canberra | 62.9% | 62 | 62 | 39 | 23 |
| Combined capitals | 52.7% | 1,877 | 1,877 | 989 | 888 |
| Source: Cotality | |||||
Nationally, 1,877 homes went to auction last week, a strong rebound from 688 the week before, when Easter reduced activity. Even so, volumes were 38.8% below the same week last year (3,066). The combined-capital clearance rate eased to 52.7%, from 54.2% the prior week, and was below the 59.9% recorded a year earlier.
Melbourne recorded 875 auctions last week, up from 151 the week prior, though below the 1,382 held in the same week last year. The city’s clearance rate was 52.3%, down from 55.0% a week earlier and lower than the 62.2% recorded a year ago. Sydney’s clearance rate came in at 48.8%, down from 51.3% the prior week and below the 58.5% reported this time last year; it was the lowest result since April 2020, when clearance rates fell at the onset of COVID.
Adelaide hosted 125 auctions last week, down from 144 a year earlier, and posted the strongest clearance rate among the smaller capitals at 66.4%, marginally above 66.0% the week before and higher than 64.6% a year ago. Brisbane recorded 117 auctions, down from 135 last year, with a clearance rate of 58.1%, up from 54.5% the previous week and above 55.6% a year earlier.
Canberra held 62 auctions, down from 110 a year ago, with a clearance rate of 62.9%, slightly below 64.5% the week before but higher than 48.2% in the same week last year. Perth recorded 13 auctions, up from 11 a year earlier, and a clearance rate of 53.8%, down from 66.7% the previous week and slightly below 54.5% a year ago. Tasmania recorded one auction last week, which was unsuccessful.
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