Clearance rates rise across capitals even as overall auction numbers edge lower
Australia’s first weeks of the 2026 auction calendar have produced a clear lift in clearance rates across the combined capitals, indicating firm buyer demand for financed purchases even as overall auction numbers drift lower.
“The start of the 2026 auction season has been surprisingly strong, with the preliminary clearance rate rebounding from the low 60% range in mid-December to last week’s result of 73.7%, the highest preliminary clearance rate since the week ending Oct. 19 last year,” said Caitlin Fono (pictured top), analyst at Cotality.
“The bounce back was stronger than the previous week, where the preliminary clearance rate came in at 69.7%, revising down to 66.4% once finalised.”
The stronger clearance outcome has coincided with a slight easing in auction supply. Last week, 1,593 homes were taken to auction nationally, down 0.6% from the 1,603 recorded a week earlier and 4.6% below the same week of 2025.
Source: Cotality
Sydney has been the primary contributor to the national uplift. The city posted a preliminary clearance rate of 79.6%, its best early reading since late August 2025, when the rate reached 80.3%. This occurred alongside a 31% jump in volume, with 602 homes taken to auction.
Melbourne again hosted more auctions than Sydney, with 638 homes going under the hammer. The city’s early clearance rate, however, was lower at 67.9%, compared with 69.3% in the previous week, which was later revised down to 63.7%.
Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane held the largest number of auctions, with 131 properties offered. Its preliminary clearance rate slipped to 69.0%, from 75.0% a week earlier, which finalised at 71.8%.
Adelaide continued to report some of the highest success rates in the country. The city recorded another result above 80%, with an 83.6% preliminary clearance rate across 117 auctions, down from 86.1% the previous week.
In the ACT, activity pulled back, with 92 auctions held, representing a 31% decline from the prior week. Even so, Canberra’s preliminary clearance rate rebounded sharply to 69.7%, up from 39.8% a week earlier, underlining how quickly sentiment and selling success can shift even on reduced volumes.
Perth saw 12 auctions conducted, with 75% of reported results so far indicating a sale. Tasmania held only one auction over the week, which was passed in.
Looking ahead, Cotality expects auction activity to build as more vendors come to market. Around 2,050 auctions are anticipated across the combined capitals this week, with volumes projected to rise to approximately 2,800 the following week.
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