Auction clearance rate rises to 58.5% as spring lifts

The preliminary combined capitals auction clearance rate rose to 58.5%, Cotality said, the strongest result in 19 weeks.

A total of 1,594 homes went to auction across the capital cities, up 11.4% from the previous week but 33.6% lower than a year earlier. It was the fifth consecutive week in which auction volumes were down more than 30% from the same period last year.

The economist behind the market update attributed the weaker annual auction count to a smaller flow of new listings and a larger share of sellers choosing private treaty sales while auction results remain soft. Even with last week's improvement, the preliminary combined capitals clearance rate remained below the 69.0% recorded a year earlier.

Melbourne accounted for the largest share of activity, hosting 713 auctions, or 45% of the capital city total. That was up 8.7% from two weeks earlier but down 42.5% from the same week last year.

Melbourne also posted the strongest preliminary clearance rate among the capitals at 63.3%, its highest reading in 24 weeks. It was the standout market in the latest weekly results, despite recording the steepest annual drop in auction volumes among the major cities covered.

Sydney followed with 557 auctions and a preliminary clearance rate of 59.6%. Volumes rose 11.2% from two weeks earlier, while the clearance rate increased by 1.9 percentage points to its highest level in 19 weeks. Auction numbers, however, were still 32.8% below a year earlier.

Brisbane was the only capital in the release to post higher auction volumes than a year earlier. The city recorded 168 auctions, up 15.9% from the same period last year and 28.2% from the previous week.

Its preliminary clearance rate jumped to 41.6%, up 16.8 percentage points from the previous week and the highest early result in four weeks. Even so, Brisbane remained the weakest-performing capital on this measure, at about 28 percentage points below the 69.7% recorded a year ago.

Adelaide reported 78 auctions, down about 17% from the previous week and 20.4% from a year earlier. The city's preliminary clearance rate was 55.6%, up 21 percentage points from the 34.5% recorded two weeks earlier.

In the Australian Capital Territory, 57 homes went to auction, compared with 35 two weeks earlier. That was still almost 28% below the level a year ago, while the preliminary clearance rate rose 10.2 percentage points to 46.9%.

Market shift

The latest data point shows a market improving modestly in clearance rate while remaining well below last year's activity levels. The gap between the weekly rise in auctions and the much steeper annual decline suggests sellers are returning gradually as the spring season progresses, but not at the levels seen in 2025.

The pattern also shows a split between cities. Melbourne and Sydney posted clearance rates close to or above the combined capitals reading, while Brisbane lagged despite stronger growth in auction numbers. Adelaide and the Australian Capital Territory improved from weaker recent results, though both markets remained relatively small by volume.

Auction volumes are likely to rise further as spring advances, although they are expected to remain below last year's levels. About 1,930 homes are scheduled for auction this week, before the figure is forecast to fall to about 1,510 the following week because of the AFL Grand Final long weekend in Victoria.