Auction volume is set to ease

Auction activity is set to fall sharply this week, driven by a reduced number of homes scheduled to go under the hammer over the ANZAC Day holiday period. There are currently 793 capital city homes scheduled for auction over the week ending 26 April 2026, down 68.9% from the 2,551 auctions held last week and 26.3% lower than the 1,076 auctions held over the same week last year (27th April 2025).

The week-on-week easing in auction numbers is not unexpected, with the ANZAC Day public holiday typically reducing auctions and contributing to a quieter week across the combined capitals.

The decline in auction activity is most evident across the largest auction markets. Melbourne is set to host 243 auctions this week with the majority of homes going under the hammer on Saturday. Melbourne’s auction activity is down from 1,231 last week and below the 464 auctions held over the same week last year. Sydney has 288 homes scheduled for auction, compared with 925 over the previous week and 399 over the corresponding week in 2025. Melbourne and Sydney account for most of the reduction in combined capital city volumes, with Melbourne alone attributing to more than half of the week-on-week fall.

Outside the two largest markets, the trend is more mixed. There are 87 homes scheduled for auction in Brisbane, down from 199 last week and 97 this time last year, while Canberra’s volume is expected to be 30, unchanged from the same week a year ago but lower than the 68 auctions held last week. Perth is set to see 6 homes go under the hammer, slightly above the 5 held over the same week last year.

Adelaide stands out as the strongest market in relative terms, with 139 homes scheduled for auction this week, up from 117 last week and well above the 81 auctions recorded over the corresponding week in 2025.

Overall, the upcoming week is a relatively quiet one for the auction market, with capital city volumes tracking below both last week and the same week a year ago, in part reflecting that ANZAC Day falls on Saturday (typically the busiest day of the week for auction activity). Auction activity is set to pick up next week, with 2,653 capital city homes currently scheduled for auction.

Summary of last week's results

Across the combined capitals, 2,551 homes were taken to auction over the week ending 19 April 2026, up from 1,877 over the previous week and substantially higher than the 644 auctions held over the corresponding week last year, when the Easter holiday period fell across the week ending 20 April 2025.This represents a 35.9% rise week-on-week and a 296.1% increase compared with the same week last year.

The increase in auction activity was driven by the two largest auction markets. Melbourne recorded 1,231 auctions, up from 875 the previous week, while Sydney saw volumes rise from 684 the previous week  to 925.

Brisbane also recorded an increase, with 199 homes taken to auction, compared with 117 the week prior. Auction numbers rose modestly in Canberra, from 62 the week prior to 68. Meanwhile, auction numbers edged lower across Adelaide and Perth, while Tasmania recorded no auctions over the week.

The combined capital city weighted average clearance rate came in at 54.6%, up from 52.7% over the previous week; a slight improvement in selling conditions as volumes increased. The weekly rise in the combined result was because of stronger outcomes across Melbourne, where the clearance rate increased from 52.3% to 55.7%, and Sydney, where the rate rose from 48.8% to 51.6%. Perth recorded the highest clearance rate of the capitals at 81.8%, although this was based on a relatively small auction volume of 11 homes.

Not all markets experienced an improvement in clearance rates. Adelaide saw a slight easing from 66.4% to 65.0%, while Brisbane’s reduced from 58.1% to 56.3%, and Canberra recorded the sharpest weekly fall, dropping from 62.9% to 50.0%.