Final Clearance Rates – week ending 2 August 2026

Final Clearance Rates – week ending 2 August 2026

Auction volumes fall while clearance rate holds below 50%  

Last week, 1,257 auctions took place across the combined capital cities, which is 11.2% fewer than the 1,415 auctions the week before. This is also lower than the same week last year, when there were 1,575 auctions.

The weighted average clearance rate finalised at 48.9%, easing 0.8 percentage points from 49.7% the previous week. Capital city clearance rates peaked earlier this year but have since declined, with all capitals now holding below their decade-long averages. As a real-time indicator of demand, clearance rates generally correlate with monthly value growth; this decline indicates a decelerating market. Recent Cotality data substantiates this, with Australia's Home Value Index decreasing by 0.7% in July, the largest monthly decline since December 2022.

The two largest markets diverged. Melbourne held 559 auctions, a 21.3% decrease from 710 the previous week, but its clearance rate rose to 54.7% from 51.7%, the highest in twelve weeks. Sydney's auction volumes, on the other hand, fell 4.7% to 406 from 426, and its clearance rate declined to 45.6% from 53.3%.

Adelaide's clearance rate eased to 45.7% from 49.0%, on a reduced volume of 92 auctions, down 8.0% for the week. Brisbane defied the national trend, increasing volumes by 3.0% to 136 and clearance to 37.5% from 29.5%, its highest in seven weeks. Canberra, despite recording the largest volume increase of any capital (up 43.2% to 53 from 37), saw its clearance rate decline to 43.4% from 51.4%, suggesting that the additional supply was not matched by comparable demand. Perth held 10 auctions, unchanged from the previous week, and Tasmania held one auction, which sold. Auction results for Perth and Tasmania should be interpreted cautiously, given the low volume of auctions in these markets.

Compared to the same week last year, the weighted average clearance rate is 18.2 percentage points lower (48.9% versus 67.1%), with auction volumes following suit. The latter suggests that vendors are cautious and listing fewer properties, while about half of the homes taken to auction are being bought. With vendors listing less and buyers bidding more cautiously, the earlier Home Value Index falls make sense. Weaker clearance rates and lower auction volumes tend to go hand in hand with softer results, which fits the recent Cotality Home Value Index falls.

Auction Market Preview – week ending 9 August 2026

Melbourne and Sydney contribute to a week-on-week increase in scheduled auction volumes

A total of 1,404 properties are scheduled for auction across the combined capital cities next week, a 11.7% increase from the 1,257 auctions held in the previous week. This remains 11.5% below the 1,587 auctions held during the same week last year, ending 10 August 2025.

Across Australia, auction volumes have dropped during winter, consistent with typical seasonal trends. The 1,257 auctions held in the week ending 2 August 2026 are well below the autumn peak of 3,983 in the week ending 29 March 2026. Auction volumes are also lower than the 1,587 auctions from the same period last year, showing the market is quieter than it was twelve months ago.

Melbourne represents the largest share with 629 scheduled auctions, an increase of 12.5% from 559 in the previous week, but 15.2% lower than the 742 auctions held during the same week last year. Sydney follows with 462 auctions, a 13.8% rise from 406 a week earlier, yet 16.9% below the 556 recorded a year ago.

Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane stands out with 162 scheduled auctions, up 19.1% from 136 last week and 30.6% above the 124 held a year ago. It is the only capital with higher volumes both week-on-week and year-on-year. Adelaide remains steady at 95, a 3.3% increase from 92 last week and 4.0% below last year’s 99. Canberra has 48 scheduled auctions, down 9.4% from 53 last week and 15.8% below last year’s 57. In Perth, eight properties are scheduled to go under the hammer, compared with 10 last week and nine last year, while Tasmania has none after holding one the previous week. Volumes in Perth and Tasmania are very low, so percentage changes should be interpreted with caution.

Auction volumes are expected to decline in the coming weeks, with approximately 1,290 scheduled for the week ending 16 August 2026 and about 1,270 for the week ending 23 August 2026. This week is likely to be the peak before volumes decrease.