Final clearance rates - week ending 12 July 2026

Final Clearance Rates – week ending 12 July 2026

Just under half of last week's auctions sold

By Annabelle Mezieres, Economist, Cotality

Finalised results show that 1,304 auctions were held across the combined capital cities last week, down 9.6% from the 1,443 auctions held the previous week. Against the same week last year (1,432 auctions) volumes are 8.9% lower. There has been a steady decline in auction volumes, down roughly 37% last week since the levels in mid-June, with auctions fading in popularity among vendors in this softer demand environment.

The weighted average final clearance rate came in at 48.5% last week, up 2.5 percentage points from 46.0% the previous week. This was the highest clearance rate in six weeks, but it remained below the 50% threshold for the seventh consecutive week. After smoothing out weekly volatility, the four-week average shows a clear downward trend since the beginning of 2026.  

In Sydney the clearance rate rose 4.3 percentage points to 50.7% from 46.4%, its highest clearance rate since May but auction volumes fell by roughly 20% to just 444 last week from 556 the week prior. Melbourne was broadly steady, with 576 auctions held and its clearance rate rose to 50.3% (up 0.7 percentage points week-on-week), the highest since mid-June and its first week above the 50% threshold in roughly a month.

Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane held 130 auctions, up 9.2% on the previous week's 119, and its clearance rate rose 11.9 percentage points to 35.4% from 23.5%, the second largest contribution to the national lift after Sydney.  

Adelaide went the other way on volume, holding 84 auctions against 112, a fall of 25.0%, while its rate barely shifted, easing 0.3 percentage points to 45.2%. Canberra was quieter again with 60 auctions, down 4.8% from 63, and cleared 51.7%, off 0.7 percentage points but the highest rate of any capital last week. Perth scheduled eight auctions and sold two, with five passed in and one withdrawn. Tasmania scheduled two, and both were withdrawn before the auction.

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Auction Market Preview – week ending 19 July 2026

Auction volumes are set to rebuild but still lower than year ago levels

By Annabelle Mezieres, Economist, Cotality

A combined 1,413 homes are scheduled to go under the hammer across the capital cities this week, an increase of 8.4% on the 1,304 auctions held last week. The volume of properties scheduled for auction remains well below year ago levels, down 9.5% from the equivalent week of 2025.

Majority of the increase in auction volume comes from Sydney, where 508 auctions are scheduled (compared with 444 last week), a rise of 14.4%. That said, volumes in Sydney are still down 13.2% from this time last year. Auction volumes in Melbourne have not changed significantly week-to-week, with 579 scheduled properties to go under the hammer, compared with 576 a week ago but are 13.7% below the 671 auctions held a year ago.

Auctions volumes among the mid-tier capitals vary, Adelaide has the sharpest lift of any city, with 111 auctions scheduled against 84 last week (up 32.1%), and is also running 29.1% ahead of the 86 held last year. Brisbane recorded a notable lift in auction numbers, with 164 homes currently scheduled to go under the hammer this week, up 26.2% from 130 last week and 6.5% above the 154 auctions held over the same week last year.  

There are 42 auctions currently scheduled across Canberra, down from 60 last week and 25.0% below levels seen a year ago. Perth has eight auctions scheduled this week, unchanged from last week and up from six over the same week last year. In Tasmania, just one auction is currently scheduled, compared with two last week and three a year ago.

The rise in auction volumes is unlikely to indicate an improvement in vendor confidence, with volumes have sat in a narrow band for several weeks now: 1,443 auctions held in the week ending 5 July, 1,304 last week, and 1,413 scheduled for this week. The gap on last year is the clearer signal, for example Sydney and Melbourne are down more than 13% on 2025.  

There are currently around 1,470 auctions scheduled for next week (a 4.0% increase compared with this week’s levels), after which scheduled volume reduces to roughly 1,100 (the week ending 2 August), an 23.6% drop week-on-week.