Final Clearance Rates – week ending 6 September 2026

Final Clearance Rates – week ending 6 September 2026

National clearance rate remains below 50% at the onset of spring

By Annabelle Mezieres, Economist, Cotality

In total, 1,431 auctions were held across the combined capital cities, 2.1% fewer than the 1,462 held the previous week and 32.6% below the 2,122 recorded a year ago. For all but one of the past 11 weeks, the weighted average clearance rate across the combined capital cities has held below 50%. Last week, the weighted average clearance rate finalised at 49.3%, slightly lower than the 49.5% the previous week.

Relative to the same week last year, the weighted average clearance rate is 20.7 percentage points lower (49.3% compared with 70.0%), and auction volumes have declined by 32.6%.

Melbourne remained the largest market, with 656 auctions, up 1.9% from 644 the previous week. Its clearance rate improved to 54.6% from 53.7%, the strongest since 9 August (56.8%). Sydney's clearance rate rose to 52.5% from 51.5%, its highest since 26 July (53.3%), even as auction numbers eased 1.6% to 501 from 509.

Adelaide held 94 auctions, down 7.8% on the previous week (102), and its clearance rate fell to 36.2% from 46.1%, the steepest weekly decline among the larger capitals. At 26.0%, Brisbane had the weakest clearance rate of any capital city, across 131 auctions (down 10.3% from 146). Canberra auction volume fell to 35 from 50 the week prior, with the clearance rate easing to 37.1% from 40.0%. Four of Perth's 13 auctions sold, with a clearance rate of 30.8%, although from a small volume, while Tasmania's single auction did not clear.

Across the combined capitals, 480 homes passed in at auction, almost double the 245 that were withdrawn. So, the weak clearance rate is more about properties failing to sell under the hammer than vendors withdrawing prior to auction, suggesting that vendors' price expectations continue to exceed buyers' willingness to pay.

Auction Market Preview – week ending 13 September 2026

Vendors continue to test the spring market, but cautiously

By Annabelle Mezieres, Economist, Cotality

This week, 1,615 homes are scheduled for auction across the capital cities, up 12.9% from last week's 1,431 but 32.8% below the 2,402 auctions held during the same week last year. While auction volumes have risen with the start of the spring selling season, the national total remains well down.

Melbourne's auction volumes have not changed much, and the city's volumes are slightly higher than last week. That said, Melbourne is the busiest market this week, with 676 auctions scheduled, 3.0% above last week's 656 but 45.5% less than the 1,240 held a year ago, the steepest year-on-year fall of any capital city thus far. In Sydney, 616 auctions are scheduled, up 23.0% on last week (501) and 25.7% below the 829 held in the equivalent week last year.

In Brisbane, auction volumes are up 29.0% on last week to 169 (from 131), and 16.6% higher than the 145 held a year ago. Alongside Perth, it is one of only two capitals busier than the same week in 2025, but these are relatively small auction markets. Adelaide has fewer auctions than last week, at 79, down 16.0% (from 94) and 19.4% below year-ago levels of 98. The sharpest week-on-week rise is in Canberra, where 55 auctions are scheduled against 35 last week, though the auction volumes still remain below the 79 held a year ago.

In Perth, 20 homes are scheduled to go under the hammer, compared with 13 last week and 11 a year ago. Tasmania has no auctions scheduled after holding one last week. All capitals except Brisbane and Perth have fewer auctions scheduled compared with the same week last year, with the national total down 32.8% on 2025. The week-on-week increases follow the typical seasonal rise in listings, while the year-on-year decline shows that fewer vendors are choosing to bring their homes to auction than at this time last year.

Cotality expects about 1,900 auctions in the week ending 20 September, before easing to around 1,300 in the week ending 27 September. This reduction in activity coincides with the AFL Grand Final on Saturday 26 September, which leads to lower vendor activity (in Melbourne) that weekend.