INDUSTRY NEWSNationalReal Estate News

Auction activity surges ahead of King’s Birthday long weekend

Capital city auction volumes are set to reach their third highest level this year with 2,816 homes scheduled to go under the hammer this week, showing strong momentum before the upcoming long weekend.

Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) Research Analyst Caitlin Fono said the current auction numbers show a significant increase from both the previous week and the same period last year.

“There are currently 2,816 capital city homes scheduled for auction this week, up from 2,460 last week and 2,380 this time last year,” Ms Fono said.

“If all of these auctions go ahead, it will be the third busiest auction week of the year.”

Ms Fono said that Melbourne continues to lead the capital cities in auction volume, with numbers approaching yearly highs.

“In Melbourne, 1,371 homes are currently scheduled for auction this week, the fourth busiest auction week of the year so far,” she said.

“Last week saw 1,223 homes go under the hammer, while this time last year, 1,109 auctions were held.”

Sydney is also experiencing substantial growth in auction listings according to the data, with volumes significantly higher than both the previous week and the same period in 2024.

“Sydney is set to see 1,095 homes go under the hammer this week, up from 799 last week and 899 this time last year,” Ms Fono said.

“If all of these auctions go ahead, it will be the third busiest auction week of the year-to-date.”

Among the smaller capital cities, Brisbane is leading auction activity with 148 scheduled auctions, followed by Adelaide with 124 and Canberra with 68.

Perth and Tasmania show minimal auction activity with nine and one scheduled auctions respectively.

The surge in listings comes after last week’s strong performance across capital cities, which saw clearance rates reach an 11-month high.

“The combined capital city clearance rate came in at 65.1 per cent last week – the highest clearance rate since July last year,” Ms Fono said.

“Over the previous week, a clearance rate of 64.9 per cent was recorded, while this time last year, 63.6 per cent of auctions were successful.”

Sydney’s market showed the most strength in the previous week’s results, matching levels not seen since mid-2024.

“Sydney’s final clearance rate rose to 67.3 per cent last week – the highest clearance rate the city has seen since mid-August last year,” she said.

Ms Fono said that the upcoming King’s Birthday long weekend will likely cause a significant drop in auction numbers.

“Next week, the number of capital city homes going under the hammer is expected to fall to around 1,300, with all but two states celebrating the King’s Birthday long weekend,” she said.

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Rowan Crosby

Rowan Crosby is a senior journalist at Elite Agent specialising in finance and real estate.