Brisbane posts thinnest weekly clearance rate in six years as the softening trend accelerates
Australia's combined capital cities recorded a weighted average clearance rate of 47.3% last week, down 1.7 percentage points from 49% the previous week, marking the second consecutive week the combined rate sat below the 50% mark.
According to new figures from property data analytics provider Cotality, a total of 1,175 homes went to auction across the capital cities, down 55.8% from 2,659 the week prior and 14.4% below the 1,373 auctions recorded in the same week last year. Volumes were suppressed by the King's Birthday public holiday in most states.
Sydney held 485 auctions — down 50.4% week-on-week — with its clearance rate edging up from 46.5% to 48.9%. Melbourne hosted 424 auctions, down 66.5% on the previous week's 1,266, with its clearance rate falling to 47.4% from 51.9%.
Among the smaller capitals, Adelaide held 79 auctions with its clearance rate easing to 55.7% from 59.5%. Brisbane stood out with just 135 auctions and a clearance rate of 34.1%, down from 39.9% — the lowest weekly result for the city since 7 June 2020, when it recorded 33.3%. Canberra's clearance rate rose to 48.6% from 38.7% across 36 auctions. Perth held 14 auctions and recorded a clearance rate of 64.3%, up from 54.5%. Tasmania held two auctions, with one selling and one passing in.
Of the 1,175 auctions across the combined capitals, 455 properties passed in (38.7%) and 164 were withdrawn (14.0%). Brisbane recorded the highest pass-in rate at 56.3%, while Sydney accounted for the largest share of withdrawals, with 91 properties or 18.8% of its auctions.
Weekly clearance rate, combined capital cities 
Source: Cotality
"Broadly, the weighted average clearance rate has been on a steady downtrend since late February 2026," said Annabelle Mezieres, economist at Cotality. "After reducing to 55.3% in the week ending 3 May, the clearance rate slipped to 49% by the end of May and has now dropped to 47.3% in the first week of June, well below the decade average of 64%."
The softening trend has coincided with weaker consumer sentiment, with the Westpac–Melbourne Institute index falling approximately 3% in June. The 'House Price Expectations' sub-index also dropped 14.9% in June, pointing to increased caution among households on the price outlook.
Looking ahead, 2,192 capital city homes are scheduled for auction this week, up 86.6% on the previous week and broadly in line with the 2,183 auctions held in the equivalent week last year. Melbourne is set to host 940 auctions — more than double last week's volume, though still 7.7% below the 1,018 held in the same week of 2025. Sydney has 898 auctions scheduled, up 85.2% week-on-week and 8.3% above the equivalent week a year earlier.
Brisbane has 146 auctions on the calendar, representing the largest year-on-year volume increase among the capitals at 15%. Adelaide has 113 auctions scheduled, Canberra 81, Perth 13, and Tasmania one.
More than 1,900 homes are currently scheduled for the following week, with volumes expected to trend lower through winter.
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