Capital city auctions are expected to pick up as vendors return to the market
Auction activity across Australia’s capital cities is expected to rebound this week, with 2,631 homes listed to go under the hammer, according to property data and analytics firm Cotality.
The scheduled total is more than three times the 757 auctions held in the previous week, when ANZAC Day events and long weekends in some states reduced activity. It is also 65% higher than the 1,595 auctions recorded in the same week in 2025.
Melbourne is expected to be the busiest market, with 1,208 auctions scheduled. That compares with 244 in the previous shortened week and 776 in the corresponding week last year.
Sydney has 958 homes set for auction, up from 251 a week earlier and 562 a year ago.
Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane is expected to hold 212 auctions, compared with 86 last week and 104 in the same week of 2025. Adelaide has 146 auctions scheduled, slightly higher than the 138 held last week and well above the 86 recorded a year earlier.
Canberra has 99 homes listed, up from 29 in the prior week and 54 a year ago. Perth has seven auctions scheduled, while Tasmania has one.
The rise points to a return of vendor activity after the ANZAC Day long weekend. It also places the week among the busier periods of the autumn auction season.
| Capital city auction statistics (Final) – week ending 26 April 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Clearance rate | Total auctions | Cotality auction results | Cleared auctions | Uncleared auctions |
| Sydney | 51.0% | 251 | 251 | 128 | 123 |
| Melbourne | 54.9% | 244 | 244 | 134 | 110 |
| Brisbane | 48.8% | 86 | 86 | 42 | 44 |
| Adelaide | 68.8% | 138 | 138 | 95 | 43 |
| Perth | n.a. | 9 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Tasmania | n.a. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canberra | 50.0% | 29 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| Combined capitals | 54.9% | 757 | 755 | 415 | 340 |
| Source: Cotality | |||||
Last week, auction volumes fell sharply, with 757 homes taken to auction across the combined capitals. That was 70.3% lower than the 2,551 auctions held a week earlier and 29.6% below the 1,076 recorded in the same week last year.
The combined capital city weighted clearance rate was little changed at 54.9%, compared with 54.6% in the previous week. However, it remained below the 60.8% result recorded a year earlier.
Melbourne recorded 244 auctions, down from 1,231 the week before and 464 in the same week of 2025. Its clearance rate slipped to 54.9%, from 55.7% a week earlier, and was below the 60.5% recorded a year ago.
Sydney held 251 auctions, down from 925 in the prior week and 399 a year earlier. Its clearance rate was 51.0%, compared with 51.6% a week earlier and 63.7% in the same week of 2025.
Brisbane recorded 86 auctions, down from 199 the previous week and 97 a year earlier. Its clearance rate fell to 48.8%, from 56.3%.
Adelaide was the strongest of the capital city markets by clearance rate, with 138 auctions and a result of 68.8%, up from 65.0% a week earlier.
Canberra held 29 auctions, down from 68 in the prior week and 30 a year ago, with the clearance rate steady at 50.0%. Perth recorded nine auctions, with its clearance rate falling to 25.0% from 81.8%.
Cotality said the ANZAC Day week has often produced a short-term lift in clearance rates because fewer properties are taken to auction. This year, however, clearance rates were broadly steady and remained almost six percentage points below the same period last year.
Auction volumes are expected to ease again next week, with 2,239 capital city auctions currently scheduled. That would be 14.9% below this week’s total.
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