Combined capital clearance rate plummets as buyer caution deepens
The average auction clearance rate across Australia's combined capital cities fell to 48.3% last week, according to property data and analytics provider Cotality.
The figure is the second-lowest result recorded so far this year, behind only the previous week's 47.3%. Two weeks prior, the clearance rate was also below the 50% mark at 49%.
Of the 2,094 results collected, 737 were passed in and 345 withdrawn. That left 51.7% of auctioned homes unsold, with the pass-in rate sitting at 35.2%. Twelve months ago, roughly two in three auctioned homes sold; last week, the figure was closer to one in two.
Across the combined capitals, 2,095 auctions were held, up from 1,175 during the previous King's Birthday week but 4.0% lower than the 2,183 held in the same week of 2025.
Sydney held 782 auctions and cleared 47.2%, down 1.7 percentage points on the week before. The clearance rate was 18.4 percentage points below the same week last year — the larger of the two major capitals' year-on-year gaps — while volume was 5.7% below 2025 levels.
Melbourne hosted 975 auctions, with the clearance rate rising 4.5 percentage points to 51.9%, the strongest result among the four largest capitals. However, it remained 13.5 percentage points below the 65.4% recorded in the same week of 2025, while volumes were 4.2% lower than a year earlier.
Adelaide held 106 auctions, with the clearance rate falling 9.5 percentage points to 46.2%. Brisbane's clearance rate rose slightly, to 39.4% on 142 auctions, though it remains well behind Sydney and Melbourne. Canberra held 76 auctions, with a clearance rate of just 36.8%. Perth held 13 auctions and cleared 23.1%, down sharply from 64.3% the week before. Tasmania held one auction, which was successful.
Weekly clearance rate, combined capital cities 
Source: Cotality
"The clearance rate data points to a market that is continuing to lose momentum, attributable to weaker buyer demand and a consequent rise in advertised supply," said Annabelle Mezieres, economist at Cotality. "Buyers appear more cautious or less willing to meet vendors' price expectations.
"The rolling averages highlight that the weighted average clearance rate is showing a softening trend. This suggests the decline is not just one slow week or the winter slowdown, but part of a broader trend that began earlier this year."
Auction activity set to slow further
Approximately 1,930 homes are scheduled for auction across the combined capitals this week, down about 8% from the 2,095 auctions held last week and a touch below the 2,004 auctions in the equivalent week of 2025.
Sydney and Melbourne account for roughly 83% of scheduled auctions. Sydney has just over 720 on the books, down about 8% on last week and 7% below the same week a year ago. Melbourne again leads the country with approximately 880 scheduled — 46% of the national total — though that is down about 10% on last week's 975 and 5.0% below the 927 held this time last year.
Among the smaller capitals, Brisbane has approximately 150 auctions scheduled, up almost 6% on last week and broadly in line with the 152 held a year ago. Adelaide has about 100 scheduled, down from 106 last week but well ahead of the 77 held in the equivalent week of 2025. Canberra drops to just under 70 auctions. Perth has 15 auctions scheduled and Tasmania none. Results for Perth and Tasmania should be interpreted with caution given persistently low volumes.
Auction volumes are likely to wind down over the coming weeks and months due to both seasonal and cyclical factors, with Cotality estimating roughly 1,900 homes scheduled for the following week and a seasonal downward trend expected through winter.
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