Auction clearance rates reach a seven-week high as auction volumes decline
By Annabelle Mezieres, Economist, Cotality
Media Release posted 13 July,2026
Auction activity declined last week, with the number of auctions falling by 8.7% to 1,318, which was also 8.0% lower than the corresponding week a year ago. The combined capitals preliminary clearance rate rose to 54.8%, the highest in seven weeks and the first time above 50% in three weeks, up from 49.8% the week before.
Across the combined capital cities, Melbourne accounted for the largest proportion of auction volume, with 585 homes brought to market. While this represented a modest 0.3% increase on the week prior, it was 6.8% below its level a year earlier. The preliminary clearance rate in Melbourne strengthened to 56.2%, up from 54.5% two weeks prior, representing the highest early result in four weeks.
Sydney saw the largest move in clearance rates, with the preliminary reading up to 57.5%. That was its highest in ten weeks and well above the 47.3% low three weeks ago. That said volumes fell sharply to 452 auctions, down 18.7% both on the week and on a year ago.
Brisbane showed the most improvement among the mid-tier markets. There were 128 auctions, up 7.6% from the previous week and 25.5% higher than a year ago. The preliminary clearance rate rose to 43.0%, up from a very weak 23.8% the week before.
Similarly, there was a sharp lift in Adelaide’s preliminary clearance rate, which rose to 59.1% from 45.7% a week earlier. However, the auction volume fell 25.9% to 83.
Among the smaller capitals, Canberra held 60 auctions, down 4.8% from the previous week and unchanged from the same week last year, with a preliminary clearance rate of 44.9%. Auction activity remained minimal in other regions, with eight auctions in Perth and two in Tasmania.
