Auction fever: Clear communication key as auctions hit 4-year highs

Additionally, for the first time in four years, preliminary auction clearance rates in the capital have reached 77.9 per cent, up 3.1 points and nearing the high of 78.9 per cent set in late October 2021.

Rob Doorey, REB Auctioneer of the Year 2025 and Apollo Auctions Auctioneer, said auctions are growing in popularity as buyers and agents increasingly understand their benefits.

He said auctions offer transparency, help align seller expectations with the market and allow buyers to compete openly.

“I think what we’re seeing is that auctions are just becoming a more popular method of sale because it is also transparent,” Doorey told REB.

“Anyone can see their nearest competitor, and realistically, they just need to be in a position where the seller is willing to transact and let their property go.”

According to Doorey, as the popularity of auctions rises, agents play a crucial role in guiding sellers by keeping them informed through regular offers and feedback, helping them set realistic reserves and feel prepared for auction day.

He said that they also need to support buyers by clearly explaining the auction process and offering strategies to manage stress, such as knowing their maximum bid and bidding confidently.

“So our job as agents and auctioneers is to bridge the gap and explain the process to both sellers and buyers, as it’s quite stressful.”

Doorey said that while auctions have become more popular across the capital cities, some segments of the market are “crazier” than others.

“I think Gold Coast, Brisbane, Northern New South Wales, in the markets that I work in, we’re seeing in that first home buyer and investor market that’s extremely strong. And when we do those auctions, we get a lot of buyers.”

Nationwide, Melbourne was the busiest market last week, totalling 1,322 auctions, the busiest since early June, with a preliminary clearance rate of 78.6 per cent, its highest since late October 2021 at 80.1 per cent.

In Sydney, 925 homes went under the hammer last week, marking an 11.6 per cent increase from the 829 held the week prior.

Following two weeks of decline, Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate jumped 3.2 points to 77.9 per cent last week, marking the city’s fourth-highest early rate of the year.

Director and head auctioneer of Axford Auctions, Leon Axford, said that while the property market isn’t uniform, the data indicate a healthy market.

“It would tell me that the market’s healthy. That is a good depth of buyers willing to transact and sellers are making decisions,” Axford told REB.

Brisbane led the smaller capitals with 174 homes auctioned, its fifth-highest weekly total this year, while preliminary results show a 65.6 per cent clearance rate, down from 74.0 per cent the previous week.

Doorey said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, auctions have become more popular in the Sunshine State.

“It really is an educational piece, I think those that were maybe hesitant to do an auction, and that’s buyer sellers and agents, that was an easy time to give it a go because homes were selling, we had lots of people turning up and registering to bid,” Doorey said.

“People have also moved up here from Sydney and Melbourne and from markets that are used to auction, so I think that also flows through. The more people see something, the more people understand it, the more they’re going to get involved in it.”

Down south, Adelaide hosted 135 auctions last week, up 37.8 per cent from the previous week, with 85.5 per cent achieving a successful result, marking its second-highest preliminary clearance rate of the year.

Similarly, Canberra recorded its busiest week since mid-April, with 105 homes going to auction, only the third week this year to surpass 100 auctions.

According to LJ Hooker licensed agent and auctioneer Bri Williams, the ACT has always been a seasonal market and while auction numbers are growing, many homes have been settling before auctions.

She said while Canberra’s market has been seasonal and slow over recent months, the recent surge to October 2021 levels brings confidence and suggests a potential shift towards a seller’s market.

Additionally, Williams said the combination of buyers ready to act and the new First Home Buyer Guarantee, stimulating the $750,000–$1.15 million segment, is increasing market activity in the ACT and boosting auction clearance rates.

“We’re seeing a lot more movement now in that area, and it’s freeing up a lot of space as well for the first home buyers who might be a bit lower in those townhouses at the 600 to 650 mark,” Williams told REB.

“So it’s a two-prong effect that I could not have predicted. That could explain why we’re seeing such an increase in auction clearance rates.”

Williams said that with auctions increasing, agents need to increase their communication skills to ensure a smooth process for sellers, buyers and auctioneers.

“Your job as an agent doesn’t start as the minute you put the signboard up and then you do an open home.”

“You need to be constantly communicating with them because that actual auction process then gives them real-life price feedback to the vendors for them to know, okay, is what we’re wanting realistic with what the buyers are wanting.”

She said clear, ongoing communication with vendors will also save auctioneers time by preventing the need to brief unprepared vendors before they sell their homes.

Across the remaining capital cities, Perth saw just 11 homes go to auction last week, with five achieving a successful result, while Tasmania held three auctions, all of which were successful.

This week, auction activity is expected to fall to around 1,875, with Melbourne’s scheduled auctions dipping to just under 200 due to the AFL Grand Final, while Sydney is set for roughly 1,300 auctions, likely its busiest week since just before Easter.