Last updated: September 02, 2010

Weather: Sydney 12°C - 19°C . Few showers.

Auction spike signals fear of spring slump

house auction

An auctioneer in action. Picture: Melanie Russell Source: The Australian

  • Melbourne agents cleared $341m in property
  • Unusually high levels of stock in market
  • Higher demand for rentals

PROPERTY markets are maintaining their steam, but analysts warn the selling blitz may be a signal vendors are moving ahead of hard times expected in spring.

Agents in Melbourne sold a mammoth $341.9 million worth of property on Saturday, clearing 70 per cent of the 658 properties up for auction, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

Melbourne's dearest sale on Saturday was a four-bedroom, 3040sq m family property at Ivanhoe for $4.3m. The cheapest, a three-bedroom house at Rockbank, went for $237,000.

Sydney auctioneers cleared 72.5 per cent of their 316 listed properties, with the most expensive - a six-bedroom federation-style home in Burwood - selling for just under $4.2m, according to Australian Property Monitors.

APM head of research Yvonne Chan said the strong results came on the back of unusually high levels of stock in the marketplace, especially for winter.

Ms Chan said the effect of interest rate rises and the withdrawal of stimulus had forced many first-home buyers out of the market, creating higher demand for rentals.

In Brisbane, a less conventional market, 48.8 per cent of 58 properties were cleared, up from 12.1 per cent of 50 properties a year ago.

Half of Adelaide's auction properties were sold, down from 61.9 per cent the previous year.

Read more about auction spike signaling fears of a spring slump at The Australian.

Have your say

Skip to:
Read comments
Add comments

Comments on this story

  • Michael of Sydney Posted at 4:39 PM August 30, 2010

    Super loser - be a role model and move to the other country first. As to the first part of your message - the only political party that can back your idea of taking houses from hardworking citizens and giving houses away to the agressive "not haves" as yourself would be the Communist party. Which makes your choice more of place to live obvious - you get to move either to China or Cuba. Hurry up before these regimes have not fallen as the rest of Communist world.

  • Michael of Sydney Posted at 4:33 PM August 30, 2010

    Joe, if you had a single live brain cell you would have remembered what I said here thousands of times. I do not sell property. Ever. I do not need to. I buy property, you pay off my mortgage. In 11 years after purchase rent usually doubles (it grows much quicker now) - and you start paying me an income. This is not to mention capital growth. Selling property and killing gooses laying gold eggs is the same thing - technical term is "insanity".

  • James Posted at 3:44 PM August 30, 2010

    No the market is going cold. I have seen it first hand. I am the last person on the planet that would would want the market to go cold as I have just purchased a house. The truth unfortunately is the truth.

Add your comment on this story

Comments Form

1200 characters left

Your details
Post Options

Inside news.com.au

'Save the planet' hostage drama

Hostage situation at Discovery Channel HQ

MAN shot after taking hostages at Discovery Channel and demanding it broadcast its commitment "to save the planet".

Greens-Labor alliance has miners worried

miners

PACT sparks fears that industry will come under attack through emissions trading scheme and possible changes to mining tax.

Cusack launches bizarre 'Satanic cult' rant

John Cusack

STAR goes on Twitter rampage, calling for a "death cult" to be built at Fox News and at the offices of two members of the Republican party.

Darwin dreams to be UFO hotspot

Darwin UFO sightings

THERE are calls for Darwin to become the UFO capital of the world after the latest sighting above Northern Territory skies.