Key Findings
- This weekend is a Super Saturday with 3106 auctions set to go under the hammer.
- This is the highest number of Saturday auctions across the combined capitals since March 2018.
- Sydney and Perth have the highest number of auctions for 2021.
- Adelaide is set for the busiest Saturday on record.
- A bumper volume of auctions will help to ease buyer competition and further test the pool of active buyers.
Auction volumes
Table 1. Upcoming auction summary, November 27, 2021
| City | Auctions scheduled | Weekly change | Annual change | 5-year comparison |
| Sydney | 1190 | 14.1% | 56.0% | 28.2% |
| Melbourne | 1472 | 16.8% | 112.4% | 10.1% |
| Brisbane | 127 | -11.2% | 108.2% | 5.0% |
| Adelaide | 168 | 7.0% | 110.0% | 68.0% |
| Canberra | 111 | 4.7% | 40.5% | 29.1% |
| Perth | 38 | 153.3% | 660.0% | -9.5% |
| Darwin | – | – | – | – |
| Hobart | – | – | – | – |
| Combined Capitals | 3,106 | 13.9% | 84.6% | 18.6% |
There are 3106 auctions scheduled across the capitals this week, up 13.9 per cent compared to last week. This is the second week in a row of Super Saturday auction volumes and the highest number recorded since March 2018.
Auction listings are higher in all capitals this week except Brisbane. This Saturday will see the highest number of listings on Domain record in Adelaide and the highest since April 2017 in Canberra. Sydney and Perth are set to have their busiest auction weeks of the year and Melbourne hosting its second-busiest week of the year.
Weekly change in auction volumes:
- Perth is up 153.3 per cent
- Melbourne is up 16.8 per cent
- Sydney is up 14.1 per cent
- Adelaide is up 7.0 per cent
- Canberra is up 4.7 per cent
- Brisbane is down 11.2 per cent
Figure 1. Saturday auction volume, combined capitals
As the combined capital auction listings continue to rise, it is insightful to see how volumes for this week are tracking compared to the corresponding Saturday in previous years. This gives a strong indication of how volumes are going this week.
Upcoming Saturday volumes compared to the five-year average of corresponding Saturdays across the major auction markets
- Combined Capitals, volumes are 35.7 per cent higher
- Sydney is up 38.7 per cent
- Canberra is up 33.4 per cent
- Melbourne is up 30.2 per cent
Auction results
Table 2. Saturday auction results, November 20, 2021
| City | Clearance rate | Weekly change | Auctions scheduled | Auction sold | Sold prior | Withdrawn |
| Sydney | 73.4% | 2.1% | 1043 | 627 | 41.0% | 17.4% |
| Melbourne | 69.9% | -4.2% | 1,260 | 655 | 28.8% | 14.4% |
| Brisbane | 81.9% | -2.6% | 143 | 77 | 39.4% | 9.6% |
| Adelaide | 80.4% | 2.4% | 157 | 78 | 29.9% | 10.3% |
| Canberra | 85.9% | 5.9% | 106 | 85 | 34.3% | 6.1% |
| Combined Capitals | 73.2% | -0.8% | 2,727 | 1,524 | 34.6% | 14.8% |
| * Geographies are based on ABS GCCSA geography. Auction reporting rates are 82 per cent in Sydney, 74 per cent in Melbourne, 66 per cent in Brisbane, 62 per cent in Adelaide and 93 per cent in Canberra. The results will be revised as more auction results are collected. Of the scheduled auctions in Sydney, 8 per cent were postponed. Of the scheduled auctions in Melbourne, 8 per cent were postponed. Postponed auctions are not classified as a reported auction, and therefore this has a negative impact on the reporting rate. | ||||||
Last Saturday saw a marginal decline in the combined capital clearance rate from the previous week. The smaller auction markets of Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra recorded clearance rates above 80 per cent. Sydney and Melbourne had the softest clearance rates seen for some time, falling below 74 per cent. As more homes hit the market, increased choice and reduced competition will test seller price expectations and see a shift to a buyer’s market.
Weekly change in auction clearance rates, rising:
- 5.9 percentage points in Canberra
- 2.4 percentage points in Adelaide
- 2.1 percentage points in Sydney
And declining:
- 2.6 percentage points in Brisbane
- 4.2 percentage points in Melbourne
Figure 2. Saturday clearance rate, combined capitals
Region results
Table 3. Region breakdown of auction clearance rates
| State | Region | Scheduled auction | Collected auctions | Clearance rate |
| NSW | Central Coast | 33 | 29 | 69.0% |
| NSW | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 12 | 12 | 91.7% |
| NSW | Illawarra | 13 | 12 | 50.0% |
| NSW | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 36 | 29 | 89.7% |
| NSW | Richmond – Tweed | 23 | 14 | 71.4% |
| NSW | Riverina | 12 | 10 | 90.0% |
| NSW | Sydney – Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury | 36 | 28 | 78.6% |
| NSW | Sydney – Blacktown | 44 | 33 | 60.6% |
| NSW | Sydney – City and Inner South | 94 | 79 | 67.1% |
| NSW | Sydney – Eastern Suburbs | 78 | 67 | 71.6% |
| NSW | Sydney – Inner South West | 128 | 112 | 71.4% |
| NSW | Sydney – Inner West | 121 | 95 | 77.9% |
| NSW | Sydney – North Sydney and Hornsby | 138 | 115 | 79.1% |
| NSW | Sydney – Northern Beaches | 69 | 59 | 81.4% |
| NSW | Sydney – Outer South West | 14 | 13 | 76.9% |
| NSW | Sydney – Parramatta | 91 | 75 | 68.0% |
| NSW | Sydney – Ryde | 61 | 50 | 78.0% |
| NSW | Sydney – South West | 71 | 47 | 68.1% |
| NSW | Sydney – Sutherland | 56 | 47 | 78.7% |
| QLD | Brisbane – North | 18 | 13 | 92.3% |
| QLD | Brisbane – South | 40 | 26 | 84.6% |
| QLD | Brisbane – West | 16 | 11 | 90.9% |
| QLD | Brisbane Inner City | 29 | 20 | 85.0% |
| QLD | Gold Coast | 45 | 28 | 75.0% |
| SA | Adelaide – Central and Hills | 48 | 33 | 75.8% |
| SA | Adelaide – North | 41 | 17 | 70.6% |
| SA | Adelaide – South | 33 | 26 | 84.6% |
| SA | Adelaide – West | 35 | 21 | 90.5% |
| VIC | Geelong | 62 | 40 | 62.5% |
| VIC | Melbourne – Inner | 275 | 222 | 64.9% |
| VIC | Melbourne – Inner East | 155 | 127 | 65.4% |
| VIC | Melbourne – Inner South | 172 | 125 | 72.8% |
| VIC | Melbourne – North East | 137 | 107 | 72.9% |
| VIC | Melbourne – North West | 128 | 90 | 72.2% |
| VIC | Melbourne – Outer East | 88 | 63 | 76.2% |
| VIC | Melbourne – South East | 106 | 66 | 68.2% |
| VIC | Melbourne – West | 163 | 112 | 75.0% |
| VIC | Mornington Peninsula | 36 | 25 | 68.0% |
Methodology
The Domain auction clearance rate is the percentage of properties successfully sold prior to or at an auction. The clearance rate is calculated by dividing auction sales by the number of reported auctions, including those withdrawn or postponed.
Domain aims to collect all auction outcomes, which can take longer in some states. Clearance rates for cities with a reporting rate below 95 per cent are considered to be preliminary. Perth, Hobart and Darwin are not included either due to the low volumes of scheduled auctions or the lag time in collections.
Auctions scheduled: The number of all auctions scheduled for the day, including those that were withdrawn from auction at the last minute. Reporting rate: The number of auction results collected by Domain out of the total auctions. Auction sold: Property sold under auction conditions or prior to auction. Withdrawn: Property did not go to auction. Passed in: Property did not sell at auction. For the purpose of calculating auction clearance rates, properties sold after auction are considered to be passed-in.
