Australian vendors are abandoning auctions at a significant rate, with the national share of auctions to new listings dropping sharply from almost 45% in November 2025 to just over 30% in June 2026.
As rising withdrawals, falling clearance rates and weakening buyer demand, is reshaping how property is being sold across the country, according to Cotality's latest Housing Chart Pack.
The cooling of sales volumes since late 2025 reflects the cumulative impact of interest rate rises, cost of living, uncertainty, and policy changes negatively impacting property demand.
As clearance rates fall and auction withdrawals rise, vendors are shifting their preferences toward private treaties rather than risking a public campaign that fails to sell.
Cotality Australia head of research Gerard Burg said that while the auction market typically experiences strong seasonal fluctuations, the current downturn reflects deeper shifts in underlying market dynamics.
"The decline in clearance rates since late last year has captured a lot of headlines," Burg said.
"Given that the auction market has a strong seasonal trend, typically stronger in the spring and weaker in winter, it is important to look through these factors to see the underlying trends in the market."
Berg said this has reduced the amount of buyers in the market.
"What we have observed over the past few months has been a steady decline in sales volumes as demand-side pressures have built, meaning that there have been fewer buyers in the market," Berg said.
"This goes well beyond just the normal seasonal trend."
The shift away from auctions is most visible in the historically high-volume markets of Sydney and Melbourne, both heavy auction markets that tend to lead national trends.
Compared with November, monthly auction numbers in these cities fell sharply, outpacing the broader decline in new listings and suggesting a trend that extends beyond seasonal factors.
However, the retreat is not isolated to major auction hubs.
Even capitals where private treaties dominate, including Brisbane and Adelaide, have recorded an increasing preference for private sales in recent months as vendors adapt to weaker demand.
Burg said that seller behaviour directly mirrors the strength of buyer appetite.
"During times of strong demand, vendors clearly favour auctions as competition between multiple bidders can result in a higher price," Burg said.
"However, they have been shying away more recently in this weaker demand environment.
"This has been seen in an increasing tendency to sell ahead of the auction date as well as a rise in withdrawals, pointing to vendors who are increasingly unwilling to test the market at an auction and have the property fail to sell."
While the auction share has retreated to just over 30%, historic patterns indicate that auction activity may contract further.
The long-term average for auction listings sits at around 28%, suggesting that private sales will continue to gain traction as the property ecosystem recalibrates.
