Auction Results & Clearance Rates

An auction clearance rate measures successful outcomes against the outcomes included by the provider. Cotality, for example, uses known results and includes sold, passed-in and withdrawn auctions. It is not simply sales divided by all scheduled auctions.

• Direction matters. Compare several final weekly results from the same provider rather than relying on one preliminary headline.
• Coverage matters. Record the scheduled count, number of known results and withdrawal treatment before comparing rates.
• Sample size matters. A suburb or smaller-capital result can move sharply when only a few outcomes are reported.

Preliminary figures are revised as more outcomes are collected. The size and direction of the revision varies, so do not assume a fixed adjustment.

Data providers also define clearance rates slightly differently. Cotality counts known sold results before, at or after auction against known outcomes, including passed-in and withdrawn auctions, and labels Sunday figures as preliminary until final research is published later in the week. If a property does not reach reserve, read what happens when a property is passed in at auction before treating the negotiation as low-risk.

Checked 18 August 2026: Cotality reported a 56.5% preliminary weighted capital-city clearance rate for the week ending 16 August. It had collected 949 results from 1,309 auctions counted, with 537 cleared and 412 uncleared outcomes. Treat this as an early provider-specific measure, not a forecast or valuation input.

Use the auction clearance rate calculator to check a reported rate and its result coverage. Read the 16 August weekly auction update for the full breakdown and limitations. For live weekly figures, compare Cotality auction results with reported city commentary such as Domain's auction coverage. For a broader explainer, read our auction clearance rates article. Before comparing a weekend headline with a later result, read preliminary vs final auction clearance rates, or use the auction bidding budget checklist. For the wider advertised-supply context, read the July 2026 property listings update before attending a sale.

Several organisations publish auction result data each week. The most reliable sources are:

• Cotality publishes national and city-level preliminary and final results with methodology notes and sample warnings.
• REIV publishes detailed Melbourne auction results, including reported individual outcomes.
• Domain reports auction results across major capitals and publishes property-market research.

For the most accurate picture, rely on final revised figures rather than preliminary results, and compare rates over several consecutive weeks rather than focusing on any single weekend.