Auction Clearance Rate

Plain-English definition. An auction clearance rate is the share of known auction outcomes reported as sold for a stated place and period. It is not necessarily the sold share of every auction scheduled.

How it works in Australia. Cotality calculates its weekly rate from known sales before, at or after auction divided by all known outcomes, including passed-in and withdrawn auctions. Other providers can classify outcomes differently. Preliminary results use the data available at publication time and can change as more outcomes are collected.

Concrete example. If 100 auctions were scheduled but only 75 outcomes are known, with 50 sold, the reported rate is 66.7%. Reporting coverage is 75%, while known sales represent 50% of all scheduled auctions. Those three figures answer different questions.

Common confusion. Comparing this week's preliminary number with last week's final number mixes collection stages. Cotality also warns that rates based on fewer than 10 collected results are statistically unreliable. A clearance rate is market context, not a valuation, price forecast or bid limit.

Use the Auction Clearance Rate Calculator to check the arithmetic, and read preliminary vs final auction clearance rates before comparing weekly headlines.

Source. Cotality Weekly Auction Results, checked 13 August 2026.

Last updated: 13 August 2026.