Auction Markets Strong In Face Of COVID

Auction activity has remained strong, despite increased COVID restrictions across Sydney and Melbourne.

A total of 2179 homes were listed for auction capital city markets on Saturday, July 17 – a new record for July, surpassing the previous high of 1869 set just last weekend.

Across all capitals, auction numbers continue to track around double the levels recorded for the same weekend last year.

Record auction numbers also failed to slow the auction clearance rate with a national rate of 80.5%, higher than last weekend’s 79.5% and well ahead of the 62.5% recorded over the same weekend last year.

Clearance rates were higher in all capitals on Saturday – with the exception of Canberra and lockdown impeded Melbourne – the latter recording the lowest result of all the auction capitals (73.2%).

In Sydney, auction clearance rates held the line against tightening restrictions with a rate of 78.0% – a small rise from last weekend’s year low of 76.6%.

The weekend clearance rate continues to be influenced by a high number of withdrawals with a total of 21.0% of reported auctions – around double the pre-shutdown results.

Still, a July record of 872 auctions was reported listed in Sydney on Saturday – higher than the 782 auctioned the previous weekend and well ahead of the 471 recorded over the same weekend last year.

Sydney recorded a median price of $1,603,000 for houses sold at auction at the weekend which was similar to the $1,631,000 reported over the previous Saturday.

However, Melbourne’s market proved to be less resilient when faced with the lockdown.

The Victorian capital still reported a robust 73.2% clearance rate, however, was down on last weekend’s 76.7% – the lowest weekend result since the previous shutdown impacted the result on June 12 at 69.0%.

The lower clearance rate was clearly impacted in a surge of lockdown-related withdrawals with 27.4% of listed auctions reported withdrawn – well ahead of the 9.5% withdrawals reported the previous Saturday.

Another July record 1061 homes were listed to go under the hammer on Saturday – ahead of last weekend’s previous record 977 auctions.

Melbourne recorded a median price of $992,500 for houses sold at auction at the weekend which was higher than the $983,000 recorded over the previous weekend and 20.2% higher than the $825,000 recorded over the same weekend last year.

Data powered by Dr Andrew Wilson of My Housing Market.

There are 10 local council areas scattered along the East Coast of Australia that offer both affordability and solid fundamentals for sustainable future growth, according to the research team at residential property network, PRD. The areas have been selected based on five criterion. They are affordability – defined as a median house price below $600,000, rising house values, strong rental yields to encourage investment, a strong pipeline of residential, commercial and infrastructure projects to facilitate local economic development, and low unemployment.

Here are Australia’s 10 most affordable regional property markets with great future potential.

Mackay, QLD

Mackay is a tropical coastal area located in north Queensland. It’s known for its closeconnection to the Great Barrier Reef. The median house price is $462,750, up 8.9 percent in 2023. Mackay attracts a lot of interstate migrants and is home to more than 120,000 people. It has a healthy economy with an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent and $1.7 billion worth of projects due to commence this year.

Toowoomba, QLD

The Toowoomba median house price was up 10.9 percent in 2023.

Toowoomba is located west of Brisbane and is known for its Victorian buildings, street artand surrounding national parks. The median house price is $560,000, up 10.9 percent in 2023. The city has a population of more than 180,000. The unemployment rate is 4 percentand there is $6.1 billion in projects commencing in 2024.

Townsville, QLD

Townsville is a coastal city in north-eastern Queensland. The median house price is $420,000, up 5 percent in 2023. It is home to more than 200,000 people. Unemployment is very low at 2.5 percent and there is $3.2 billion of projects commencing this year.

Dubbo, NSW

Dubbo is located west of Newcastle in the Orana Region and is home to the Western Plains Zoo. The median house price is $530,000, up 11.6 percent in 2023. The population has exploded in recent years to more than 56,000 people. The unemployment rate is just 2.2percent and the economy is thriving. There is a pipeline of $4.7 billion in projects commencing this year.

Tamworth, NSW

Located in north-east NSW, Tamworth is known for its popular annual Country Music Festival. It’s also the largest retail centre for the New England and Northwest Slopes regions. The median house price is $490,000, up 14 percent in 2023. With a population of more than 65,000 people, the economy is strong with unemployment of just 2 percent and $112.4million worth of projects commencing this year.

Griffith, NSW

Located west of Sydney and northwest of Canberra, Griffith is known for its prime produce production and wine cultivation. The median house price is $531,000, up 2.1 percent in 2023. Griffith’s population is about 27,000 people. The city boasts high economic resilience with a 2 percent unemployment rate and $258.7 million in projects in the pipeline.

Ballarat, VIC

Ballarat is a 1.5–hour drive west of Melbourne. It’s popular with city commuters who move here for housing affordability and a relaxed lifestyle with easy access to the city via train. The median house price is $570,000, down 4.2 percent in 2023 but up 92.9 percent over the past decade. The city has the third highest population in Victoria at about 118,000. Ballarat has an unemployment rate of 3 percent and a total projects pipeline worth $2.3 billion for 2024.

Shepparton, VIC

Shepparton is a rural area about two hours north of Melbourne. It is popularly referred to as ‘the food bowl of Australia’. The median house price is $475,000, up 4.4 percent in 2023. The population is about 70,000. The unemployment rate is just 2 percent and there is $1.8 billion in projects for 2024.

Wodonga, VIC

Wodonga is located on the border of NSW on the southern side of the Murray River. It is approximately 320km from Melbourne and 345km from Canberra. The median house price is $567,250, up 4.7 percent in 2023. With a population of about 44,000, the city’s jobless rate is 3 percent and there is $388.2 million in development set to commence in 2024, primarily new infrastructure.

Burnie, TAS

Burnie is a bustling port city located in Emu Bay in Tasmania’s north-west. Overlooking beaches and parklands, the area is known for its rich agriculture and mining projects. The median house price is $435,000, up 3.6 percent. Despite a rising population, the unemployment rate is falling and is currently 5.6 percent. In 2024, Burnie’s project pipeline is valued at approximately $1.6 billion. A significant portion is commercial development, primarily renewable energy projects.