Top strategies for winning at auction
Buying a property on your 2023 to-do list? Make sure the keys to that dream home are yours with these winning ways
3 min
Always part of the crowd but never the winning bidder? It can be frustrating to keep missing out on securing your slice of Sydney.
When you have your heart set on a property, you’re buying not just a home but a lifestyle that will champion your dreams and ambitions. So no wonder auctions are a nerve-racking affair. Put yourself on the front foot with these winning strategies.
Read more stories like this in the latest issue of Kanebridge Quarterly magazine. Order your copy here.
1
Put in a pre-auction offer
Actually, there may be no need to go to auction at all. In today’s market, you have a good chance of calmly negotiating a winning deal ahead of time. Of all properties intended for auction, the proportion sold prior has roughly doubled since last year, now accounting for about half of all sales. So if you’ve done your research and don’t want to wait it out, make a solid pre-auction offer that reflects current market values.Conversely, in a strong market, you may be better advised to wait it out. Vendors are unlikely to take an early offer if they know there are other buyers waiting in the wings.
2
Own it to win it
Show up at the auction dressed to impress and stand in a prominent position where you can eyeball other bidders. When people bid against you, respond quickly and decisively. Play your cards right and you’ll give your competitors the impression that you’re not going to stop – which may be enough to convince them to give up.
3
Bidding anonymously
Bidding remotely via a live auction app could be the solution to staying calm and clear-headed. The future-forward UrbaneLIVE app enables you to participate in live-streamed auctions from wherever you feel most comfortable. If you’d rather be on site, but feel uneasy about bidding publicly, you could use the app to bid anonymously. The app will also ensure you don’t miss out on the chance to bid if you’re out of town on auction day.
4
Use the professionals
Your agent is there to help. They offer advice and support as well as practical information about the auction, so take advantage of their expertise and ask as many questions as you can. Worried you might get caught up in the emotion on the day? Asking a seasoned auction goer to bid on your behalf will make you less vulnerable to auction day pressure. (If you’ve recently sold and have a good relationship with your agent, you could ask them to help you bid for your next home, provided the property is listed with another agency.) Alternatively, a buyer’s agent will bid on your behalf for a fee and help research the market and work with you to determine a reasonable limit.
5
Top-and-tail approach
Beyond the comical awkwardness, there’s little benefit in holding out on an opening bid. Before the crickets chirp and tumbleweed rolls, make your presence known with a reasonable low-end bid. You can then hang back and get a feel for your competitors, before boldly re-joining the bidding at the pointy end of the auction. If nobody else bids after your opening offer, even better. You’ll be first in line to negotiate a deal.
6
Hit them with your best shot
When bidding slows, hopeful purchasers often settle in for a lengthy back-and-forth of $1000 increments. With amounts this small, it’s tempting for bidders to keep pushing that little bit further. If you still have some room in your budget, try knocking them out with an offer of $15,000 or $20,000 more. In the context of Sydney or Melbourne property, it’s a small price to pay to secure a purchase. There’s no better place to pick up tips than at an auction. Onlookers are always welcome so check out our auction listings and drop by to watch the show.
The 1860s Darlinghurst mansion Stoneleigh could become Sydney’s most expensive home ever sold under the hammer when it goes to auction. Clint Ballard is giving buyers a $28 million guide for the heritage-listed mansion on Darley Street, opposite Iona, the former home of Hollywood royalty Baz Luhrmann. Stoneleigh is being offered for sale for the …
Set on one of the city’s last absolute riverfront sites, The Riversdale by Mosaic combines irreplaceable waterfront ownership with one of Brisbane’s most significant residential opportunities.
2 min
A landmark Watsons Bay residence formerly owned by businessman Mark Bouris has returned to the market, bringing one of the harbourside village’s most distinctive homes back into play.
The five-bedroom property at 23 Robertson Place occupies 654 square metres opposite Robertson Park, within footsteps of Watsons Bay Beach, the ferry wharf and the celebrated restaurants lining the foreshore.
Its position places the home at the centre of one of Sydney’s most recognisable harbour villages, yet its substantial proportions, private outdoor areas and garaging give it a degree of separation rarely found so close to the waterfront.
The residence was previously owned by Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans and chairman of Yellow Brick Road. Property records show it last changed hands in November 2013 for $7 million, having sold for $890,000 in 1995.
That 2013 transaction was handled by prestige agent Bill Malouf through Highland Double Bay. Bouris was the vendor when the home last sold.
Architect Malcolm Sholl designed the contemporary residence around a fluid connection between its interiors and outdoor entertaining areas. Extensive glazing draws natural light into the principal rooms, while district views take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Travertine flooring extends through the principal living areas and out towards the terraces, reinforcing the relationship between the home and its coastal setting.
At the centre of the residence is a marble kitchen equipped with Gaggenau gas appliances and an integrated Miele coffee machine. It connects to expansive open-plan living and dining areas designed for both family life and large-scale entertaining.
Five double bedrooms are accompanied by three bathrooms and a guest powder room. Informal living spaces include a home cinema.
Outside, there’s a 23-metre lap pool and an alfresco entertainer’s terrace. Internal access from the garage and accommodation for four cars are especially valuable in the tightly held village location.
The address also carries an unusual fragment of local architectural history. Woollahra planning material identifies portions of an early Victorian cottage dating from about 1839 within the contemporary three-storey residence, placing the property within the wider Watsons Bay heritage conservation area.
The home made headlines for another reason in January 2025, when a Ferrari left the road and struck the property. Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospital following the incident.
The Agency’s Ben Collier has a $20 million guide.
Watsons Bay remains one of Sydney’s smallest and most tightly held prestige markets. There have only been two house sales in the suburb so far in 2026. The suburb record was set late last year when yachtie Linda Goddard paid $35.5 million for a Pacific Street waterfront.
A record-breaking $11 million sale at The Centennial Collection has set a new benchmark for luxury apartment living in Bondi Junction.
In the remote waters of Indonesia’s Anambas Islands, Bawah Reserve is redefining what it means to blend barefoot luxury with environmental stewardship.
