Auctions offer transparency and certainty  

As seen in The West Real Estate

Western Australia lags the country in use of auction as the marketing and selling method to sell a home, with only around 2 per cent of properties going to auction.

With the fast selling times and limited listings in the present Perth market, auctions offer many advantages to both buyers and sellers.

Not sure how much your home is worth? Not sure if you should accept the first offer, or which offer conditions to accept? Worried your buyer won’t get finance? Don’t want to rush looking for your next property? An auction campaign can help with all these concerns.

In Western Australia, the most common way to sell your home is via the private treaty method. You advertise the property at an asking price and have your REIWA agent negotiate with buyers, until an agreed sale price is reached.

Another commonly used method is to invite offers by a specified date. This is called a tender process but is also advertised as Expressions of Interest, Set Date Sale or End Date Sale.

And the third option is auction. For the week ending 12 October 2025, only 18 properties were offered for auction in Perth. That compares to 96 in Adelaide, 988 in Sydney and 1249 in Melbourne.

While not popular in WA, auctions offer certainty and transparency for both buyers and sellers, particularly in a market with low stock levels and high buyer demand.

Auctions draw in genuine buyers who show up on the auction day prepared to buy – either with cash or pre-approved finance.

With all potential buyers in the one place, the purchaser of the property knows they have paid the correct market price. Disappointed buyers can be satisfied they have seen exactly what others were prepared to pay and they have had a transparent opportunity to put forward their best bid.

Another advantage is that sales under the hammer are unconditional, offering certainty and eliminating the risk of buyers withdrawing due to finance or other conditions.

An auction campaign gives a seller more control over the speed of sale and the time they have before they need to move.

With auctions, sellers can control how long the pre-auction market period is and use this time to secure their new home. If you are reluctant to list a property because of that uncertainty, an auction campaign gives you control over the terms of the sale, which can give you the time and confidence to find your next property.

REIWA agents have the expertise and knowledge to guide you if you are interested in selling via auction, and many of our members are also registered auctioneers.

Although auctioning your home may not be your final choice to sell your biggest asset, it is worth considering the advantages an auction can provide.

Suzanne Brown
REIWA President