Prices will fall as coronavirus scare prompts auction success rate tumble into the 60s
Auction markets are now showing a clear and fairly rapid cooling, the Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan has noted.
Preliminary unadjusted clearance rates were in the mid to low 60s compared to the mid to low 70s last week.
Uncertainty around COVID-19 has seen the preliminary clearance rate take a hit on the weekend, falling to 61.3 per cent across the combined capital cities.
Despite the escalating health crisis and economic fallout related to coronavirus, the past week was the second busiest for auction activity so far this year with 2,539 homes taken to auction.
The coronavirus scare prompted Sydney’s auction market success rate to tumble into the 60s.
Saturday's 68 percent success rate is down on 82 percent a fortnight ago and the 74 percent clearance rate last weekend, according to the preliminary realestate.com.au data.
It was Sydney's lowest clearance rate in what has been an exceptionally strong year.
Domain and CoreLogic put the Sydney rate at even lower, at 64 percent.
There were just over 400 results tallied from the 750 auctions held in Sydney.
Estate agents had feared that some of their buyers would stay away amid the current contagion health scare.
But there are also looming concerns that the likely loss of workers' income across almost ever industry along with jobs losses will further dampen buyer enthusiasm.
"I expect price falls ahead," Shane Oliver, the AMP Capital chief economist said.
"Coronavirus social distancing and rising uncertainty about the economic outlook look to be impacting," he said.
Sydney remains the strongest capital city auction market.
The national clearance rate has dropped to 62 percent, down from 75 percent two weeks ago.
Sydney agents now head into the busy pre-Easter auction period which is traditionally one of the busiest fortnights of the year.
Search activity on realestate.com.au has slowed, Nerida Conisbee, the realestate.com.au chief economist noted last earlier this month.
The top sale under the hammer was a three-bedroom Tofts Monks, Elizabeth Bay apartment (pictured top) for $4,225,000 to an expatriate buying when the Australian dollar was down near 18 year lows.
The auction was brought forward by the fortnight given heightened demand.
Auction clearance rates dropped in Melbourne.
In Melbourne, a preliminary auction clearance rate of 62.7 per cent was recorded across 1,317 auctions, while last week there were 1,201 auctions returning a final clearance rate of 65.6 per cent. One year ago, the clearance rate was 55.1 per cent across 814 auctions.
Melbourne’s most expensive sale was a five-bedroom, five-bathroom house in Albert Park at $9,010,000.
CoreLogic described the weekend results as a “turning point in buyer and seller sentiment.”
“The latest results highlight the housing market is being impacted by the social distancing measures and weaker confidence related to the coronavirus pandemic,” CoreLogic auction analyst Kevin Brogan said.
“To date there is no evidence of reduced housing values, however it is clear that transactional activity will be temporarily disrupted [over the] coming weeks and months.”