Sunshine Coast Auction Clearance Rates Hold Firm as Gap Over Private Treaty Nearly Doubles

New sales performance data from Ray White Maroochydore & Buderim shows auction is significantly outperforming private treaty as the local property market cools, with the clearance rate gap between the two sale methods nearly doubling over the past quarter.

Across the last 12 months, properties taken to auction achieved a 90-day clearance rate of 81.1%, compared to 71.9% for private treaty listings, just a small gap of 9.2 percentage points. Over the most recent 90-day period, that gap widened to a broader 16.9 percentage points, with auction clearance sitting at 65.7% against 48.8% for private treaty.

“In a rising market – strategy doesn’t really matter, in a transitioning market – strategy is the only thing that matters”

Campaign withdrawal tells a similar story. Over the most recent 90-day period, private treaty listings were withdrawn from the market at more than double the rate of auction campaigns — 23.7% compared to 10.6% — meaning a private treaty listing is more than twice as likely to be pulled from the market without selling.

“With the widening gap in likely sale outcomes between auction and private treaty, sellers today need to make a clear decision about their sale strategy. Auction campaigns are giving owners a clear advantage and significantly higher probability of sale compared to private treaty. I actually think this gap is widening every month, the private treaty clearance rate we’re reporting today is more favourable than what we’re feeling week to week, because private treaty performance is continuing to soften while auction is holding firm,” said Dan Sowden, Director and Auctioneer, Ray White Maroochydore & Buderim. 

“A defined timeline creates genuine urgency and competition between buyers, and that competitive tension is exactly what sellers need when  it comes time  to deliver the best price when conditions are less predictable. The data over the past quarter makes that gap harder to ignore.”

Mr Sowden notes the clearance rate gap is likely understated in public perception, given media coverage of the property market is heavily weighted toward auction results. Private treaty campaigns; typically marketed under strategies such as For Sale, Offers Over, Contact Agent or Offers Closing By; rarely have their outcomes reported publicly, meaning changing performance in this segment attracts far less scrutiny than a quiet auction result would.

“Auction day results get reported because they happen in public, on a set date, with a clear outcome. Private treaty negotiations play out privately over weeks, so a property that sits unsold or is quietly withdrawn just doesn’t make the news the way an auction does,” Mr Sowden said.

Our offices currently manage over 110 active campaigns being run under private treaty-style strategies. Based on last week’s auction day clearance rate of 56%, Mr Sowden estimates that if these campaigns were instead taken to auction, an estimated 56 of these properties; almost 60 would be likely to transact.

“That’s the real story for sellers. The buyers are there in the market, it’s simply a matter of creating a sales strategy that motivates buyers to make decisions and promotes a property above its competition,” Mr Sowden said.

Ray White Maroochydore & Buderim, which sells more real estate across the Sunshine Coast than any other agency group, continues to track sale method performance across the region as part of an ongoing commitment to transparent, data-led seller advice.

Data source: Ray White Maroochydore & Buderim internal reporting. 12-month period: September 2025–August 2026. 90-day period: June 2026–August 2026. Clearance rate reflects properties sold within 90 days of the reporting window. The 56% figure referenced separately is the auction day clearance rate for the week preceding this release and is not directly comparable to the 90-day clearance rates above.