By portermathewsblog
Read more here why Auctions are becoming more popular in WA.
Acton chief executive officer Travis Coleman says the number of auctions in Perth has been on the rise for the past three or four years.
“A lot of people are doing it because we’re moving from a market where there are extended days on market and we’re trying to shorten that and bring the price discussion to a head in a shorter time.
“Auctions are not just limited to the upper end of the market. [Acton Coogee agent] David Bombara is doing it down in Spearwood, the mortgage belt areas, with great success and actually selling quite a few properties prior to auction,” Coleman says.
He says auctions are a transparent property sales technique and generally mean quicker turnaround times, rather than having a property sit on the market for four to five months, or in some areas even longer.
Realmark Western Suburbs director Adam Gilbert says the increased take-up of auctions across Perth was due to the competitive market and shortage of supply.
“What the market wants is transparency. In a market where there isn’t a real understanding as to what is a real price, what is a market price and what is an agent price – the market is saying just give me an opportunity to have a go.
“Auctions are very transparent, very honest, aligned with what the market wants and they do bring urgency not only for the buyer but the seller… to make the best decision in a shorter period of time.
“I think agents in WA need to get in tune with the current market. The market is evolving, the landscape is changing, technology is assisting buyers to gain information in a much shorter period of time so I think we give our sellers the option to consider auctions,” Gilbert says.
But CoreLogic head of research Cameron Kusher says with declining values in Perth it is unlikely that auctions will become more popular in the short-term.
“Auction volumes were a little higher last year than they were in 2015 for Perth, however, auction sales still represent a very small proportion of the overall market.
“Although selling by private sale in Perth is tough, a lot of vendors probably feel as if it is not worth the additional expense to sell at auction, particularly when the success rates have typically been well below 50% this year,” Kusher says.