Adelaide Buyers Shift Auction Tactics Amid Demand

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Buyer behaviour at Adelaide property auctions is evolving, with many now choosing to delay registrations and avoid early offers.

Kate Smith, principal at Kate Smith Property, said that while auctions previously attracted multiple pre-auction offers and early registrations, buyers are now becoming more strategic.

“Across the board, we’re not seeing a lot of pre-auction offers,” Ms Smith said. “It’s not typical behaviour for people to register before the day now. I think buyers may be trying to avoid giving the impression of high interest, which could push the reserve price higher.”

Ms Smith noted that most of her agency’s auction-day registrations are occurring on the day itself, averaging around five per property.

One of Smith’s standout listings this weekend is a four-bedroom renovated home at 117 Hart Street, Semaphore, currently the most-viewed auction property in South Australia on realestate.com.au. The property goes to auction at 10 am Saturday with no price guide.

“We’ve had a very high level of views and attendance and are expecting a strong result on the day,” she added. The home features a renovated kitchen and bathroom, an outdoor entertaining area, and a concrete basketball court.

Interest in the Semaphore property is coming from a broad range of buyers, including first-home seekers, young families, and investors.

Ms Smith said properties that don’t sell under the hammer are still attracting strong interest afterwards. “We had an auction in Exeter that didn’t sell on the day but was contracted by Wednesday, with four post-auction offers,” she said. “Eighty per cent of the homes that don’t sell at auction will sell within 10 days.”

According to PropTrack data, more than 100 homes are set to go under the hammer across South Australia this weekend, 110 in metro Adelaide and six in regional areas. This is slightly higher than next weekend’s forecast of 115 auctions, but down 31 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Mawson Lakes tops the list of Adelaide suburbs with the most scheduled auctions this weekend, followed by Fullarton, Para Hills West, and Valley View.