Volume was also the highest it has been all year with 548 auctions scheduled nationally this week, up 30 year on year, with confidence rebuilding each week post-COVID.

The strong buyer interest propelled Ray White's preliminary auction day clearance rate to 74 per cent nationally today.

All eyes were on the Sunshine State today which cleared 70 per cent of all stock in Brisbane, with a whopping 8.2 average registered bidders per lot, up 5.8 on a year ago.

Ray White NSW Chief Auctioneer Alex Pattaro said the last weekend of the financial year ended with a bang.

“Every single one of our key auction metrics are higher than the same time last year. Crowd attendance, auction day bidders and the clearance rates are all higher and points to the immense strength underpinning the fundamentals of the property market,” Mr Pattaro said.

“The Sydney market continues to defy any speculation of price contractions.”

There  was a cross section of sales across all price points today in the harbour city with first home buyers out in force early today in the inner western Sydney suburb of Glebe.

Ray White Surry Hills Associate Director Matthew Carvalho sold 6/2-6 Sheehy St for $732,000 after five registered bidders turned out for the on-site auction.

“It was a first home owners special and it sold to a local lady,” Mr Carvalho said.

Ray White NSW CEO and Auctioneer Jason Andrew labelled the auction as a “screamer”.

The bids sailed through the $675,000 reserve on the deceased estate in a quiet setting around the corner from Blackwattle Bay Park.

The two bedroom apartment was tucked away to the rear of the block with a north facing balcony capturing city glimpses.

The elite sales agent said the unit came with the added bonus of parking on its title.

“First home buyers are active. Many have just started researching post-COVID but all these buyers had been actively looking since before the restrictions,” Mr Carvalho said.

Meanwhile, Ray White Pat Fraser – Westmead Principal Joseph Chidiac said a crowd of 50 people turned out to see the auction of 8 Macarthur Cres, Westmead today.

There were 12 registered bidders and four of them were active in the hunt for the three bedroom brick and tile home on a corner block which sold for$1.010 million .

“It was called on the market at $850,00, so $160,000 over its reserve after some very spirited bidding. A local family won the keys after it had been held in the same family for more than four 40 years,” said the Westmead agent.

“I issued 35 contracts prior which is massive and shows you how fierce the buyer activity is right now. Stock is still a bit light on but I have just had the busiest two weeks in ages. I run a strong database business and I have a lot of active buyers.”

He estimated 60 groups had inspected the house during its campaign.

Out in the west, auctioneer James Kerley (pictured above)  called the auction at 87 Anderson Ave, Mount Pritchard which sold for $725,000, some $75,000 over its reserve.

Ray White Wetherill Park Sales Executive Mathew Bell said there were 11 registered bidders, vying for the fully renovated dream home.

He said there was literally nothing to be done, other than just move in. “The much-loved home has been completely renovated with a designer kitchen, modern bathroom, a stunning entertaining area and a detached garage and workshop,” Mr Bell said.

“The owner was an electrician who had a lot of handy mates,  one was an experienced carpenter who worked for cartons of beer!

“They have done an impressive renovation and spent a lot of money to create a top notch job. I had 52 groups throughout the campaign.”

There were four active bidders, and the buyers were an older couple looking to move closer to their children.

“There's still a lot of buyers and inquiry is good but there remains a lack of quality stock or stock that is priced too high and lingering too long.  Well presented homes, priced well, will always sell.”

Meanwhile, David Perco of Ray White Wetherill Park sold 1 Loddon Close, Bossley Park today for $830,000.

Moving on to Bexley North where Ray White Corporate Auctioneer Tim Snell today sold 141 Kingsland Road for George Boghos, Principal of Ray White Bexley North.

In front of a large crowd, 11 registered bidders vied for the large flat block which was marketed simply “land & location”.

More than half of the bidders were active in the on-site auction which saw the house exchange for $1.2 million.

Some six registered bidders turned up for the auction at 13 William St, Tempe in the hopes of finally finding their dream home.

One determined buyer came out the winner with the final sale price coming out at $1.475 million.

Ray White Surry Hills Sales Executive Nathan Briggs said the outcome was huge for Tempe.

“We had a bit of a way to go during the auction to get it sold but the winning bidder had a buyer's agent there and having him there to talk to professionally – agent to agent – was good and we were able to get it done,” Mr Briggs said.

“The sale shows that the market is doing really well and the buyers coming through are those left over from before COVID so they are ready to buy.

“There are too many buyers out there compared to properties and we are getting an average of six to eight registered bidders for each auction and those that miss out three or four times are coming in strong when they do find something.”

Meanwhile, a London based seller offloaded her low maintenance investment property today in St Peters, in Sydney's popular inner west.

Ray White Surry Hills Sales Agent Brendon Inthachack sold the townhouse at 12/27 St Peters St, St Peters for $1.205 million to a local from Marrickville.

“There were three bidders active all participating in the auction – a first home buyer, an investor and an owner occupier who was the winner.”

The fast and furious auction called by veteran auctioneer James Keenan started at $1 million and quickly jumped in $50,000 lots to $1.1 million and then slowed to $10,000 increments.

“Our owner is an expat and she decided she won't be coming back to Sydney after seven years in London and it was time to offload. I had 85 groups through during the short three week campaign. We are selling for a lot of expats actually at the moment – from the UK, New Zealand and the US.”

A return to online auctions in Melbourne has not dampened buyers spirits as bidders tuned in en masse from the comfort of their own homes.

Ray White Victoria | Tasmania Chief Auctioneer said that with the easing of restrictions being deferred all eyes were on Victoria's real estate market this week with questions around how it would perform.

“It's great to be able to report strong results right across the state. Based on preliminary data from the Ray White Group, this week has seen an increase in both registered and active bidders,” Mr Condon said.

“We've also seen a number of properties throughout the week convert from an onsite auction to an online auction this weekend. Given they were expecting a very high number of bidders and large crowds, we're also excited to report that these results were outstanding.

“It's a real credit to our agents and offices that decided to adapt technology as part of the auction process, this has allowed us to continue to create great results for our clients while operating in a safe environment.

“Despite the uncertainty surrounding Victoria, it's been promising to see such a high level of confidence in Victoria's real estate market from buyers and sellers alike. This week, Ray White Victoria is again expecting a strong auction day clearance rate.”

There were a solid 11 bidders virtually present for the auction of 5 Langford Drive, Craigieburn that went under the hammer for $688,000.

Ray White Craigieburn Sales Agent Daniel Diamantopoulos said the seller was thrilled with the result which came off the back of a strong campaign.

“We had loads of interest with the location being the biggest draw card. The sale just reiterates to me that the market is still good for a home like this which will always defy market predictions,” Mr Diamantopoulos said.

“We had great turnouts on all our auctions today with multiple bidder registrations showing that there is no difference between online and onsite when you have the fundamentals in place.

“We had seven registered bidders and three very determined buyers battling it out,” Mr Matthews said.

“The outstanding result today tells me that our team is doing an excellent job of gathering and coaching bidders to create competition and sell in a tough market.

“We've got the technology and are prepared to work online or open back up depending on what the government says.”

Also in Mount Waverley, Ray White Carnegie Director Matt Hurlston sold 2/35 Briggs St for above reserve at $1.015 million while Ray White Preston's Ian Dempsey sold 8 Edgar St, Reservoir for $1.09 million.

Second wave predictions in Melbourne's northern suburbs didn't dampen the spirits of auction punters today. Ray White Taylors Lakes recorded some standout results, the first at 4 Kalista Ave, Hillside which went for $556,000.

Taylors Lakes Sales Executive Shaun Sleiman said the winner bidders were stone faced throughout the entire auction facing off against 11 other registered bidders.

“In the end it was a young local couple who came out on top. We'd had a lot of first home buyer interest along with a lot of investors,” Mr Sleiman said.

“First home buyers are trying to take advantage of government grants and cheap interest rates and all the investors are coming out of the woodwork looking to add to their portfolio at the moment.

“And there is a supply and demand issue at the moment – there's lots of buyers but not as many listings.”

Also for the Taylors Lakes team was the sale at 13 Lady Nelson Way, Keilor Downs that went for $696,000 after two bidders were left standing of the 28 registered. Ray White Principal Peter Travlos said despite the suburb being earmarked as high risk it hasn't stopped people trying to purchase property within the area.

“There's no stock available and it's a supply and demand thing at the moment so we are continuing to get huge amounts of interest with prices holding strong,” Mr Travlos said.

In Burwood, Ray White Glen Waverley Area Manager Darryl Wickham sold 5 Christina St for $867,000 under the virtual hammer. With 10 registered bidders, the bids flew in before the property sold to a Sydney buyer who had seen the house that morning.

The sun was shining in Brisbane today while eager buyers flocked to auctions across the city.

Ray White Queensland Chief Auctioneer Mitch Peereboom said as Ray White moves back towards normality with onsite auctions the leading real estate agency has seen some outstanding results.

“A number of parties are registering across multiple properties and we're seeing performance across all different price brackets,” Mr Peereboom said.

“We're seeing across all markets buyers willing to engage, willing to compete, they can see their competition in a transparent auction environment.

“We have so much confidence in talking to our vendors that are thinking about coming to market that now is the time to transact, now is the time to sell.”

Bright and early this morning, the Queensland Chief Auctioneer stood outside 100 Lade St, Gaythorne ready to welcome new owners to the three bedroom home.

Selling for $799,000, the Gaythorne property attracted three registered bidders with two battling it to call the house their own.

Ray White Alderley Sales Agent Craig Clydsdale said to get that level of interest is outstanding in any market.

“It's clear buyers are out with money to spend and after several offers prior that were below sale price the auction method brought out the best the market has to offer,” Mr Clydsdale said.

The sellers, TJ and Caroline, originally listed six months ago but with the recent market uncertainty they chose to focus on renovating their two storey colonial cottage.

“We started in January with the decision to sell and since then it's been a long, hard labour of love to improve and renovate the house and we've done a lot for the new owners,” the couple said.

“It's so hard to know what to expect at the moment but we went into it thinking that we can't create expectations. We're really happy with the result and would say to other sellers that you don't want to wait in this market.”

The Ray White Ascot team had a bumper morning, kicking off the day with the $1.065 million sale of 85 Towers St, Ascot.

Ray White Sales and Marketing Consultant Alexander Shean said four of the seven registered bidders were actively battling it out for the three bedroom character home.

“The campaign was strong with about 50 groups coming through inspections and six pre-auction offers,” Mr Shean said.

“Obviously there are still plenty of buyers wanting to buy, there's a real shortage of stock which is evident by registered bidder numbers and pre-auction offers.

“Stock is tight which means prices are holding strong and it's great for the market.”

Later in the day, Ray White Ascot Sales and Marketing Consultant Leigh Kortlang sold 17 Burrell St, Clayfield for $875,000. The Ascot agent said after 93 groups inspecting the property there were 10 registered bidders on the day.

“The house is a bit out of the ordinary. It's a brick low maintenance home with a lot of personality and there are a lot of people out there that would like an easy maintenance home that oozes appeal,” Ms Kortlang said.

“There was such good interest in this home and throughout the campaign we didn't get one negative comment about COVID. No one was worried about the market dropping, everyone realised by the amount of people going through inspections that the market is still competitive.”

In the inner city, Ray White New Farm Principal and Auctioneer Haesley Cush wore his signature hat as he called the auction at 60 Abbott St. The four bedroom home sold under the hammer for $1,456,500 to a crowd of 19 registered bidders.

“We're feeling great about the result. It's rare to get 19 bidders on anything so it says a lot about how buoyant the Brisbane market is right now. I think it's the busiest campaign I've had in 10 years,” Ray White New Farm Sales Manager Nicholas Given said.

On the Gold Coast, Ray White Broadbeach Sales and Marketing team Elly Patsis and Rachael Coffey recorded a massive sale for the three bedroom 115 “Carmel by the Sea” unit at 177 Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach.

The Broadbeach unit sold for $2.3 million with five registered bidders tuning in to the online auction. Ms Patsis said the sale caps off a strong campaign in which she saw 30 groups through inspections and had two prior to auction offers.

“A lot of the interest was coming from Brisbane and south east Queensland buyers, even the neighbour registered to bid,” Ms Patsis said.

“There were also two other registered bidders from interstate who hadn't seen the unit but had stayed in the building previously.”

Ms Patsis also said she has been getting interest across the board from Brisbane buyers but expects an influx of interstate buyers when borders open.

“We're finding a lot of Brisbane buyers are a bit bored at the moment and are thinking it would be nice to have a holiday unit on the Gold Coast,” she said.

“But stock is slowly on the rise, we've got four new listings coming on the market this week and I think people are less scared at the moment.”

“They're starting to ease up as restrictions are lifted and as we get closer to opening borders, people are trying to get in first for the buyers coming from interstate.

“We expect a wave of interstate buyers and property will be snapped up quickly when it opens and there will be an influx of properties on the market so savvy sellers are getting in beforehand.”

Ray White South Australia Chief Auctioneer John Morris said there was strong buyer demand across the state this week.

“We are looking fantastic so far in South Australia today.  We had 17 auctions this week, and we had a whopping 10 registered bidders per lot which is up by seven on the same time last year. This is mainly due to the fact that 27 registered bidders turn out in Ingle farm.”

This unassuming lowset brick home at 5 Orley Ave, Ingle Farm in Adelaide today attracted 27 registered bidders, one from as far away as Hong Kong.

Ray White West Torrens  Sales Agent Marcus Cengarle said home was sold for$401,300 after some spirited bidding on-site in front of about 70 onlookers.

“I had 17 registered by last Wednesday as it's such a popular suburb. The majority were first home buyers and a few developers but the man who bought it, effectively bought it sight unseen today.

“I also had one active bidder from Hong Kong who used a local buyer's agent.”

On a quiet street with a north-south allotment orientation, this solid brick home (circa 1950s) at 58 Whittington St, Enfield just sold under the hammer for $448.000.

Ray White Norwood Sales Executive Tristian Kennedy marketed the property which he sold to a local developer who planned to split the large rectangular 820sqm block and re-list it before it even settles.

There were nine registered bidders and five of them active on the house just 8.5km from the CBD.

“The inquiry I have received in the past fortnight has been crazy. I am getting 30 to 70 calls a day from buyers.  On this one alone I had 22 inquiries and 18 attendees at its first open home,” Mr Kennedy said.