Is spring 2026 a good time to sell? What’s actually different this year

Spring is when everyone sells. That’s been the rule for as long as anyone can remember, and it’s why the listings pile up from September onwards. But this year plenty of people are asking a fair question: is spring still the time to sell, when the market looks nothing like it did a few years ago?

You can still sell well this spring. You just can’t sell the way people did in 2021. So this is a plain look at the spring property market in 2026, what’s driving it, and what it means if your place is about to go up for sale.

What the spring property market looks like in 2026

A few things stand out, and they all point the same way.

There’s more to choose from. The number of homes listed for sale nationally has climbed to its highest level since 2020. More stock is good news if you’re buying. If you’re selling, it’s competition.

Auctions are struggling. In the last week of August the capital-city clearance rate sat at 49.5%, close to 20 percentage points below the same week last year. Melbourne did best at 53.7%. Brisbane cleared just 27.4%. Auction numbers were down about a third on last year too, and more homes are now being passed in than withdrawn. A lot of properties simply aren’t meeting their reserve.

Prices are soft. Melbourne values slipped 1.1% in August and are down 4.7% over the year. ANZ’s economists expect capital-city prices to fall around 4.3% across 2026 and a further 3.4% in 2027. Westpac is less gloomy and expects national prices to finish the year roughly flat. Nobody is forecasting a boom.

Put those together and you get a market where homes take longer to sell, buyers negotiate harder, and the price you had in your head from 2024 probably isn’t the price you’ll get.

Why buyers are sitting on their hands

Interest rates, mostly. The RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.60% in late September, its fourth increase this year and the highest setting in almost 15 years. Inflation is still above the Reserve Bank’s 2 to 3% target, so further rises haven’t been ruled out. Cotality estimates this year’s four increases have cut a median-income household’s borrowing capacity by almost $90,000.

When a buyer’s borrowing power has just shrunk, and might shrink again, they hesitate. That’s not a lack of interest in your home. It’s a lack of certainty about what they can pay for it. Keep that in mind when an offer comes in lower than you hoped. The buyer is working with a smaller budget than they had at the start of the year.

So, is spring 2026 a good time to sell?

It depends on why you’re selling.

If you’re moving anyway (a new job, a bigger place, downsizing, a separation), then yes, spring is still a sensible time. Buyers are more active than in winter, gardens look their best, and the longer days mean more inspections in the week. You’ll also be buying in the same softer market, so what you give up on the sale you tend to get back on the purchase.

If you were hoping to sell at the very top, that moment has passed. But that’s an argument for being realistic about price, not for shelving the sale.

Here’s the thing, though: if the forecasts are right, waiting costs you money. ANZ’s numbers add up to a fall of around 7.5% between now and the end of 2027, which on a $700,000 home is roughly $50,000. Forecasts have been wrong before, in both directions, so treat that as a scenario rather than a prediction. But “wait for the market to recover” is only a plan if the market is actually about to recover, and right now the people paid to guess say it isn’t. If selling is on the cards anyway, there’s a reasonable case for getting on with it.

And if you need to sell, a soft market doesn’t stop you. It just means you sell smart.

How to sell well in a softer market

Price for this market, not last year’s

The single biggest mistake sellers make in a cooling market is pricing off what the neighbour got in 2024. Buyers have the same sold data you do and they’re watching it closely. Pull the last three months of comparable sales in your suburb, not the last twelve, and be honest with yourself about which ones actually look like your place. A free property value report gives you a current number to start from, and our guide to property value estimators explains how much weight to give each source.

Price it right from day one. In a slow market, a home that sits for eight weeks with two price drops tells buyers something’s wrong with it, even when nothing is.

Give buyers a reason to pick yours

More listings means the buyer has options, so your presentation has to do more work than it used to. Declutter properly and fix the small stuff. Then get the photos done well. A 3D tour is worth the money this year: cautious buyers do more of their shortlisting online before they’ll commit to an inspection, and a tour keeps you on the shortlist. Our home staging tips cover the rest.

Be the seller who answers

In a hot market, buyers chase you. In this one, you chase them, politely. Reply to enquiries the same day, offer inspection times that suit them, and follow up after every viewing. A buyer weighing up three similar homes will often go with the one where the seller was easiest to deal with.

Expect to negotiate, and plan for it

Offers will come in under asking. That’s normal in 2026. Decide your walk-away figure before you list, know what you’d trade (settlement date, inclusions, a small movement on price) and what you won’t, and treat a low first offer as the start of a conversation. Our negotiation guide walks through how that conversation usually goes.

Give it time

Homes are taking longer to sell right now. That’s the market. Set your expectations for a campaign of several weeks rather than several days, and read up on how long a sale actually takes so a normal timeframe doesn’t feel like a failure.

Why the commission matters more when prices are soft

When prices were rising 15% a year, a 2.5% commission got lost in the noise. When they’re going sideways or slipping, it’s a much bigger slice of whatever you have left. On a $700,000 sale, 2.5% is $17,500, and it comes out of your equity whether the market went up or not.

Selling it yourself is one of the few costs of selling you actually control. With PropertyNow you list on realestate.com.au and Domain for a flat $999, handle the enquiries yourself, and keep the rest. In a year where every dollar of the sale price is harder won, that’s a meaningful difference. The commission calculator does the sum for your own place, and our guide to selling privately walks through how it works end to end.

The bottom line

Spring 2026 is a softer market: more homes for sale, cautious buyers stretched by four rate rises, and prices flat to falling depending on who you ask. It’s still a market you can sell in, and sell well. It rewards realistic pricing and a seller who’s easy to deal with, and it punishes anyone still pricing off 2024.

Sell if you have a reason to move. Price for the market in front of you. And keep as much of the sale price as you can, because this year you’ll have worked for it.

Wondering if now is your moment?

Seasons matter less than what your own place is worth today. Get a free property value report and decide from a current number.

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Frequently asked questions

Is spring still the best time of year to sell in Australia?

Spring still brings more buyers than winter, and homes present better, so it remains the busiest season. But busiest also means the most competition. In 2026, with listings at their highest since 2020, the seasonal advantage is smaller than it used to be, and pricing and presentation matter more than the month.

Are house prices going up or down in spring 2026?

Soft, and it varies by city. Melbourne values are down 4.7% over the year to August. ANZ expects capital-city prices to fall around 4.3% across 2026, while Westpac expects national prices to finish roughly flat. Check recent sold prices in your own suburb rather than the national headline.

Will interest rates rise again in 2026?

They already have. The RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.60% in late September, its fourth rise this year, and with inflation still above its 2 to 3% target it hasn’t ruled out more. Check the RBA’s latest decision before you build your plans around it.

Should I wait for the market to improve before selling?

Waiting only makes sense if prices are about to rise, and current forecasts have them lower into 2027, so holding on could cost you rather than reward you. If you’re buying your next home in the same market, timing matters even less: what you’d gain on the sale you’d generally pay on the purchase. If you have a reason to move, there’s little to be gained by waiting.

Should I sell by auction or private treaty this spring?

With capital-city clearance rates under 50% and more homes being passed in than withdrawn, auctions are a harder sell in 2026 than they were. Private treaty gives you more control over price and timing and suits a market where buyers want to negotiate. If you do go to auction, set a realistic reserve.

How long does it take to sell a house in 2026?

Longer than a year or two ago. The national median was 41 days in the three months to September, up from 26 a year earlier. Plan for a campaign of several weeks, price correctly from day one so the listing doesn’t go stale, and remember that a longer campaign reflects the market rather than your home.