Auction is being viewed as a more viable method of sale again, as statewide clearance rates appear to be on the rise.
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At one stage last year, in Sydney the weekly clearance rates hit their lowest in 10 years, falling to 47.8 per cent.
During one weekend in October 2018, Wollongong had an auction clearance rate of just 38 per cent.
According to realestate.com.au auction results figures, based on 233 auction results available, the NSW clearance rate was 79 per cent for the week of July 1-7.
Deputy chair of the Real Estate Institute Illawarra, Jake Mackenzie is also an agent and auctioneer with MMJ North Real Estate.
Mr Mackenzie said in the current market, listing for auction can be used to sell a property prior to auction; creating a "deadline" and sense of urgency for prospective buyers.
"Having said that, properties that we have been taking to auction, we are seeing a few more registered bidders, more bids on the day and just more interest in general," he said.
He said typically, properties going to auction are ones that are difficult to price, or that the agent believes will be popular.
"We're not seeing many strata properties taken to auction... It's more the good-quality homes, where the demand is higher anyway," Mr Mackenzie said.
Mr Mackenzie said he'd noticed a boost in clearance rates locally during recent weeks, and expected that following recent rate cuts, interest in properties should continue to pick up.
"I don't think prices will be jumping ahead too far in the next few months; I think it will be steady growth over the next few months," he told the Mercury.
"There's more buyers out there, and I think auction is coming back a little now as a method of sale, but only for the properties that really demand it, as opposed to using it for everything like agents were in the boom times."
However, some properties didn't sell at auction.
The house at 18 Pacific Street, Kiama was up for auction on the weekend, but was passed in at $1.6 million.
Selling agent, Andy Wharton from First National Coast & Country said it had a reserve price of $1.7 million.
There were three bidders on the day; one from the Illawarra and two from Sydney.
Mr Wharton said there were still interested parties, but some prospective buyers had been "held back" by the market, as they hadn't sold their properties yet.
"We really think it's worth somewhere in that $1.6 million to $1.7 million range... In Kiama, $1.7 million, $1.8 million is still pretty top end."
Mr Wharton estimated that auction rates in Kiama were sitting about the 50 per cent mark, although noted that some properties sold before or after auction.
Mr Wharton expected more listings to occur in the lead-up to spring, although didn't anticipate clearance rates in the Kiama area to increase drastically.