Why Auctions Never Took Hold in WA (And What Sellers Need to Know in 2025)

Everyone loves to compare Perth to Sydney and Melbourne and ask why we do not run auctions every weekend. It is not because Perth is a backwater as the eastern states like to think. It is because we have the most simplified, seller-friendly contract in the country. Our private treaty sales are already unconditional. No cooling off period. No changing your mind once you sign. And that one detail shaped everything about how WA buyers behave.

And this is exactly why the new legislation in Sydney has raised eyebrows across WA. The east coast is now tightening its auction rules because underquoting and price confusion have become a real problem. Sellers there will soon be forced to publish reserves and price justifications before auction day. It is a huge shift and it highlights the one thing WA has always had that the east did not: clarity.

The Contract That Changed Everything

In NSW and Victoria, a private treaty contract includes a cooling-off period that lets buyers walk away. They can sign, sleep on it, and then pull out with minimal consequence. Because of that uncertainty, agents over east rely on auctions to lock buyers into an unconditional commitment.

WA never had that problem. When a buyer signs here, it is binding. No cooling off. No backing out. No dramatic turnaround after discussing it with a relative. Our contract is already the outcome the east coast is desperately trying to legislate into existence.

So while Sydney scrambles to regulate its auction practices, WA sellers already enjoy what auctions were designed to offer: legal certainty without the theatre.

How That Shaped Our Buyers

Our contract structure shaped our culture. WA buyers prefer private negotiation. They want time to think. They want conditions that protect them. They want a conversation, not a front-yard performance.

Over east, buyers are trained to expect auctions. In WA, they see auctions as pressure. It is not how we engage. It is not how we choose homes. It is not how our buyers like to compete.

A Market Built on Strategy, Not a Show

The east coast needs auctions because their system is full of escape routes. WA does not. That is why our market evolved differently. Our competition happens behind the scenes. Our buyers value calm decision-making. Our sales are won through strategy and negotiation, not countdowns.

Where Auctions Do Make Sense

Auctions can still work here, but only when the property requires a specific type of competitive tension. They are suited to unique homes, development sites, sub-divisible blocks, estates and properties with intense emotional demand.

The Takeaway

Sydney is changing its laws because auctions have become messy, confusing and often unfair for buyers. WA does not need those changes. We already have the most straightforward sales system in the country. Auctions did not fail here. They were never necessary.

If you are selling in WA, the smart play is not to copy Sydney. It is to lean into what already works: private treaty, strong marketing, clean negotiation and a contract that does all the heavy lifting.

Because in this state, it has never been about the gavel. It has always been about the strategy.

Want more real estate tales from the wild west (of Perth)?

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— Paulette Contessi, CEO & Founder Contessi Properties

0438 908 264
paulette@contessi.com.au