A Melbourne auction had to be paused and attendees moved from the street on Saturday as a wild kangaroo hopped right through the middle of proceedings.
The rare event for Avondale Heights did little to harm the sale, with the 58 Rogerson St house sold under the hammer for $920,000 despite the interruption.
It was fitting for a day when the city’s auction market also notched a surprising bounce, with PropTrack data showing a 61.4 per cent clearance rate from 852 results.
There were 1262 auctions scheduled.
A week ago, when Anzac Day put a cap on sales numbers, just 51 per cent of properties were sold under auction conditions.
Rendina Real Estate’s Lou Rendina said while he was disappointed not to get a bid from the kangaroo as it hopped through, homebuyers had definitely been keen to make a move to beat the prospect of an interest rate hike on Tuesday.
The auctioneer sold four out of four homes under the hammer, and said four or five bidders had specifically mentioned that they wanted to avoid reviewing their finances if the Reserve Bank raised the cash rate.
Property Investment Professionals of Australia chair Cate Bakos said the strength of bidding at auctions on Saturday had surprised her, but that it was unlikely to be repeated next weekend when buyers will be waiting to see what happens in the federal budget on May 12.
There are expectations that capital gains tax will be altered in the budget, which has the potential to impact investor activity.
The number of auctions are expected to soften next week, with 1152 forecast for Victoria, then dipping back to 926 the following week. more real estate, pages 33 and 69
Originally Published : Nathan Mawby | Nathan Mawby | 03-05-2026 View the original “Licensed by Copyright Agency. You must not copy this work without permission.”
