Vendors ask me this at almost every appraisal, and they usually expect me to give the same answer every time. I don't. The right method depends on the property, and there are five things I work through before I recommend either.
The five things that decide it
**1. Property type.** A well-presented family home in a strong suburb has broad appeal and works well at auction. A large acreage, an unusual floor plan, or a very tightly-defined niche property often has a narrower buyer pool where auction competition doesn't materialise, and private treaty gives the right buyer time to arrive.
**2. Buyer depth.** How many active, qualified buyers are looking in your price bracket in your suburb right now? If we can genuinely see three or more, auction has the ingredients it needs. If we can see one, it's usually a private treaty conversation.
**3. Seller timing.** Auction gives you a fixed end date. That's a huge advantage if you have a settlement to line up, a purchase to complete, or a genuine deadline. If you'd rather not commit to a date and let the right buyer take their time, private treaty is more forgiving.
**4. Condition and presentation.** Auction rewards homes that photograph and show well. A home that needs work still sells, but often better on private treaty where a buyer can build in a longer settlement or negotiate on scope.
**5. Likely price range.** If comparable sales point to a tight, defensible range, private treaty with a real asking price often works cleanly. If the range is wide because the property is unusual, or because the market has moved and the sales are stale, auction lets the buyers tell you where the number sits.
What each method actually does
**Private treaty.** You list at a price, buyers offer, you negotiate. Simple. The trade-off is a price ceiling — the moment you list, you signal your maximum. Buyers negotiate down from that number.
**Auction.** No listed price. Buyers register, bid publicly on a set date. The highest bid above your reserve wins, unconditionally. The trade-off is up-front marketing spend and holding your nerve on reserve.
Where the data actually lands on the south side
My auction clearance rate across Rochedale, Rochedale South, Kuraby, Runcorn and Eight Mile Plains is 94%. That number is meaningful, but it's also a survivor bias figure: those homes were the ones we agreed *should* go to auction after working through the five points above.
The homes I've steered towards private treaty over the years — the unusual ones, the acreage, the narrow-buyer-pool ones — mostly wouldn't have cleared at auction. They sold well because they were on the right method for their situation.
The question to ask any agent
If an agent recommends a method without walking you through property type, buyer depth, timing, condition and likely range, you're getting a template answer, not a considered one. Ask them to show their working.
I'll do that at the appraisal, and I'll recommend the method that suits your home — not the one that suits me.
Frequently asked questions
Not sure which method actually suits your home?
I'll walk your property and give you an honest recommendation grounded in the buyer depth, timing and condition of your specific home — not a default answer.
Know someone weighing up auction vs private treaty?
Written by
Junaid Ally
Ray White Rochedale agent. I've been selling homes across Brisbane's south side for more than 18 years and have helped over 1,000 local families through the process. I write about what I see on the ground each week — auctions, results, seller questions and the small things that make a real difference to a sale.
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