If you want to sell your Darlinghurst or Surry Hills property at auction before Christmas, the campaign needs to launch by about 12 November 2026, aiming for an auction on Saturday 12 December, the last full auction weekend before the holiday slowdown. That leaves around three weeks from today to get an appraisal, a contract for sale, styling and photography in place.
At Murray Property we sell homes across Darlinghurst and Surry Hills from our office on Oxford Street. This guide works backwards from Christmas so you can see exactly what needs to happen and when, and gives you an honest view of whether waiting until February makes more sense.
Why 12 December is the realistic cut-off
Sydney’s auction calendar doesn’t wind down gradually. It drops off a cliff.
In 2025, according to Cotality:
- The busiest week of the season was the week ending 30 November, when Sydney held 1,263 auctions.
- Volumes were still solid two weeks later. Sydney had 993 auctions scheduled for the week ending 14 December.
- The following week, fewer than 1,300 auctions were scheduled across all the capital cities combined.
- The market then came to a standstill in the final week of the year, and Cotality didn’t expect volumes to pick up until late January or early February.
On the 2026 calendar, the equivalent weekends are:
| Saturday | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 28 November | Likely to be one of the busiest weekends of the season |
| 5 December | Still busy |
| 12 December | Last full auction weekend for most vendors |
| 19 December | Very few auctions; most buyers are winding down |
Sources: Cotality, Auction volume set to decline as we approach the end-of-year slowdown (1 December 2025) · Cotality, Auction market preview, week ending 14 December 2025
Working back from Christmas: the 2026 timeline
Most Sydney auction campaigns run for about four weeks. Here’s what that means for a 12 December auction.
| When | What needs to happen |
|---|---|
| By 30 October | Get an appraisal and decide on your method of sale. Ask your solicitor or conveyancer to start the contract for sale. |
| 2–10 November | Contract for sale ready. Styling, photography, floor plan and copy done. |
| 3 November | RBA interest rate decision. |
| About 12 November | Campaign launches online. First open homes on the weekend of 14–15 November. |
| 14 November – 10 December | Open homes, buyer feedback and any pre-auction offers. |
| 8 December | RBA interest rate decision. |
| Saturday 12 December | Auction. |
| Late January 2027 | Settlement, about six weeks after exchange. |
Three things in that timeline are worth understanding.
The contract has to come first. In NSW, a residential property can’t be offered for sale until a contract for sale has been prepared, and the draft must be available for inspection at the agent’s office. If your solicitor needs a week or two, that time comes off your campaign.
You’ll exchange before Christmas but settle after it. Settlement in NSW usually happens about six weeks after exchange. A property that sells at a 12 December auction would typically settle in late January 2027. If you need the money before Christmas, you’d have to exchange by about mid-November, which in practice means a private sale or negotiating a shorter settlement with the buyer.
There are two interest rate decisions inside the campaign. The RBA announces decisions on 3 November and 8 December. If you’d rather your auction came before the December decision, aim for Saturday 5 December instead. That means launching around 6 November, so the preparation steps above all move forward a week.
Sources: NSW Government, Sales contracts: requirements for property agents · NSW Government, Contracts and deposits when buying property · Reserve Bank of Australia, 2026 Monetary Policy Board meeting dates
What the market looks like right now
This is a more cautious market than last spring, and your campaign should be planned for it.
- Clearance rates are near 50%. Domain’s preliminary Sydney clearance rate for the week ending 17 October was 51%, against 70% in the same week last year. Of the 572 results reported, 151 were withdrawn.
- There’s more stock. SQM Research counted 39,068 Sydney properties for sale in September, 19.3% more than a year earlier, even though new listings were down 9.4%. Properties are taking longer to sell.
- Prices have eased. Cotality’s index shows Sydney home values fell 1.4% in September and 7.0% over the year.
- Rates are at a 15-year high. The RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.60% on 29 September.
In Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, the pattern has been clear: most sales are happening before auction day. Across the two weeks to 17 October, 9 of the 11 sales Domain reported in the two suburbs were made before auction. Nicholas covers the local results in detail in his fortnightly market update.
Sources: Domain, Sydney auction results (weeks ending 10 and 17 October 2026, preliminary) · SQM Research, Total Property Listings, September 2026 · Cotality, Home Value Index, October 2026
Getting the pre-Christmas campaign right
Price from current evidence. With values below their February peak, a guide based on early-2026 sales will look high to buyers who have been watching all spring. Our guide to pricing in a softening market covers how to set one buyers will engage with.
Plan for offers before auction day. With most local sales happening before auction, decide early what kind of offer you would accept and how quickly you’d respond.
Don’t skip the preparation. A compressed timeline is no excuse for rushed photography or an unstyled apartment. Presentation still matters, and our property stylist’s guide covers what’s worth doing.
Know your plan if it passes in. With withdrawals and passings-in both common, agree in advance on your negotiating range and how you’d handle the highest bidder after the auction.
The honest case for waiting until February
Selling before Christmas isn’t right for everyone. Waiting can make sense if:
- Your property isn’t ready. Three weeks is tight for a contract, styling and photography. A rushed campaign can cost more than a short wait.
- You need to buy at the same time. January is quiet, and February brings more choice for buyers as well as sellers.
- Your circumstances suit a later date, for example a tenant whose lease ends in the new year.
But waiting has costs too:
- February brings a wave of competing listings. Domain reported record new supply in February 2026. Last summer, Cotality didn’t expect auction volumes to pick up until late January or early February, so everyone who waits tends to launch at the same time.
- Nobody knows where prices will be in February. Sydney values have fallen for six straight months. Waiting is a bet on the market, not a safe option.
- Rates could move before then. The RBA makes decisions on 3 November and 8 December, and either could change how buyers feel going into the new year.
The right answer depends on your property, your plans and current buyer demand for your type of home. It’s a conversation worth having now, while there’s still time to choose either path.
Sources: Property Update / Domain, February 2026 market insights (14 March 2026) · Cotality, Auction market preview, week ending 14 December 2025
Frequently asked questions
What is the last weekend to auction before Christmas in Sydney in 2026?
For most vendors, Saturday 12 December 2026. In 2025, Sydney auction volumes stayed high until the second weekend of December, then fell sharply the following week, and the market came to a standstill in the final week of the year, according to Cotality.
When do I need to list to auction before Christmas?
Most Sydney auction campaigns run for about four weeks, so to auction on 12 December 2026 the campaign needs to launch by about 12 November. The contract for sale must be prepared before the property is marketed, and styling and photography usually take a week or two before launch.
If I sell before Christmas, when will settlement happen?
Settlement in NSW usually happens about six weeks after exchange. A property that sells at auction on 12 December 2026 would typically settle in late January 2027, unless the buyer agrees to a different settlement date.
Is it better to sell before Christmas or wait until February?
It depends on the property and your circumstances. Selling before Christmas avoids the wave of new listings that arrives in February, but buyers are cautious with clearance rates near 50%. Waiting gives more time to prepare but means more competition and no certainty about prices.
Who sells property in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills?
Murray Property, based at 251 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, sells residential property across Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. Sales Manager Nicholas Murray leads the agency’s sales campaigns in both suburbs.
Thinking about selling before Christmas?
If you’re weighing up a December auction or a February launch, the first step is an appraisal based on recent sales of homes like yours, not a suburb median. Nicholas Murray can tell you honestly whether the pre-Christmas window suits your property, and what a campaign would need to look like.
Read more about selling in Darlinghurst or selling in Surry Hills, and see what we covered in our September spring selling guide.
Contact us
—
Disclaimer
The data, figures, and market statistics referenced in this article were current at the time of publication and are sourced from third-party providers including CoreLogic/Cotality, Domain, realestate.com.au, HtAG Analytics, PropTrack, and NSW Fair Trading, among others. Property market data changes frequently, median prices, rental yields, vacancy rates, clearance rates, and days on market figures are updated regularly by their respective providers and may have changed since this article was published. Readers are encouraged to verify all figures directly with the cited sources before making any decisions.
This article is intended as general information only. It does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or taxation advice. The information provided does not take into account your individual circumstances, objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before making any property investment, purchase, sale, or management decision, you should seek independent advice from a qualified financial adviser, solicitor, or property professional licensed in your state.
Murray Property is a licensed real estate agency operating in NSW. We are not financial advisers. References to rental yields, capital growth, or investment returns are based on publicly available market data and historical performance, which is not a reliable indicator of future results.
© Murray Property. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this content without written permission is prohibited.