Spring Selling Season 2026. Should You List in September or Wait Until October?

By Nicholas Murray Sales Manager, Murray Property

I get asked this question more in August than in any other month of the year. A vendor sits down at the kitchen table, the appraisal is done, the decision to sell has essentially been made, and then comes the timing question. Do we go early in September, or do we wait for the October rush?

It is a fair question, and in most years I would give a fairly standard answer. But 2026 is not most years. Sydney is in a genuine correction, listing volumes are climbing rather than tightening, and the assumption that underpins the traditional spring advice, that more buyers show up in October than September, is doing a lot less work than it used to.

So here is my honest on spring selling season 2026 Sydney when to list: what the data actually says, where the 2010 postcode differs from the city-wide picture, and how I would make the September-versus-October call for a Darlinghurst or Surry Hills property.

The 2026 spring market is not a normal spring market

Before we get to timing, you need an accurate picture of what you are timing into. Three things define the market as it stands in mid-August.

1. There is materially more competing stock than last year

This is the single most important shift, and it inverts the usual spring logic. SQM Research put national residential listings above 279,000 in its most recent count, with Sydney stock sitting around 28% higher than the same time last year, winter supply that did not behave the way winter supply usually does. Separate market data has Sydney’s total listings up roughly 12% year on year, with properties simply sitting on the market longer.

SQM’s managing director Louis Christopher has been explicit that the combination of extra supply and buyers stepping back should hand buyers more negotiating leverage heading into spring, and he expects listings to keep rising through the balance of 2026.

Read that again, because it matters for your decision: the supply wave is already here. It did not wait for September.

2. Clearance rates are recovering off a low base

Sydney’s auction market bottomed out badly in July. Cotality recorded a Sydney clearance rate of 45.6% for the week ending 2 August, down from 53.3% the week before. Since then it has clawed back ground, roughly 51.5% the following week, and Domain reported around 54% for the week ending 15 August.

Improving, then. But context matters: Domain’s figure for the equivalent week last year was about 74%. We are recovering, not recovered. I wrote about how badly city-wide clearance figures can mislead inner-east vendors in my mid-year market wrap, and that caution still applies.

3. Buyers have time, and they are using it

Sydney’s median days on market has stretched to about 42 days, up from roughly 30 a year ago. Roughly 27% of Sydney listings have had their initial price guide revised down at some point in the campaign. Across the combined capitals, the median vendor discount widened to 3.6% in the June quarter, up from 3.0% in March.

Vendors have also been quietly voting with their feet on method of sale. Auctions as a share of new listings fell from close to 45% in late 2025 to just over 30% by June 2026, as more sellers opted for private treaty.

What this means in one sentence: spring 2026 will not be a scarcity market where late arrivals get rewarded. It is shaping as an abundance market, where the properties that transact well are the ones that are properly prepared and priced to the evidence, whenever they launch.

What the RBA’s August hold changes (and what it doesn’t)

On 11 August the Reserve Bank left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35% in a unanimous decision, the second consecutive hold after three increases in February, March and May took the rate up from 3.60%. June quarter inflation came in softer than expected at 3.8% headline and 3.6% trimmed mean, which took the immediate case for another hike off the table.

That is genuinely useful for a spring campaign. Buyer borrowing capacity has stopped shrinking, and pre-approvals issued in August will still be valid through an October settlement window. Stability is worth something.

But do not over-read it. The Board has flagged it does not expect inflation back around the midpoint of its target band until late 2027, and a Finder survey of economists found that while 92% correctly picked the August hold, 44% still expect at least one further increase before the end of the year. The next Board meeting falls in September.

A hold is not a cut. It removes a headwind; it does not create a tailwind. Plan your campaign on the market you can see, not the rate cut you are hoping for.

The case for listing in September

There is a real argument for going early, and in 2026 it is stronger than usual.

• You beat the supply wave. If listings keep climbing as forecast, every week you wait adds competing stock to your buyer’s shortlist. A September launch means your campaign runs against fewer alternatives than an identical campaign three weeks later.
• Buyer attention is less fragmented. In a heavy October, a well-presented Surry Hills terrace competes with fifteen other well-presented terraces for the same Saturday inspection window. In September it competes with five.
• You retain a second run. A September campaign that doesn’t produce the right result still leaves you room to relaunch, adjust, or move to private treaty before Christmas. An October campaign that stalls runs you into November, and then into the dead zone from mid-December.
• September is Sydney’s driest month. Not a trivial point when your campaign hinges on two or three Saturday inspections and a professional photography day.

The case for waiting until October

The counter-argument is not dead, and for certain properties it is still the right call.

• Buyer depth genuinely peaks later. October and November have historically recorded Sydney’s highest sales volumes. More buyers are actively transacting, not just browsing.
• Presentation improves. Gardens, courtyards and terraces show materially better in mid-spring. If your property’s value case rests on outdoor space or light, October flatters it.
• Momentum begets momentum. Rising clearance rates through September create visible evidence of a functioning market, which makes buyers more decisive. Being the first campaign into an uncertain market carries its own risk.
• Preparation takes as long as it takes. If your property needs styling, minor works or a repaint, rushing to hit a September date will cost you more than the delay would.

Consideration	List September	List October
Competing stock	Lower — key advantage in 2026	Higher, and rising
Active buyer pool	Solid, building	Deepest of the year
Fallback options if it stalls	Full reset possible pre-Christmas	Narrow — November only
Presentation conditions	Good; driest month	Best; gardens at their peak
Best suited to	Units, apartments, anything price-sensitive or facing comparable competition	Premium terraces and period homes with a genuine scarcity story

Where the 2010 postcode differs

Everything above is city-wide. Darlinghurst and Surry Hills do not behave like Sydney, and this is the part vendors most often miss.

Surry Hills house stock-on-market has been sitting between 0.22% and 0.24%, one of the tightest readings anywhere in inner Sydney, with houses transacting in a median of roughly 26 to 39 days. Darlinghurst is tighter still on supply: around ten houses list in a typical month against 56 to 67 sales a year. Surry Hills house auctions have held a three-month rolling clearance rate near 71%, comfortably above the city-wide figure. I’ve covered the underlying numbers in more depth in the Surry Hills market update and the Darlinghurst outlook for 2026.

The practical implication: the oversupply problem driving the city-wide advice is much weaker here for houses and terraces. If you own a terrace on a good Surry Hills street, and the street hierarchy matters more than most vendors expect, as I set out in the best streets to buy and sell in Darlinghurst, you have more freedom to choose your timing than a vendor in a heavily-supplied outer corridor does.

The unit market is a different conversation. Surry Hills units have been broadly flat to slightly negative on annual growth, sitting around $885,000 to $940,000, and Darlinghurst units near $960,000 with modest growth. Apartments take longer to sell and face far more direct comparable competition. For unit owners, my advice leans clearly toward September.

The short version by property type: Terrace or period house, well presented, good street, either window works. Choose on readiness, not the calendar.
Apartment or unit, go early. Beat the competing stock. Waiting for October means launching into the thickest part of the supply wave in the segment least able to absorb it.
Anything needing work, fix it first. A prepared property in late October beats an unprepared one in early September every time.

The question I’d actually ask instead

After twenty-odd spring campaigns, here is what I’ve come to believe: September versus October is rarely the decision that determines the outcome. Preparation is. The timing question is the one vendors enjoy debating because it feels strategic and costs nothing to think about. The preparation question is the one that actually moves the number, and it costs time and money, so it gets deferred.

Pricing is the other half of it. In a market where more than a quarter of Sydney listings have already had to walk back their guide, an optimistic launch price is more expensive now than it was twelve months ago, I set out exactly how that damage compounds week by week in our selling process guide.

So the better question is not when should I list? It is what does my property need before it is ready, and what is the first credible date after that? Work backwards from readiness and the month usually answers itself.

Your countdown from here

If you are targeting a spring campaign, this is roughly how the next few weeks should look.

Now, late August

Appraisal and strategy. Get a proper on-site appraisal against genuine comparable sales on your street. Agree the method of sale and a realistic price range before anything else is committed to.

Late August

Trades and works. Book anything requiring a tradesperson now. Painters and floor sanders fill up fast in the fortnight before spring, and a two-week delay here pushes your whole campaign.

Late Aug, early Sept

Styling and decluttering. Allow two to three weeks for styling on a property that is already well maintained. Longer if there is decluttering or storage involved.

Early September

Photography and copy. Professional photography, video and floorplan. Murray Property provides photography and drone footage at no charge to new vendors — worth factoring into your budget comparison.

Sept or early Oct

LaunchCampaign live, first open home that weekend. Three to four weeks of marketing for an auction campaign; more flexibility on private treaty.

Throughout

Weekly review. Enquiry numbers, inspection attendance and contract requests in the first ten days tell you almost everything. If the numbers are soft, adjust early rather than late.

Three mistakes I expect to see this spring

1. Pricing to January’s market. Sydney values fell 1.2% in June and sit around 3.7% below the January 2026 peak. A guide anchored to what your neighbour achieved in summer is a guide the market has already moved past
2. Waiting for a rate cut that isn’t scheduled. No major forecaster has a cut locked in for spring, and a meaningful share of economists still expect a rise before year-end. Holding a property off market for a hypothetical is a real cost against an uncertain benefit.
3. Treating the city-wide clearance rate as your clearance rate. A 54% Sydney figure blends Penrith, Parramatta and the inner east into one number. Surry Hills house auctions have been running near 71% on a rolling basis. Ask for the data on your suburb and your property type.

Thinking about a spring campaign?

The most useful thing you can do this month is find out precisely where your property sits, not the suburb median, but a comparable-backed figure for your street, your property type and your condition. That conversation costs nothing and takes about forty minutes.

I specialise in residential sales across Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, and I’ll give you an honest read, including if my advice is to wait. Request a free, no-obligation appraisal →

You can also read our Surry Hills seller guide, the full Darlinghurst selling process guide, or find out what your Surry Hills property is worth in 2026. If you’re weighing up selling against holding as an investment, our property management team can talk you through the numbers on both sides.

Every fortnight I publish an honest read on what is actually happening across Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, you can catch the latest in our fortnightly market update. And if you’d like to know who you’d be working with, meet the team here.

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Sources

Reserve Bank of Australia — Monetary Policy Decision, 11 August 2026
Cotality — Final Clearance Rates, week ending 2 August 2026
Domain — Sydney auction results and RBA August 2026 decision coverage
SQM Research, via Australian Broker — National listings surge past 279,000
Property Update — Australian property markets in charts, August 2026
OpenAgent — Sydney property market data and trends
HtAG Analytics and Your Investment Property Magazine — suburb-level data for Darlinghurst and Surry Hills

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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.

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