Thinking of selling in Sydney this year? Why your postcode could make all the difference

1 week ago 1

For Danielle Dalvi, buying a house in Marrickville is a dream come true.

“We used to come to Marrickville to do op shopping and visit the Vietnamese restaurants but I thought it was a bit out of reach,” Dalvi said. “We had been looking for six months. I was getting a bit overwhelmed.”

Danielle Dalvi bought an unrenovated three-bedroom cottage in Marrickville in 2025.

She and her partner, Khalil, were keen to move on from the one-bedroom apartment in Eveleigh they shared with their baby. And their eyes were firmly fixed on the popular inner west suburb.

In January 2025, the couple secured an unrenovated, single storey three-bedroom cottage in the heart of Marrickville.

“This is our forever home,” Dalvi said. “I really like being close to the main shopping strip – there’s a dentist, doctor’s and places to eat but Marrickville Library is unbelievable. We have a two-year-old so it’s a great place to spend time. The community here has been wonderful.”

Marrickville recorded one of the highest auction clearance rates for suburbs in Sydney in 2025, comparable to properties sold, with 298 reported auctions resulting in a 81.9 per cent success rate, according to data from Domain.

Some suburbs of Sydney experienced an even higher clearance rate, as much as 100 per cent in Airds where just 20 properties were auctioned in 2025. In North Strathfield, the clearance rate was 93.9 per cent based on 33 reported auctions.

Nicola Powell, chief of research and economics for Domain, said three cuts to the cash rate in 2025 were reflected in greater buyer confidence with stronger bidding and more activity at auctions.

“As the cash rate reduced we saw the positive influence on the market and buyers,” Powell said.

While the year ended quietly, with a Sydney clearance rate of 56.6 per cent in December, Powell said it bounced back to 77 per cent last month.

“We tend to find clearance rates bounce earlier in the year which is reflective of lower volumes of stock,” she said. “We are likely to see clearance rates soften this year but I am expecting them then to firm. So I would not expect to see them in the 50s but they could be finding the floor in the low 60s.”

She said the reasons some areas had higher clearance rates than others were not universal.

“[For suburbs] like Airds and Bangor [it] would be about affordability, appealing to first home buyers and upgraded families looking for larger land sizes versus inner city unit alternatives,” she said. “Sales volumes aren’t huge in many cases, so a strong run of successful auctions can lift the clearance rate quickly.”

Buyer’s agent Penny Vandenhurk, who helped the Dalvis buy their home last year, said the high clearance rate reflected the popularity of the area, which has been further boosted by promised infrastructure, with construction of Marrickville metro station under way.

Danielle Dalvi has almost finished the renovation of her ‘forever’ home in Marrickville after buying the property with her partner in January 2025.

She said the style of housing in Marrickville also meant sellers tended to be well informed about the market.

“There are a lot of comparable sales and a lot of scrutiny about under quoting,” Vandenhurk said. “There are not as many unique properties [in Marrickville] so if your neighbour sold an unrenovated house for $2.5 million and you’ve renovated, you might reasonably expect $2.7 million.”

Nearby Newtown reported even higher auction clearance rates in 2025, with 82.6 per cent of properties going to auction resulting in a sale. That outcome is based on 235 reported auctions.

Property partner at The Agency Inner West, David Barndon, recently sold a property in Newtown just two weeks after it hit the market. While buyer demand was consistent, he said it was important to set a realistic price.

“It’s about supply and demand pressures. You see property sitting there if you don’t price them right.”

Buyer’s agent Bianca Field said the promise of a Metro station for Marrickville meant buyers who might have opted for Newtown are looking further west.

“Marrickville is becoming an extension of Newtown,” Field said. “Interest in Newtown is fairly consistent due to things like lifestyle, connectivity to the city is exceptional and a lot of people are employed around the university and the hospital so you can get good investor return.”

At the other end of the scale, Greenhills Beach near Cronulla experienced a 25 per cent clearance rate in 2025, one of the lowest recorded in Sydney.

Sales agent at Pulse Property Agents, Luke Lombardi, said while Greenhills Beach was a “niche” market, much of The Shire was experiencing limited interest in properties more than $2.5 million.

“We’re not worried by that auction clearance rate,” he said. “It’s an awesome area to live and reside in. You cannot develop much in the area so you have that peace and quiet. You can wake up in the morning and smell the salt from Elouera Beach.”