Fewer Buyers At Open Homes. What That Means For Your Sale.

The buyer pool in Southeast Queensland has shrunk.

Not across the board. One specific segment has pulled back harder than the rest — and most homeowners don’t know which one.

That gap in knowledge is costly. Because the sellers who go to market without understanding what’s changed are the ones who end up sitting on the shelf, reducing their price, and wondering what went wrong.

In this short video, I break it down clearly. No spin. No alarm. Just an honest picture of what’s actually happening at open homes right now — and what Domain’s six-year-low clearance data is telling us about where this market is heading.

👉 Watch the full video here — I’d encourage you to watch it to the end.

What The Data Is Actually Saying

Domain’s latest auction clearance data is the lowest it has been in six years. Six years. That’s not a blip. That’s a signal.

When clearance rates fall to this level, three things are happening simultaneously:

Fewer buyers are willing to commit on auction day
Sellers without the right strategy are sitting on the shelf
Agents relying on two portals and local foot traffic are feeling it most

Here’s what I want you to take from that list: the agent you choose right now matters more than it did 18 months ago.

When conditions are easy, most strategies work. When conditions tighten, strategy is everything.

This doesn’t mean the market is broken. It means it has changed. And change rewards preparation — not panic.

Two Portals Are No Longer Enough

Most agents in Queensland operate the same way. They list on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au — and they wait for enquiries to come in.When local buyer demand is strong, that strategy works fine. When it contracts — as it has — that strategy leaves serious money on the table.

The question worth asking before you list is this: where are the buyers who will actually compete for your home?

Because the buyers still active in this market are not always local. They are interstate buyers from Sydney and Melbourne, relocating for lifestyle or opportunity. They are international buyers from 13+ countries, making long-term wealth decisions. They are intergenerational buyers moving with qualified advisors who have already identified your suburb.

These buyers don’t find your home through a portal notification.

They find it through a personal network — one built specifically over the last decade to reach exactly this kind of buyer.

That is a very different proposition to a standard listing. And it is the difference between one offer and four.

The Window Most Sellers Miss

Here is something I tell every vendor I meet with right now. The clarity you need about this market is most valuable before you list — not after.

Once you’re on the market, your options narrow. Your leverage reduces. The conversation shifts from positioning to damage control.

The homeowners who get the best results in a contracting market are the ones who understood the landscape before they made a move. They chose their agent deliberately. They structured their campaign with buyer reach — not just local exposure — at the centre.

That preparation is what separates a strong result from a long, drawn-out campaign.