There are many sales methods in Perth’s real estate market, which can often be confusing for new and inexperienced buyers.
Realmark Urban Buyer’s Advocate Angela McGrath said Perth had one of the most diverse sales landscapes in the country.
“Unlike Sydney or Melbourne, where auctions dominate, Perth selling agents use a wide range of methods, including not only auctions but also set or end date sales, expressions of interest, offers from campaigns and traditional private treaties,” she said.
“Each method has different timelines, negotiation dynamics and levels of transparency.
“Agents choose the method best suiting the property, the seller’s situation and the level of buyer demand.
“The result is a marketplace where different strategies operate side by side.
“From a buyer’s perspective, the variety can create uncertainty if they do not fully understand how each method works.”
Ms McGrath said the biggest confusion came from buyers not knowing how the rules changed depending on the campaign type.
“A buyer might assume they can negotiate in the same way across every property but this is not always the case,” she said. “With some campaigns, there is a deadline, while for others, the seller can accept an offer at any time. With auctions, there are no conditions once the hammer falls.”
Ms McGrath said when buyers understood the rules of the campaign they were participating in, they could make confident decisions, rather than reacting under pressure.
“The buyers securing property in this market are not always the highest bidders – they are the ones who understand the strategy,” she said.
Ms McGrath said private treaty-style campaigns made up the majority of sales in Perth, typically marketed as “Offers from” or with a price guide.
“In this sales method, buyers submit offers and negotiate directly with the agent,” she said.
“The seller can accept an offer at any time.
“In Perth, buyers have traditionally preferred conditional offers and negotiation, which makes private treaty campaigns more comfortable for many people.”
Ms McGrath said for listings marked as set or end date sale, all buyers submitted their offers by a set deadline and the seller reviewed them together.
“For expressions of interest, buyers submit a form – usually provided by the agent – outlining their purchase price and any conditions such as finance approval or pest inspections,” she said.
“From there, the selling agent will usually only write up the top offers and present them to the seller.
“In auctions, the property is sold publicly to the highest bidder, usually on an unconditional basis.
“We are seeing auctions increase in popularity here, particularly in a competitive market with multiple offers, because they provide transparency for buyers.”
According to Ms McGrath, structured campaigns like auctions or end date sales bring buyers together and create competitive tension, while private treaty allows for more traditional negotiation.
Though the many sales methods may be overwhelming to new buyers, Ms McGrath said they were a benefit in the current tight market, which was experiencing high levels of buyer enquiry.
“These different selling methods allow agents to manage this interest and organise the information required to prepare offer and acceptance contracts,” she said.
“Structured campaigns help agents to gather information efficiently and present the strongest offers to the seller, so they can negotiate the best possible outcome.
“However, it can be confusing for buyers, which is why having a clear strategy before making an offer is so important.”
This article was originally published in The West Australian on Saturday 25th April 2026, written by Keren Bellos.