Auction vs Private Treaty in the Inner West
This isn’t a philosophical debate.
It’s not tradition versus innovation.
And it’s definitely not about which method an agent “prefers”.
In the Inner West, auction versus private treaty is a pricing decision disguised as a marketing choice. Get it right, and buyers stretch. Get it wrong, and they don’t just hold back — they disengage.
The problem is that most sellers are given the wrong framework to decide.
Why the Inner West Is Different
The Inner West doesn’t behave like the rest of Sydney.
Buyers here are:
highly informed
emotionally invested
comparison heavy
slow to commit but fast to dismiss
They don’t chase blindly. They assess. They watch. They wait. And when they move, they move with conviction.
That makes the choice between auction and private treaty far more strategic here than in suburbs where buyers simply follow momentum.
What Auction Actually Does Well (When It Works)
Auction works in the Inner West when three conditions are met at the same time.
First, there has to be genuine buyer depth. Not clicks. Not enquiries. Real, qualified buyers who feel the home fits their life.
Second, the home needs to be emotionally uncomplicated. Simple layouts. Good light. No obvious trade-offs that cause hesitation.
Third, the price expectations need to be flexible enough to allow momentum to build without resistance.
When those align, auction compresses decision-making. Buyers stop analysing and start reacting. That’s when prices stretch.
But that window is narrow.
Where Auction Quietly Fails
Auction struggles in the Inner West when:
the home requires explanation
the street needs defending
the price expectation is fixed
the buyer pool is thin but motivated
In these cases, auction doesn’t create urgency — it creates avoidance.
Buyers who would have negotiated privately step back. They wait for the pass-in. Or they move on entirely.
And once an Inner West buyer disengages, they rarely come back emotionally.
What Private Treaty Actually Does Better
Private treaty isn’t slower. It’s more precise.
In the Inner West, private treaty allows:
time for buyer justification
layered negotiation
price anchoring without exposure
emotional warming rather than pressure
This matters because Inner West buyers often need to convince themselves logically after they’ve fallen in love emotionally.
Private treaty gives them that space.
The Biggest Myth Sellers Are Told
That auction “always gets the highest price”.
It doesn’t.
Auction gets the highest public price under pressure.
Private treaty often gets the highest private price through control.
In suburbs like Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Stanmore, and Petersham, the difference isn’t the method — it’s how well the method fits the buyer psychology.
When Auction Is the Right Call in the Inner West
Auction tends to suit:
character homes with broad appeal
premium streets
strong school catchments
moments of low stock
homes with obvious emotional pull
In these cases, buyers are already mentally committed. Auction simply accelerates the outcome.
When Private Treaty Outperforms
Private treaty often outperforms when:
the home is unique or polarising
the buyer pool is narrow but strong
price needs to be discovered, not declared
privacy matters
negotiations require nuance
Many of the Inner West’s strongest results never go to auction at all.
They’re quietly negotiated. Carefully handled. Strategically timed.
The Real Risk Isn’t the Method
The real risk is choosing a method before understanding demand.
Many sellers are locked into an auction campaign before the first buyer has even walked through the door.
In the Inner West, that’s backwards.
The best sales decisions are made after the market has spoken — not before.
So Which One Should You Choose?
There is no universal answer.
There is only a correct answer for:
your street
your home
your buyer pool
your timing
your tolerance for exposure
The moment someone tells you there’s a “best” method without understanding those variables, they’ve already oversimplified your sale.
What Actually Maximises Price in the Inner West
Not auction.
Not private treaty.
But choosing the method that gives you leverage, not visibility.
That’s what buyers respond to.
That’s where prices move.
Everything else is theatre.
From the Desk of Ramon Raneal