This week's reported auctions are effectively the last group of listings to be caught out by the sanctions on public auctions and open house inspections announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 24, taking into account the typical four-week campaign period.

Those listed for auction were either sold beforehand by private treaty or though an online process, which accounts for a small but growing corner of the market.

Among those changing hands online, Ray White's Mount Waverley office in Melbourne's south-east met with success in its first effort at a digital auction.

A long-held family home at 21 Lindisfarne Drive in Burwood East sold above reserve for $1.012 million. Of the six registered bidders, four made a show in the digital auction room.

“It’s a little bit different and the interaction isn’t quite what it would be with an on-site auction, but the method of sale itself is as rock-solid as ever,” Ray White Mount Waverley managing director Courtney Matthews said.

"Given the climate we’re in, there’s no doubt it's still the best way to produce a competitive environment and to deliver an unconditional sale for our vendors."

The weekend auctions fall between the Easter long weekend and Anzac Day next weekend. The first test for those auctions listed since the ban of public auctions will be the first weekend in May.


Private treaty

The large number of homes withdrawn from auction over the past month but still counted in the final result has weighed on clearance rates. However Mr Christopher and his team have been tracking those homes subsequently listed for sale by private treaty.

"They are not selling. It would be the wrong view to think the clearance rate is a lot stronger that what we are seeing," he said.

Public auctions typically account for about 12 per cent to 15 per cent of the total market, but are closely watched as the most timely guide on clearance rates and prices. The proportion of homes sold by auction in the inner ring and Sydney and Melbourne is usually higher.

Mr Christopher said even the reported successes in the swing towards digital auctions should be put in context.

"When you look at the broader market it's telling me as an analyst things are very weak," he said. "Even when I adjust for these forced withdrawals that have gone to private treaty, it tells me that market is falling."

The country's largest home loan lender, Commonwealth Bank, has taken a dim view on prices as well, tipping a fall of 10 per cent over the next six months.

But economists are also hoping that the federal government's economic rescue package and the banks' mortgage repayment holiday will help insulate the residential property from a downturn over the next six months.