Auction-day tool

Auction-bid-ladder — print before bidding.

Auction-day execution card. Three triangulation inputs in, the printable starting / target / walk-away ladder out. Plus the cooling-off rule for your state and the vendor-bid signals to watch for.

Three triangulation inputs, one ladder.

Enter the three fair-value inputs from Chapter 7, Step 5 Property. The tool computes opening, target, and walk-away with cure-cost adjustments built in. Output is computed in your browser; nothing is saved.

Comparable-sales floor (AUD)Median of 3-5 settled comps, adjusted for land area + condition.Gross-to-net yield model (AUD)Net rent ÷ lane-typical target gross yield.Replacement-cost-plus-land floor (AUD)Build cost × build area + comparable bare-land cost.Inspection cure-cost (AUD)Total of major-defect line items from Step 5 inspections.Vendor-signal discount (%)2-3% if days-on-market > 60 or vendor has previously reduced asking. 0 otherwise.

Enter the three triangulation inputs to see the ladder. Cure-cost and vendor-signal-discount are optional; default to 0 if not applicable.

Want this run automatically against a live listing rather than entered manually? The Investor-tier deal-analyser at /explore triangulates fair value against any active listing in real time + handles cure-cost adjustment from the inspection memo automatically.

Auction is private treaty's faster cousin — same triangulation, harder execution

Three things make auction harder than private-treaty negotiation: no cooling-off after the hammer (NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT), real-time bidding under social pressure, and vendor-bidding tactics in states that allow them. The bid ladder is the same triangulation as the offer ladder; the difference is execution speed and the absence of a written-offer round-trip.

On-the-day protocol

Arrive 15-20 minutes early. Watch how the auctioneer is working the room.
Position yourself visibly. Auctioneers reward visible bidders with eye contact and timing accommodations.
Bid clearly and confidently. Ambiguous nods get under-counted; decisive "ten thousand" calls get acknowledged.
Watch for vendor bids. Auctioneers must announce them in most states; if bids come from unseen sources without announcement, verify with the auctioneer.
Hold the walk-away. If bidding crosses it, stop. Don't blink, don't wave, don't twitch.
If passed in to your bid, negotiate firmly against vendor reserve. Don't escalate above walk-away. About 30-40% of passed-in properties trade at or below the highest bid in the post-auction window.

Cooling-off does NOT apply at auction

NSW, VIC, QLD and ACT exempt auction purchases from cooling-off. At the fall of the hammer the contract is binding — there is no 5-business-day window to back out. WA, SA and TAS have varying rules; verify with your conveyancer per state. This is why the 14-day pre-auction inspection sequence in Chapter 9 cannot be compressed.

Read alongside

Chapter 9 — Auction — full chapter with 14-day pre-auction checklist + on-the-day protocol.
Chapter 7 — Step 5 Property — three triangulation inputs come from here.
Offer ladder (private-treaty version)
Cashflow projector — stress-test the walk-away against rate-rise scenarios.
Suburb explorer + live deal analyser — Investor tier triangulates fair value against any active listing automatically.