Australia has a unique love affair with house auctions. Is it starting to come to an end?

Recent falls in auction clearance rates have resulted in dramatic media headlines. But were auctions part of the problem?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt’s almost a national pastime. Every weekend on streets and in cul-de-sacs, there’s an agent enacting a familiar ritual.“I have $900,000, can I get $910,000? Nine ten, now twenty. Twenty, can I say thirty? Give me thirty, thirty …” the (mostly) men in blue suits cry, traditionally amid a throng of people about to make one of the most important decisions in their lives. Continue reading...