It might feel like slim pickings when it comes to property listings right now, but some Canberra suburbs are flush with homes for sale.
In the four weeks to July 9, there were 511 new properties added to the Canberra market, almost an even split between houses (268) and units (243), CoreLogic data showed.
The new listings brought the total number of Canberra properties for sale to 1848 for the four-week period.
At a district level, the Belconnen region had the largest portion of new listings with 73 houses and 45 units added to the market. Gungahlin followed with 69 houses and 42 units listed for sale.
CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said there were benefits for buyers when more homes were added to the market.
"Generally, a rise in overall stock levels is good news for buyers, it means more choice and takes some of the urgency out of a buyer's decision-making process," he said.
But the advantages were dependent on whether listing volumes had risen from a low base or not, he said.
Total property listings in the ACT for the four weeks to July 9 were down 7.3 per cent on the previous five-year average and also down 1.5 per cent on last year.
Meanwhile the number of newly advertised properties was 16.5 per cent down on last year, but 2.1 per cent above the previous five-year average.
So while new listings were rising, there was not an abundance of options out there for buyers.
"Although the flow of new listings has been tracking at close to average levels, the total number of homes available for sale has been reducing, signalling a positive rate of absorption as more properties are purchased than added to the market," Mr Lawless said.
A reduced level of new listings was expected during winter, Mr Lawless said.
"At the moment, the historical trend is holding true, with the number of new listings moving through a seasonal low point," he said.
A dozen homes hit the market in one suburb
Taking a look at the numbers from a suburb level helps to paint a more optimistic picture for buyers.
Phillip recorded the largest amount of units newly listed for sale with 19 unit properties added to the market over the four-week period.
Macgregor had the most houses, with 12 advertised for sale during that time.
One of them, 5 Beeston Street, went to auction on Saturday with selling agent George Vlandis of LJ Hooker Belconnen.
Mr Vlandis said recent strong sales in Macgregor had prompted more sellers to list their homes.
"Activity breeds activity," he said.
"There have been sales in Macgregor that were quite encouraging and have gone for probably more than what sellers expected and it's certainly become a talking point within the suburb."
The suburbs with the highest levels of total stock were Ngunnawal with 29 houses for sale for the four weeks to July 9 and Kingston, with 85 units on the market.
Not all suburbs had healthy stocks levels, however.
"There are suburbs out there that would be lucky to have two houses on the market," Mr Vlandis said.
"The demand is certainly stronger than what the supply is and I think that's keeping prices buoyant."
Suburbs including Stirling, Scullin, Hawker and Aranda were among those with two or fewer total houses for sale.
More listings could be on the way
A slight rise in the number of new listings could be expected in August, Mr Lawless said, but spring and early summer were traditionally the times for a significant upswing in homes for sale.
CoreLogic's propensity to list model, which uses pre-listing activity data to identify homes likely to be listed for sale, found only 0.3 per cent of ACT properties were highly likely to be listed in the next three months.
Mr Lawless said it was a "relatively small proportion of housing stock".
At a suburb level, however, there were more positive signs for housing stock.
The modelling showed a high probability for 56 homes in Watson, or 2.1 per cent of the suburb's total properties, to come up for sale in the next three months.
In Franklin, 36 homes were predicted to be listed for sale in the next three months, while 31 homes in O'Connor were expected.
Mr Lawless said listing a property for sale while stocks levels were low could have benefits for sellers.
"Arguably, with advertised stock levels currently at below-average levels and prices rising, home owners considering a selling decision could be better off listing their home through winter when there is less competition," he said.
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