Auctions are something Canberra buyers are often scared to touch; limited listings and a lack of market knowledge make them a daunting prospect.
The territory is often reported for having low clearance rates, too.
Canberra's clearance rate has averaged 55.7 per cent so far this financial year.
Last financial year, that figure was 56.8 per cent, just less than 57.4 per cent the year before.
In Sydney and Melbourne, clearances rates for most weekends this financial year have sat around 70 per cent.
But experts say the Canberra auction market is often misunderstood, and buyers may be missing great deals as a result.
Are clearance rates affecting listing prices?
CoreLogic economist Kaytlin Ezzy said there was a widely held myth that clearance rates below a certain percentage were a forecast of pricing and general market conditions.
This was particularly true of a small auction market like Canberra, where clearance rates were more volatile.
"Places like Sydney and Melbourne tend to be a bit more indicative of market conditions," she said.
"Clearance rates show the fit between a buyer's willingness to purchase and the expectation of vendors."
Ms Ezzy said while the ACT had seen misalignment between parties - leading to a clearance rate below the 10-year average of 65.7 per cent - auction results were not an effective guide.
"You can't really draw a line between values and clearance rates," she said. "If they get too low, there is clearly quite a substantial mismatch, so you would see some downwards pressure."
Buyer's agent Claire Corby said clearance rates do not show how far above reserve properties sold for, or numbers of registered bidders, and therefore could not be reliably used to gauge buyer demand.
Experts 'believe' in importance of auctions
Ray White sales consultant Peter Walker said it was a myth Canberra was not an auction town.
The territory has a lower clearance rate than other east coast capital cities - but it also has a smaller number of sales all together.
That means the status of each property can skew percentages more than in somewhere like Melbourne or Sydney.
Mr Walker said that, anecdotally, the number of places scheduled for auction was under-reported because many were removed from listings if they were at risk of being passed in.
But Ms Corby said simply looking at clearance rates could be disheartening, and the calibre of properties sold in each type of format needed to be examined.
"When you look at how many places in Canberra sell prior [to auction], and what they are like, you get a different picture," she said.
"All the good stuff is going to auction."
Buyers who were not willing to consider auction properties were often locking themselves out of homes that were turn-key ready and often of a higher quality than places listed for sale by private treaty.
"The smart buyers are seeing the opportunity," Ms Corby said.
Documentation for selling a house in Canberra is stricter than many Australian jurisdictions.
You must supply a building inspection report before the signing of a sale contract. A land title search must also be conducted
This gave buyers assurance properties going to auction were of quality and the right information was available, Mr Walker said.
He also felt it championed an auction culture in the ACT, which many other states were "behind" on.
"I'm a believer in auctions and always will be because it give owners three or four weeks to make their minds up on what's a fair and reasonable offer, and it gives buyers the same opportunity," Mr Martin said.
Buying through auction also gave increased "choice" to all parties, he said.
Ms Corby said buyers could often win out by putting in a lower unconditional offer on auction day - when the seller wants to be "popping champagne" - if a property had passed in.
Buying in this way created high visibility, were potential purchasers knew agents were not being disingenuous about other offers.
"Being able to be calm, rational and thoughtful when the heat is one is [really important]," she said. "Know your research, know your comparables, because the agents will know them as well."
