Farms which often sold themselves during the boom for land sales over the past few years are looking to a change of tactics as the heat comes off the market.
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The number of farmland sales has been declining around Australia but real estate agents are still expecting a strong spring.
A recent Rural Bank farm property report found nationally, the number of farmland transactions (sales) fell by 34.3 per cent in 2022 to 6588, the lowest level in 28 years.
Across the states, falls in sales volumes ranged from 13.8pc in Tasmania to 44.6pc in Victoria.
South Australia was the only state to record an increased number of transactions in 2022.
The Elders Real Estate 2022 rural property report said similar, it recorded transaction volumes falling by 37.5pc.
Those farmers who held off selling to cash in on record commodity prices are expected to re-think their future to capture the still strong land prices on offer.
Big rural real estate agency Ray White is already known for its preference for land auctions when other agencies might choose expressions of interest campaigns or online selling.
Principals and agents from across the Ray White SA|NT network gathered in Adelaide recently to learn new skills and get back to basics, ready for the 2023 winter/spring market.
Not surprisingly much of the focus was on auctions.
More than 43 per cent of all auctions conducted in South Australia are through Ray White while more than 35 per cent of total auctions in the Northern Territory over the last year were also Ray White.
Ray White SA|NT chief executive Matt Lindblom said total listings were down about 20 per cent but the volume of listings was only down 13 per cent year on year.
"I speak to a lot of agents who say they can't sell by auction because they are going up against other agents who say auctions don't work," Ray White SA|NT chief auctioneer John Morris told the gathering.
"But when the market was easy, they were the people who were listing everything through auction and now they have just fallen away," Mr Morris said.
Ray White SA is currently recording about seven registered bidders per auction on average.
"So anyone who says auctions don't work when we are getting on average seven bidders per auction are wrong. The activity out there is unbelievable," Mr Morris said.
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Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
