Just over two-thirds of properties up for auction over the weekend sold, setting the scene for a hot market in the late summer and autumn.
The Real Estate Institute of Victoria recorded a 68 per cent clearance rate from 253 results. Research house RP Data recorded 68.8 per cent from 285 auctions.
RP Data spokesman Robert Larocca said the market was picking up where it left off last year but the low number of auctions meant it was too soon to judge where it was going.
''I would be surprised if there is any substantive change from last year. The fundamentals haven't changed,'' Mr Larocca said.
Commentary over the holiday break has focused on concern about the surging house prices in Sydney and Melbourne but the Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates on hold last week.
There are signs the market will remain as hot as it ended in December. The highest price in weekend auction results was for a house that was snapped up last week.
The four-bedroom clifftop property at 4 Ian Road, Mount Martha, had six registered bidders and a quoted price of more than $1.3 million, JP Dixon agent Val Garma said.
