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Aussie homeowners who sell their properties off-market could be sacrificing around $30,000 on average compared to taking them to auction, a new report has found.

New data from PropTrack has found that houses that are sold off-market on average fetch prices that are 2.6 per cent lower than those who sell at auction.

The discrepancy was amplified in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, where on average properties sold for up to 4 per cent – or $30,000 – less if they were sold off-market.

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In locations where median prices range between $250,000 and $500,000, off-market sales achieved sale prices of 3.7 per less than those that were taken to auction.

PropTrack Economist Paul Ryan said the extensive costs in listing and advertising a property were often returned due to the competitive nature of auctions.

"Consumers choose to sell properties off-market for a number of reasons including testing interest in the property without incurring fees," Mr Ryan said.

"Vendors need to be aware that the decision to sell off-market may come at a significant cost. While some sellers might be trying to save money by not advertising online, the potential earnings lost in the final sale price are estimated to far outweigh the initial cost of advertising, on average.

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"Sellers and agents both want to achieve the highest sale price possible, and we know that creating competition is the best way to accomplish that.

"The evidence shows advertising online draws a bigger audience, increased competition and a larger sale price."

Ray White TNG Director Shiv Nair recently sold a property in Glenwood, Sydney for $1.26 million at auction after attracting bids of $1.15 million while the property was off the market.

"I advised my sellers to list on the market because I believed there was a higher price achievable. After listing, we had over 30 groups on the Saturday, multiple offers, with final negotiations and contracts signed the same evening. All because of the right marketing strategy," Mr Nair said.

Mr Nair made the case for marketing, arguing that the market's current conditions mean more properties are competing for the eyeballs of potential buyers.

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"Selling off-market or advertising online has always been a topic of discussion for vendors, but it is now more important than ever. Today's strong market conditions with high buyer demand is more of a reason to invest in marketing so you can truly extract the highest possible sale price," he said.

"With the power of online marketing, we are able to attract the maximum level of interest and attention, therefore creating the highest amount of buyer competition, which will result in a premium price for the seller."

Last weekend Australia's capital cities recorded their busiest auction weekend since CoreLogic records began in 2008 after 4261 homes went under the hammer.

Experts cite COVID-19 lockdowns, intense buyer demand and a desire from sellers to move to more lifestyle-oriented properties as primary drivers of the market.

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images of a person who is deceased.

David Dalaithngu, a "once-in-a-generation" artist who became an Australian film icon over a decades-long career, has died.

The passing of the Yolŋu actor, dancer, singer and painter, who starred in dozens of films, including his renowned debut Walkabout, Storm Boy and Ten Canoes, was confirmed last night by the South Australian Premier's office.

Dalaithngu was born in 1953 and raised in Arnhem Land, where he learned the traditional skills and knowledge of the Mandhalpingu clan of the Yolŋu people.

Some of those, such as traditional dancing, he would later take to the screen and the world.

He was just 16 when British film director Nicholas Roeg cast him in Walkabout after seeing him perform, according to his biography on the National Portrait Gallery website.

"His haunting, moving performance was equal parts devastating as it was electric," Mr Marshall said, before noting that it was Storm Boy that truly made him a star.

Dalaithngu was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1987, recognised for his services to the arts.

He received a NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, recognition of his "outstanding contribution to the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people nationally and internationally".

"His breakthrough performance in Walkabout remains one of the most iconic and compelling performances of all time," the committee noted.

The Indigenous actor was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, and had not been expected to survive until the premiere of his last film, My Name is Gulpilil, let alone attend the premiere, Mr Marshall said.

"Yet it was no surprise to anyone that he was front and centre on opening night, where he would receive his final standing ovation," the premier said of the Member of the Order of Australia.

"He was a man who loved his land and his culture, and he was a man who took it to the world.

"My thoughts are with his family, and his dear friend and carer Mary Hood."

Mr Marshall described Dalaithngu as an "iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen".

"An actor, dancer, singer and painter, he was also one of the greatest artists Australia has ever seen," the premier said.

But the famed life of the famed actor, who would eventually move to the SA town of Murray Bridge, was "not without its struggles".

"He encountered racism and discrimination, and lived with the pressures of the divide between his traditional lifestyle and his public profile," Mr Marshall said.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia describes Dalaithngu as a "screen legend", crediting him with changing the way the Australian screen represents Indigenous peoples and cultures.

"In Walkabout (1970), Dalaithngu embodied the stereotypical image of a 'traditional' Aborigine, untainted by western civilisation," Barnba woman Liz McNiven writes in an NFSA "portrait".

"Over the course of his career, he transformed this constructed identity into a more nuanced and accurate representation of Aboriginality."

The Dalaithngu family had advised his name and image may continue to be used following his passing, in line with his wishes.

A Queensland family has been shocked to find a large carpet python curled on the rear-view mirror of their car.

The family had been visiting Mango Hill in Queensland's Moreton Bay region when they returned from a picnic to discover the serpent.

They called snake catcher Josh Castle, who deployed someone to safely remove the intruder from the "distressed" family's vehicle.

Mr Castle said the snake crept into the car via cracks in the windows, left open by the family to keep their car cool.

"Snakes love squeezing into tight areas, including under car bonnets, under decks etc," Mr Castle said.

He added the wet weather may have caused the carpet python to seek shelter.

"The weather can definitely play a big part. Flooding will make snakes seek higher ground.

"Only piece of advice I can give is wind the window up."

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Queensland has been hit by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain, causing flash flooding across parts of the state.

Several flood warnings remain in place for parts of Queensland, with the Southern Downs region, south-west of Brisbane particularly affected.

In the nearby town of Warwick, roads turned into rivers due to heavy rainfall.

Further north, Mackay has been saturated, prompting a number of warnings and road closures.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1465213967920414720

The grounds of a local school, Mackay Christian College, were flooded, forcing the principal to rescue a group of cattle from the school's agriculture department.

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https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1464777312981819393

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called for people to adhere to the warnings and avoid travelling in flooded areas.

"If you're out and about this weekend, remember – if it's flooded, forget it," she said.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) severe thunderstorms are likely in central Queensland, and possible through eastern and southern parts of the state today.

The worst-hit areas are forecast to be the Central West and Central Highlands and Coalfields regions.

"Heavy rainfall is the primary hazard, with a lower chance of damaging winds and large hail," the BoM said.

NSW was drier today, but showers and storms still hit the state's north.

Flooding is continuing across a number of catchments, with major flooding still a concern in some areas.

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https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1465046957618089984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Numerous warnings remain in place throughout both NSW and Queensland.

The Lachlan, Macquarie, Namoi and Macintyre rivers are all spilling their banks.

Thunderstorms in NSW's north are a risk for tomorrow and Wednesday.

The SES received 226 calls for help yesterday in NSW, with 13 flood rescues undertaken.