The auction market does not slow significantly in the lead up to Christmas, according to data released by PRDnationwide.

The average annual auction clearance rate across Australian capital cities for the last four years was 49%. The average December auction clearance rate was 48% - not a significant difference.

Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo, National Research Manager PRDnationwide, said, "If you look at the auction data from the past few years there isn't really a drop off in December."

The number of properties put to market does decline slightly in December, but it is still above the annual average. In Sydney, the average number of properties put on the market each month over the last four years was 2,156, while the average number of properties put on the market in December was 2,309.

Jason Abbott, Principal of PRDnationwide Coolangatta, said, "We are actually getting a higher number of buyers coming through properties at the moment because there is not as much stock on the market this December. There are just as many buyers but not as many listings, which creates greater demand," he said.

The data shows that it's better to sell in December than wait until January in the new year. The average January auction clearance rate for the last four years is only 37.8%. The average number of auction clearances in December is 1,120, compared with only 29 in January.