Auckland house sales reach 11-year high for June month
Auckland house sales reach 11-year high for June month as winter starts to bite
By Paul McBeth
July 3
(BusinessDesk) - The number of Auckland house sales were at
the highest in 11 years for a June month, while falling from
May as winter starts to slow activity, according to Barfoot
& Thompson.
The city's biggest realtor sold 1,167
houses in June, down from 1,225 in May, though 13 percent
more than the same month a year earlier, it said in a
statement. New listings were largely unchanged on the month
at 1,749, though 52 percent more than a year earlier, and
Barfoot had 2,959 houses on its books at the end of the
month, down 3.3 percent form May and 9.6 percent from June
2014.
"While the new government and Reserve Bank
measures which are due to come into effect in October are
likely to be having some impact on prices, as will the
approach of winter, there is also a growing feeling among
buyers and sellers that homes are close to being fully
priced," managing director Peter Thompson said. "June was
the third month in a row when the number of properties for
sale at month end declined, and choice is now the most
limited it has been since last Christmas/New
Year."
Quotable Value figures this week showed New Zealand property values rose at their fastest pace in more than a year in June, with the Auckland shortage encouraging buyers to start scouting out the surrounding areas.
The
Auckland property market has been a concern for policymakers
due to its supply imbalance, and the Reserve Bank plans to
impose lending restrictions on property investors from
October, while the government has tasked its tax collection
agency to police capital gains more forcefully.
Barfoot said the median sale price rose 4.8 percent to $786,000 in June from May, and was up 26 percent on an annual basis, while the mean sale price edged up 0.5 percent to $826,474 on a monthly basis and was 16 percent higher on the year.
(BusinessDesk)