The average Auckland house price held firm in January, breaking from the traditional dip at the start of a new year, lifted by more sales of higher value properties, according to realtor Barfoot & Thompson.
The average sale price in January of $913,938 edged up from $913,709 in December last year, and was 13 per cent ahead of January last year, Barfoot said in a statement. The median price of $846,500 advanced 0.8 percent from December and was 11 per cent higher than January last year.
The Auckland figures follow data from Quotable Value this week showing the average value of a New Zealand home rose 14 per cent to $631,302 in January from a year earlier, with Auckland values climbing 13 per cent. The housing market is being buoyed by record migration and low interest rates, even as the central bank tightens lending restrictions to reduce the risk to financial stability.
"January is normally associated with a dip in prices but for the first time in 14 years the average and median prices paid were marginally higher than those in December," said Peter Thompson, Barfoot's managing director.
Thompson said 31 per cent of Auckland properties were sold for more than $1 million, a higher percentage than normally seen for a January month. Some 13 per cent of sales were under $500,000.
