The spectre of looming motorway tolls and anti-congestion fees in Auckland has prompted a new level of desperation to creep into the city's carpark sales market.
With these tiny properties of 12 to 13sq m selling for as much as an Invercargill house, agents are predicting big jumps in prices.
Damian Piggin of Ray White City Apartments sold an Ascott-Metropolis park for $78,000, and he believes he will soon get $100,000 for a carpark.
But one major commercial carparking owner and operator fears changes being discussed for Auckland might devalue the sector.
Tournament Parking director James Brown said anti-congestion charging options outlined in a Ministry of Transport study could devalue carparks and inner-city office blocks.
The introduction of such levies might cause property prices to rise on major public transport routes such as busways or near ferry terminals, he predicted, but parking charges could plummet if anti-car road pricing plans came in.
Carpark owners would be forced to drop their prices by the amount of anti-congestion fee introduced, Brown said.
An immediate change could have a depressive effect on property and carparking prices, he said.
"That's because we don't have a decent public transport system in Auckland.
"But the ministry is talking about bringing in these changes by 2016, so the effect would not be as great on building owners and the city generally."
Carpark cost could hit $100,000
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