Napier's median property price fell $38,000 over the past month while Hastings rose $15,000, however the figures are heavily influenced by high price bracket sales, a local real estate expert says.
Napier's median price dropped from $318,000 in August to $280,000 last month while Hastings saw the median price rise from $290,000 to $305,000 in the same period.
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand's (REINZ) Hawke's Bay group chairman Murray Keane said: "It's all about the number of sales in the higher price bracket".
"It only takes a couple of good sales to bump that median price up and the first home buyer market is pretty low on stock."
He said Hastings had sold eight dwellings in the $500,000 to $600,000 price bracket and nine in the $400,000 to $500,000 bracket. Napier by comparison had only sold three in the $500,000 to $600,000 bracket and six in the $400,000 to $500,000 bracket.