Northland's median house price has bounced back to not only register a record high but the number of houses being sold is creeping back up.
The Real Institute of New Zealand's July national house data shows the median house price in Northland at $455,000, up from $425,000 in June and $370,000 in July last year.
As house sales volume throughout the country collapsed by a quarter in the past year, REINZ has made a desperate call for an end to the Reserve Bank's stringent lending restrictions for first-time buyers.
Kaipara shows the biggest jump within a month, from $340,000 in June to $520,000 in July or a 53 per cent increase, and one real estate leader said Aucklanders snapping up mostly lifestyle properties were driving both sale numbers and prices up.
Bayleys Northland general manager Tony Grindle said his staff were fielding a lot of inquiries for lifestyle properties, particularly around Kaipara Harbour and Mangawhai.