The first of 7000 new homes planned for north-west Auckland go on sale

Auckland Council hopes 7000 new homes are built near Whenuapai Air Force base in Auckland's northwest. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The first of up to 7000 new homes planned for Auckland's north-west as part of a $339 million infrastructure drive have gone on sale.

The first homes are a stage one release of the West Hills project in Massey in which 1100-to-1200 houses - with a mix of two, three and four bedrooms - are to be sold for prices between $695,000 and $851,000.

The project is one of the first to get underway in the new Red Hills and Whanuapai development area targeted by Auckland Council and the Government.

Mayor Phil Goff announced last month council had accepted a 10-year, interest free $339m loan from the Government so it could fast track the construction of roads and other infrastructure needed to support the homes.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford said the Government had targeted the north-west because it was one of Auckland's more affordable areas.

"QV estimates values in the West at an average $824,000, compared to $1,050,000 across all of Auckland," he said.

The median price for an Auckland home, meanwhile, was $852,000 in August, according to the Real Estate Institute of NZ.

The West Hills homes are expected to be finished in stages over the next 10 years.

Elsewhere, about 80km north of Auckland in Wellsford, 21 homes have also gone on sale in the first stage of the Wellsford Country Estate residential development.

Auckland Council mayor Phil Goff has accepted a $339 million interest free loan from the Government to build infrastructure to support housing in northwest Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Three-bedroom homes in the estate start from $576,000.

According to analyst CoreLogic's latest quarterly market report, Wellsford was the Auckland region's best performing market in the April-July quarter with house prices rising 3.4 per cent to hit a median of $536,600.

The new homes come as the arrival of spring has also brought a surge in the number of people listing their houses for sale across New Zealand, according to property analysts Quotable Value.

However, the boost in listings was not enough to drive up prices, QV general manager David Nagel said.

"Quarterly value growth remains modest due to a lack of new market drivers," he said.

"Supply has been constrained which, on top of stable interest rates, is keeping values at their current levels."

This led house prices across New Zealand to fall 0.6 per cent in the three months to September, yet still rise 4.6 per cent compared to this time last year.

According to QV's House Price Index, the average price of a Kiwi home was now $626,427.

The boost in new homes being listed for sale also comes as the ballot to decide who will buy the Government's first 18 KiwiBuild homes in Papakura is due to close tomorrow.

The 18 homes KiwiBuild homes up for grabs include 12 three-bedroom houses selling for $579,000 and 6 four bedroom houses priced at $649,000.

According to recent CoreLogic findings, Auckland first-home buyers have been paying a median of $740,000 for three bedroom homes across the city and $624,000 for three-bedroom houses in Papakura.