NZ home sales, prices ease in April - latest figures
New Zealand housing sales eased in April, with the national medium price slipping from March's record high.
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BUSINESSDESK: New Zealand housing sales eased in April, with the national medium price slipping from March's record high.
Sales rose 13.8% to 5676 in April compared with the same month a year earlier, the Real Estate Institute said.
The national median house price eased $5000 to $365,000 after reaching a record high of $370,000 in March. It rose 1.4% on the same period a year earlier.
Prices in the Hawke's Bay reached a fresh high, rising 9% to $295,000, followed by Canterbury/Westland up 3.5% and Auckland up 2%.
“While the national median price has pulled back from the record set last month the trend is still moving up, although not at a great pace," chief executive Helen O'Sullivan said.
"The new record median price for Hawke's Bay is indicative of some improvement in activity in the regions, although for the most part activity remains flat outside the markets of Auckland and Christchurch.”
The medium number of days to sell a house increased to 37 from 35 in March.
Over the past five years the medium days to sell a house has averaged 41 days across New Zealand.
Canterbury and Westland recorded the shortest days to sell a home on 30, followed by Auckland at 33 days and Otago with 35 days.
Central Otago recorded the longest number timeframe at 59 days.
The total value of residential sales, including sections fell to $2.57 billion in April from $3.35 billion in March and down $2.21 billion on April 2011.
Hannah Lynch
Thu, 10 May 2012
Thu, 10 May 2012
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NZ home sales, prices ease in April - latest figures
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