Sales figures strong: Harcourts

The real estate agency has its data for the Northern and Christchurch regions.

Chief executive Hayden Duncan said it showed that buyers understood that now is the best time to buy.

“Harcourts is not expecting any significant drop in price as demand continues to exceed supply, particularly in the Auckland market.”

In Auckland and Northland, auctions made up 40% of all listings. The average house price for the region was $708,666, up 8% from November 2013.

“In the lead-up to Christmas listings look strong but we will see the traditional decline in volume as the holiday period approaches,” Duncan said.

In Christchurch, total listings were up 11% and the amount of property on hand was up 28.2%, reflecting an increase in properties coming on to the market as construction ramped up.

Christchurch’s average sale price was up 2% on the year before to $488,520 while written sales were down by 3.1%. Duncan said increasing choice in the market meant buyers were not rushing into their decisions.