A dramatic fall in house prices at the bottom of the market last month considerably improved the prospects of first home buyers, according to interest.co.nz's Home Loan Affordability Report.
According to the report the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand's lower quartile selling selling price dropped substantially in most regions of the country in January. The biggest fall was in the Bay of Plenty where it declined by $96,000 (-13.9%), falling from $692,000 in December last year to $596,000 in January this year.
The lower quartile is the price point at which 25% of the sales in a month are below and 75% are above, representing the most affordable end of the market that is of most interest to typical first home buyers.
Following close behind the Bay of Plenty was Manawatu/Whanganui which recorded a $70,000 (-14.6) lower quartile price drop in January from December, followed by Auckland -$62,000 (-7.6%), Nelson/Marlborough -$42,000 (-7.2%), Southland -$31,000 (-8.8%), Taranaki -$30,000 (-5.8%), Wellington -$27,000 (-4.2%) and Canterbury -$20,000 (-3.8%).
The only regions where the lower quartile price increased in January were Waikato +$50,000 (+8.3%) and Hawke's Bay +$15,000 (+2.8%).
The latest drop in prices means there are now six regions around the country where the lower quartile selling price has declined by more than $100,000 since prices peaked in November 2021.
They are: Auckland -$216,000, Bay of Plenty -$104,000, Hawke's Bay -$107,500, Manawatu/Whanganui -$105,000, Wellington Region -$165,000, Nelson/Marlborough -$117,000, while the lower quartile price decline in Otago is just under $100,000 at $99,500.
Nationally the lower quartile price has declined by $93,000 from its peak in November 2021.
As well as benefitting from lower prices at the bottom end of the market, aspiring first home buyers were also helped by the fact that mortgage interest rates did not increase, with the average of the two year fixed rates offered by the major banks staying at 6.58%, the same as it was in December 2021.
However that pause in interest rates may not last much longer, with the Reserve Bank set to review interest rates on Wednesday.
The tables below give the main affordability measures for typical first home buyers with either a 10% or 20% deposit, by region/city/district.
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