Home buyers retain the upper hand

Homes for sale on Realestate.co.nz at 12-year high for the month of May while asking prices declined for the third consecutive month

Property / news

Homes for sale on Realestate.co.nz at 12-year high for the month of May while asking prices declined for the third consecutive month

3rd Jun 26, 10:11am by Greg Ninness

The housing market moved even further in buyers' favour in May with asking prices dropping for the third consecutive month and stock for sale at a 12 year high for the time of year, according to the latest data from Realestate.co.nz.

The property website had 36,130 residential properties advertised for sale at the end of May. That was up 5.0% compared to May last year, and was the most stock it has had on its books in the month of May since 2014.

Total stock for sale was particularly high in Auckland, where 14,261 residential properties were available for sale at the end of May, an 18 year high for the month of May.

Stock levels were up compared to a year ago in most parts of the country, with only four regions - West Coast, Southland, Central Otago/Lakes and Canterbury recording lower stock levels compared to May last year.

If stock levels follow their usual seasonal trend, they should decline slightly over the next few months, then begin picking up again as the market heads into the spring/summer selling season.

However, it appears that potential buyers will continue to have plenty of choice in the coming months.

They may also be able to negotiate cheaper prices.

The average asking price of the properties advertised for sale on Realestate.co.nz declined for the third consecutive month in May to $850,434.

The average asking price has now declined by $48,243 (-5.4%) since February.

Average asking prices in Auckland have suffered an even bigger decline, dropping to $1,012,963 in May, down $84,780 (-7.7%) since February.

However, the apparently softer market conditions have not resulted in fewer vendors bringing their properties to market, with Realestate.co.nz receiving 9521 new residential listings in May. That was the highest number for the month of May since 2018.

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9 Comments

by IT GUY | 3rd Jun 26, 11:02am 1780441321

Its Fine.

by hamishk1 | 3rd Jun 26, 11:09am 1780441779

The bottom of this market has yet to be found in the North Island, while the South Island is chugging along nicely.

by interesting1234 | 3rd Jun 26, 2:45pm 1780454752

The plethora of youtube channels doing series of travelers going around the South Island, as well as Tiktok, instagram, Facebook etc seems to be bringing in the tourists. Oddly the youtube algorithm seems to keeps suggesting channels of americans who have recently moved to NZ or are looking to move to NZ, and documenting how they are finding it wile here.

by Averageman | 3rd Jun 26, 11:15am 1780442133

Sellers remain deluded to commercial reality available to buyers. Interest rates still low compared to historically normal levels and are forecast to rise. Key point...

declined for the third consecutive month

Rents are dropping to boot. Yet rates, power, and other opex is all rising. Looks like specuvestors have become specusuckers. Aka the last bag holder.

by Independent_Observer | 3rd Jun 26, 12:07pm 1780445246

Yip and every few months I hear news of another person I know in their 60-70’s who has died of cancer (oddly mostly men…) leaving a widow in an oversized property they will need to list and downsize from at some point in the near future.

Unless we see another huge wave of immigration (but into what jobs/industries here?) I see supply/demand imbalance putting downward pressure on prices for more than just a few more months or years (ie opposite pattern of the past 20-30 years). Could continue to get worse as more boomers die in the next 10-20 years- remember approximately 50% will be deceased in the next 10 years and they own a lot of property.

Most of these people I know who have died recently were affluent and living in large properties. I’m not sure where all the buyers are going to come from to buy their multimillion $ properties unless via inheritances etc. But if existing residents move into the large expensive houses boomers have been living in - who is going to live in the lower value housing that is vacated by current residents in that movement? Our birth rates are low.

Can see big shifts in market dynamics at play. The baby boom empire of expensive housing, offshoring jobs to foreign countries to maximise shareholder profits, and importing cheap workers to do min-wage jobs and be tenants for their rental portfolios while simultaneously relying on falling interest rates to reduce mortgage expenses with property prices rising twice the rate of general inflation (average of 7% for the 3-4 decades with a CPI of half of that), is crumbling now - past their peak- to be replaced by what is the important question.

by interesting1234 | 3rd Jun 26, 2:49pm 1780454943

Interesting. I know plenty of those scenarios, but also many who are seeing their peers drop off suddenly and realising they are best to downsize and free up capital, or for the select few, move into a retirement village early so they have access to healthcare as will be a guaranteed need at some point in the future. The in laws have a 4 bedroom place with a downstairs flat they plan to move into when they can't manage the stairs, and rent the upstairs and half the garage which seems sensible.

by Independent_Observer | 3rd Jun 26, 4:48pm 1780462103

Not sure if its sensible or not! You could end up being old and frail and widowed with the tenants from hell living upstairs. Not my cup of tea for how I'd like to live the last years of my life.

by Averageman | 3rd Jun 26, 2:50pm 1780455024

Banks need to start moving on those that are not just underwater, but have drowned thru the weight of debt and th4eir own stupidity. Let the inevitable reset take place. Yes there will be bankruptcy's and the banks will have write off losses for a while. They have made enough money and are guilty near exploitive behaviour thru of lending to those that couldn't truly afford it.

by Independent_Observer | 3rd Jun 26, 4:49pm 1780462164

And yet didn't I just read they are lending more low LVR mortgages now than ever? Ie they are adding risk, not reducing it.