Auckland house sales dip last month, prices rise

Auckland house sales fell last month, coming off a stronger track in March, suggesting property investors are becoming tentative ahead of the 2010 budget, which will curb tax breaks.

The volume of sales fell 27.6 per cent to 671 in April, while the average sale price edged down less than 1 per cent to $541,486, according to Barfoot & Thompson, Auckland's biggest real estate firm.

Still, the average price was a record for the month of April.

"The budget will give certainty to the market once people have analysed any changes it may contain, but this April has the familiar feel of the start of the normal autumn/winter easing in demand," said Peter Thompson, the firm's managing director.

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Posted: 5 May 2010

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