Buyers have plenty of options heading into the warmer months

Property buyers potentially have a “window of opportunity”, with stock levels increasing and prices flatlining.

Across New Zealand, a total of 30,028 properties were listed for sale on realestate.co.nz in September, which was 1.5% higher than the month before and 27.4% higher than the year before. It was also the highest September total since 2014.

That September listings figure included 9,276 new listings, which was 15.3% more the previous month and 18.7% more than the previous year. Furthermore, it was the strongest September for new listings since 2021.

Meanwhile, the national median asking price has now remained largely unchanged for 20 months, having hovered between $860,000 and $890,000 during that time. That is the longest period of price stagnation that realestate.co.nz has ever seen.

Buyers appear to be noticing the favourable conditions – residential sale enquiries in September were 9.6% higher than the year before, while realestate.co.nz experienced the largest international audience in more than 12 months.

“For those waiting for the perfect time to enter the market, this could be the window of opportunity they’ve been hoping for,” realestate.co.nz spokesperson Vanessa Williams said.

“With so many properties on the market, buyers have plenty of options as we head into the warmer months. If confidence continues to grow, we may start seeing stock levels decline as more buyers take advantage of current opportunities.”

Ms Williams said the current level of price predictability offered benefits to both buyers and sellers. “Buyers can confidently enter the market, knowing prices have remained steady, while sellers can adjust their expectations based on these consistent trends,” she said.

Interested in taking advantage of this window of opportunity? Contact me to organise a home loan pre-approval, so you can get certainty around your budget before you start your property search.