PHOTO: STREETVIEW One Auckland property, on East Coast Road, was bought for $2.5 million in September 2017 and sold in January for $2m.

The number of Auckland homeowners selling their properties for less than they paid for them has doubled over the past year.

New data from Homes.co.nz, which is based on sales information lodged with the local council, shows that 7.2 per cent of sales in the first quarter of this year have resulted in a capital loss for Auckland property owners.

That is compared to 3.1 per cent in the same period of 2018 and 1.5 per cent at the end of 2016.

But it’s not only homeowners in the biggest city who are ending up out of pocket.

READ MORE VIA STUFF