The Auckland property market is exhibiting the classic symptoms of a market uncertain as to its future direction.

The latest 3 months to March, point to a flat market with no perceptible rise in sales activity, with prices edging down. However I believe there is cause to believe that signs of a recovery in the property market may be emerging. The lead-indicator of the clearance rate points to this possible improvement as this year progresses.

Examining the three key data points of sales volume, sales price and clearance rate in more detail should help to explain this summation.

VOLUME SALES

In the first 3 months of 2019 there were a total of just over 5,000 property sales across the Auckland region, this compares to just over 6,000 for the same period last year, as has been the story for the past 2 years as property sales have slowed. What is more significant is the fact that in relative terms the total sales in Auckland in the past year is actually half the actual sales volumes of the mid 90’s and the mid 2000’s. Let me repeat that statistic. Half the sales volumes. The ‘relative terms’ to which I refer is sales per head of population.

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