Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Auckland property sales lift in January - Barfoot

Updated at 5:12 am on 7 February 2012

Barfoot & Thompson has reported its strongest January in four years.

Auckland's largest real estate agency sold 683 properties in January, 21% more than a year earlier.

Barfoot and Thompson's managing director Peter Thompson says while new listings were up 15%, there were fewer properties for sale.

He says the real estate market is getting back into its traditional cycle where over the next two to three months more listings will come on the market with the end of the school holidays and good weather, which will continue through until April.

Mr Thompson says there's then likely to be a slight seasonal drop off during the winter months and it will pick up again later in the year building through to Christmas 2013.

The average sale price in January was about 3% higher than in 2011.

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