Auckland homes dearest

Press, 18 June 1980, Page 14

Auckland homes dearest

PA Wellington A house or a section bought in Auckland last year cost on average more than properties in other parts of New Zealand. The average price Aucklanders paid for a house was $35,351. Those who planned to build their own new home paid an average of $14,993 for a section. These figures, calculated for the year ended March 31 this year, were in the annual report of the Valuation Department tabled in Parliament by the Minister in charge of the department (Mr V. S. Young). On average the next most expensive of the four main urban centres in

which to buy a house was Wellington with an average priced home selling for $33,122, followed by Christchurch ($28,763), and Dunedin (25,847). In the subdivision market Christchurch followed Auckland as the second most expensive city with sections selling at an average of $12,536. . In Wellington the average was $11,580 and in Dunedin, $8404. Throughout New Zealand both the volume of sales and the average price was up. The national average house price was $30,229 compared with $29,506 the previous year, an increase of about $7OO.

A total of 45,342 homes and sections changed hands compared with 39,160 in 1978. In the rural sector there were 4607 farm sales, 546 more than the year before. An analysis of buyers of freehold farmland sold on the open market last year showed that almost 30 per cent of the sales were for farm enlargement, 20 per cent were to farmers changing properties, 12 per cent were sold to businessmen and 35 per cent to new farmers. The figures did not include family sales. The farmland which changed hands sold for a total of $505.6 million.