Revealed: which New Zealand suburbs are most popular with property seekers in 2023?
Which places across New Zealand attract the most interest from property seekers? OneRoof’s latest research found that 8 of the 10 suburbs with the most property searches on its website this year are in Auckland.
Which places across New Zealand attract the most interest from property seekers? OneRoof’s latest research found that 8 of the 10 suburbs with the most property searches on its website this year are in Auckland. These include Remuera and Mt Eden, two Double Grammar Zone suburbs particularly popular with parents. The other two upmarket areas outside Auckland are Papamoa in Tauranga and Waipa in Cambridge.
Auckland
Auckland CBD
In Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, the Auckland CBD attracted the most property searches on OneRoof during the first five months of this year. Its average property value is NZ$588,000. Searches in the area reportedly focused on affordable one-bedroom apartments, with search volumes up 77.4% compared with the first 5 months of 2022.
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The upmarket suburb of Remuera attracted the second-highest level of interest nationwide, with searches up 65.4% on the same period last year. Home to some of New Zealand’s most expensive properties, the suburb has remained in the spotlight because it is zoned for both Auckland Grammar School and Epsom Girls Grammar School. Remuera’s current average property value is NZ$2,662,000, but a number of homes in the suburb have sold for more than NZ$20,000,000 this year.
The ten suburbs with the most property searches nationwide, ranked (source: OneRoof; the same source applies below)
Flat Bush, in south-east Auckland, ranks third nationwide for property searches. Ken Ralph, manager of Ray White Flat Bush, says more buyers are turning their attention to the area as the number of new homes increases. Ralph has seen new properties come onto the market and new residential developments get under way every week. Many are spacious homes with 4 to 6, or even 8, bedrooms, making them ideal for large families. The area also has a comprehensive range of amenities, including schools and educational institutions, Ormiston Town Centre, and investment from many emerging industries and businesses. Ralph believes buyers are readily attracted to new buildings and planned neighbourhoods, sparing them the trouble of renovating existing homes.
Other Auckland suburbs among the ten attracting the most property interest include Papatoetoe, Henderson and Pukekohe. What they have in common is that they are among Auckland’s most affordable areas.
Wellington
In the capital, Wellington, the three areas attracting the most property searches are inner-city Te Aro, centrally located Mt Victoria and Tawa in Porirua to the north. During the first five months of this year, searches in these areas rose by 135%, 408.3% and 68.8% respectively compared with the same period last year. Te Aro lies within Wellington’s central business district and has an average property value of NZ$713,000. It attracts considerable interest because of its numerous relatively affordable new apartment developments. The value of property sales in the area last month was almost three times that of the same month last year.
Christchurch
The three Christchurch areas attracting the most property interest, ranked
In Christchurch, Halswell, Saint Albans and the city centre are the three areas attracting the most property searches. Searches for Halswell increased by more than 100% compared with the same period last year. Tony Jenkins, chief executive of Harcourts Holmwood, says Halswell, where the average property value is NZ$827,000, is very popular with property seekers. Numerous developments are already under way, and people really like the area because it offers easy access to the city centre.
Dunedin
The three Dunedin areas attracting the most property interest, ranked
In Dunedin, in the southern South Island, Mosgiel, the CBD and Saint Clair attract the most property searches. Searches for all three areas increased by more than 100% compared with the same period last year, with Mosgiel recording the largest rise at 171.2%. Its average property value is NZ$712,000, and it is only about 15 minutes’ drive from central Dunedin. John Murphy, a partner at Ray White Dunedin, says Mosgiel attracts attention because it has more new developments than anywhere else, with further development continuing.
Queenstown Lakes
Demand for property in Queenstown Lakes continues to grow. The three areas attracting the most searches are central Queenstown, Dalefield/Wakatipu Basin and Jack’s Point. Notably, Dalefield/Wakatipu Basin has an average property value of NZ$4,600,000, with searches surging by an astonishing 259%. Central Queenstown has an average property value of NZ$1,570,000 and recorded a 53.8% increase in searches, while Jack’s Point has an average value of NZ$1,808,000 and saw searches rise by 66%.
Senior property adviser Hamish Walker says he regularly meets Auckland and Australian buyers interested in Queenstown property. Demand in central Queenstown has remained strong. Many people like buying on Queenstown’s hills because the town centre is just a few minutes’ drive away, making access extremely convenient. He has found that Australian buyers in particular are keen to buy close to the town centre, where they can enjoy views across the town without leaving home. He adds that about three months ago, around 400 properties were for sale in Queenstown. Now fewer than 300 remain on the market, a decrease of 30% from three months ago. With demand outstripping supply, even many homes that would otherwise be difficult to sell are selling quickly.