Counting chickens before they hatch is fraught with disappointment – it is however, hard not to get excited about the prospect of an America’s Cup win and the impact that would have on our city and country. Regardless, there is no doubt that as a nation, we are enjoying increasing favour from international buyers.

The new restrictions around bank’s Loan To Value Ratio (LVR) will undoubtedly affect many first home buyers. The Reserve Bank has indicated approx. 30% of all bank lending is to those with less than 20% deposit. It will be interesting to see the extent to which this applies to buyers in Central Auckland.

The demand for homes in the areas we serviced over the last period, the sales made and the prices paid altogether have us more convinced that rather than witnessing a property bubble, Auckland is coming of age on the world stage. Increasingly, the mix of international buyers is changing perception of values - given the amenity values Auckland enjoys, this is only likely to increase. Go the All Blacks and Team NZ!

This ongoing mild weather suggests we may be heading towards an early Spring. With the start of the third school term we are seeing an increase in listings and predict a strong, competitive selling season leading up to Christmas. If you are contemplating making a change, our success rate at auction would suggest it’s a great time to sell.