Auckland prices up, December sales at five year high

Figures from Barfoot & Thompson also show Auckland bucked the nationwide sales trends with 714 sales in December, the highest December for five years and more than a third higher than December 2010.

"December was extremely active, and it has given early momentum to January's market," said Barfoot & Thompson managing director Peter Thompson.

He said that the strong finish to the year was assisted by having three full weeks of trading up to Christmas. However, despite an excellent sales month, "overall the Auckland market remains restrained."

"House prices are increasingly only modestly, with the difference between the average price achieved for all of 2011 at $543,124 being 2.5% higher than for the 2010 year," he said.