- Sellers are getting, on average, more than their final asking price for properties listed on realestate.co.nz
- 8 out of 19 regions recorded higher average selling price than asking price
- Wellington homeowners getting on average $17,000 more for homes than they were expecting.
The analysis, which compared the asking and selling prices of more than 53,000 residential homes listed and sold on realestate.co.nz between 1 January 2024 and 31 May 2025, showed that by the time a home sold, people were getting more than their final asking price.
During this period, New Zealand homeowners asked for an average of $894,915 for their properties but achieved an average selling price of $898,845, putting an extra $3,930 in their pockets.
The two price types were compared in the month that the property was officially sold, using sales data provided by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, says sellers are meeting the market and exceeding their own expectations.
“The last 18 months have been tough for sellers, but we are seeing that by the time their home sells, vendors are getting realistic with their price expectations. This seems to be having a surprisingly positive outcome, as they are ending up with slightly more than they bargained for.”
Whether vendors were up or down with their pricing expectations varied greatly around the country. Eight of realestate.co.nz’s 19 regions recorded a higher average selling price than asking price, while the remaining 11 asked, on average, for more than the average selling price.
Wellington sellers take the win
Sellers in Wellington had the biggest positive variance between asking and selling prices, with vendors getting, on average, $17,185 more for their homes than what they asked for.
The average asking price over this period in the region was $901,484, while the average selling price was $918,668.
Canterbury followed suit with an average asking price of $745,995, and a selling price of $759,715 – an average of $13,721 more in the hand for vendors.
Gisborne also recorded a bigger-than-average gain between asking and selling, from $692,420 to $704,256, an average upside of $11,835.
Coromandel buyers not budging
Meanwhile, Coromandel stood out as the region where vendors received notably less than their expectations, with an average asking price of $1,116,914 compared to an average selling price of $1,071,241 – a gap of $45,673.”
Other regions with the greatest disparity between asking and selling prices were Northland (-$14,117) and Waikato (-$8,399).
“While we always want to see a deal taking place, the property market only functions when buyers and sellers are prepared to negotiate and make sacrifices,” says Williams.
“With more properties on the market and prices holding steady, successful transactions often come down to pricing that both parties can agree upon and open negotiation.”
About realestate.co.nz
We’ve been helping people buy, sell, or rent property since 1996.
Established before Google, realestate.co.nz is New Zealand’s longest-standing property website and the official website of the real estate industry.
Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.
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