We asked, an expert answered: Where is the next hotspot for property value growth?
Sunday, 2 November 2025
Thinking about moving? Summer is traditionally friendlier for open homes, showcasing the best of a property (indoor outdoor flow, anybody?) and new year is naturally the time when people think about new beginnings. We asked Jen Baird, executive director of Bayleys Auckland Residential and former chief executive of the Real Estate Institute our all our burning real estate questions.
They call it a buyer's market right now but if you're wanting to sell, what are the indications that the market might be starting to shift in your favour?
Over the last few weeks there has been an obvious shift in demand. It has been busy in the auction room with lots of offers being made. At one of our auctions there was over 70 bids on a property.
Activity is starting to pick up. Part of that is seasonal, and part of it is more positivity in the market due to the recent OCR cut, and more people saying we are past the bottom of the cycle.
Listings are really strong. There is a higher than usual amount of stock, so buyers do have choice, and more listings are in the pipeline and coming to market.
That choice is not going to dry up quickly, so while more buyers are around the supply-demand equation is not going to swap round anytime soon.
Summer is coming - is this the worst time to sell, over the holidays, or better because properties appear better in nicer weather?
Regardless of the season, the worst time to sell is when you are really desperate, and you can’t do what you need to do to make your house more attractive. The best time is when a seller has all their ducks in a row.
When it comes to whether summer is a good or bad time to sell, yes - many people go away on holiday. But there are also people who look at property more closely over the summer period because they have more time to do it.
Summer can be a great time to sell, and any real estate agent will tell you they have done deals right up to the last minute before the Christmas break.
Capital gains on a property used to be realised very quickly, but are those days over and what is a better period of time to hold onto an investment property now?
When it comes to property, it’s about time in the market rather than timing the market. Chasing short-term gains is always going to be risky.
We expect prices to stay fairly flat over the next 12 months before returning to growth. When the next upswing begins, you don’t want to be caught on the sidelines — that’s when time in the market will really work in your favour.
With this particular market in mind, how important is making fixes, repairs or even renos on properties before they're sold?
If you are thinking about selling, you need to recognise there’s lots of competition and buyers have lots of options. Many buyers are also looking for properties they don’t have to do work on.
So how you present your property is really important. Anything you can do to make your property look fresher and more attractive helps. That might mean updating the kitchen, or doing some painting, or even just waterblasting the drive.
You also need to create urgency around your listing. Auctions and deadlines can help here. But your listing needs to stand out loud and proud to get people along to your open homes. That means marketing, with good photos, is really important.
Where do you predict the next big suburb or region will be in terms of property value growth?
My crystal ball is focusing on the suburbs along Auckland’s rail corridor, particularly through the central west, as the City Rail Link will soon make them much faster commutes.
Down south, Christchurch is quickly stepping into its cool era – it’s still great value, and there’s plenty of momentum behind it, so I think it’s one to watch too.