In June 2025, the value of mortgage lending to owner-occupier borrowers (excluding first-home buyers) in New Zealand amounted to around **** billion New Zealand dollars. Residential lending to investors was approximately *** billion New Zealand dollars in comparison. Housing affordability in New Zealand Many people across New Zealand have discarded the homeownership dream due to the country’s unaffordable housing supply. While average residential house prices fell across some of New Zealand’s regions in 2024, first-home buyers are still largely priced out of the market due to high mortgage repayments, interest rates, and average home deposit values. The monthly residential mortgage lending value to first-home buyers in New Zealand in December 2024 came to around *** billion New Zealand dollars, marking a slight rise from the previous month. The highest monthly value of mortgage lending to first-home buyers across the country was recorded in March 2021, during a year when average residential mortgage rates were at their lowest. Where are residential mortgage interest rates heading? According to a survey conducted in May 2023, rising interest rates were the leading property market concern among New Zealanders, with over 54 percent of respondents expressing their concern. New Zealand’s average new residential mortgage interest rates were at their lowest in 2021 but have inflated greatly over the past few years. In June 2021, the average 1-year fixed interest rate for a new standard residential mortgage in New Zealand was at **** percent, with this rate rising to over *** percent by December 2023. Nonetheless, mortgage rates showed signs of leveling out at the end of 2023, and began declining in 2024.

The Real Estate Services industry has faced mixed conditions over recent years. Despite the recent improvement in housing supply and the piling up of inventory, prices remain elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels, offsetting revenue declines for real estate agents. A demand-supply imbalance led to historically high housing prices in 2021-22, though tighter loan-to-value ratio (LVR) regulations and heightened interest rates curbed real estate activity and weakened prices over the two years through 2023-24. The bright-line test extension in 2021 cooled speculative investment, diminishing property investors' interest. Residential property transactions plunged in 2022-23 as cost-of-living pressures and soaring borrowing expenses weighed on mortgage affordability. As inflation moderates and the official cash rate has come down since August 2024, sales volumes and demand will pick up. That's why revenue is forecast to climb 2.8% in 2024-25. However, a plunge in property transactions is why revenue is expected to have dipped at an annualised 0.4% over the five years through 2024-25 to $6.2 billion. The commercial market has faced shifting tenant preferences, particularly around remote work arrangements, contributing to elevated office vacancy rates. Nonetheless, booming demand for industrial space and interest in green buildings has yielded new opportunities. Concurrently, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence has boosted operational efficiency for many real estate agencies, underpinning growth in their profit margins and alleviating some wage pressures. The Coalition government’s reinstatement of 80% interest deductibility for residential investment properties in April 2024, with a plan to reach 100% by April 2025, alongside the rollback of the bright-line test from 10 to 2 years, will spur investor activity and escalate property prices. These policy changes will entice property investors, expanding this market's revenue share over the coming years and benefiting real estate agencies. Consecutive cuts to the official cash rate to counter subdued economic activity will strengthen mortgage affordability and promote a resurgence in the residential property market. However, an expanding housing supply – aided by funding for social housing units and relaxed planning restrictions – will temper price escalation and slow agencies' commission growth over the coming years. Rising competition among real estate agencies and the continued adoption of digital tools, from big data analytics to advanced customer management solutions, will intensify market dynamics, creating opportunities and challenges for prospective and existing agents. Overall, revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 2.2% over the five years through 2029-30 to $6.9 billion.

New Zealand has *** of the highest house price-to-income ratios in the world; nonetheless, since the first quarter of 2022, the country's house price-to-income ratio started to trend downward. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the ratio was *****, a slight decrease from the same quarter of the previous year. This ratio was calculated by dividing nominal house prices by nominal disposable income per head, and is considered a measure of affordability. Homeownership dream New Zealand has been in what is widely considered a housing bubble. The disproportionately large increases in residential house prices have placed the dream of owning their own home out of reach for many in the country. In 2024, around ** percent of residential properties were sold for over a million New Zealand dollars. The majority of mortgage lending in the country went to owner-occupiers where the property was not their first home, with first-home buyers often struggling to secure a loan. In general, only New Zealand residents and citizens can buy homes in the country to live in, with new regulations tightening investment activity in that market. Rent affordability Due to New Zealand's high property prices, many individuals and families are stuck renting for prolonged periods. However, with rent prices increasing across the country and the share of monthly income spent on rent trending upwards in tandem with a highly competitive rental market, renting is becoming a less appealing prospect for many. The Auckland and Bay of Plenty regions had the highest weekly rent prices across the country as of December 2024, with the Southland region recording the lowest rent prices per week.

The price of residential property in New Zealand was the highest in the Auckland region in June 2025, with an average sale price of around ******* New Zealand dollars. The most populated city in the country, Auckland, has consistently reported higher house prices compared to most other regions. Buying property in New Zealand, particularly in its major cities, is expensive. The nation has one of the highest house-price-to-income ratios in the world. Auckland residential market The residential housing market in Auckland is competitive. Prices have been slowly decreasing; the Auckland region experienced an annual decrease in the average residential house price in March 2025 compared to the same month in the previous year. The price of residential property in Auckland was the highest in the North Shore City district, with an average sale price of around **** million New Zealand dollars. Home financing Due to the rising cost of real estate, an increasing number of New Zealanders who want to own their own property are taking on mortgages. Most residential mortgage lending in New Zealand went to owner-occupier borrowers, followed by first home buyers. In addition to mortgage lending, previously under the KiwiSaver HomeStart initiative, first-home buyers in New Zealand were able to apply to withdraw all or part of their KiwiSaver retirement savings to assist with purchasing a first home. Nonetheless, the scheme was discontinued in May 2024. Furthermore, even with a large initial deposit, it may take decades for many borrowers to pay off their mortgage.

Precinct Properties New Zealand reported NZD1.52B in Loan Capital for its fiscal semester ending in December of 2024. Data for Precinct Properties New Zealand | PCT - Loan Capital including historical, tables and charts were last updated by Trading Economics this last September in 2025.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

As of September 2023, the average home deposit for first-time buyers who had to pay a ** percent deposit in Auckland, New Zealand was ****** New Zealand dollars. For buyers who had to pay a ** percent deposit for a house in Auckland, the average was ******* New Zealand dollars.