January 2026 Housing Market Update

*Includes Barfoot & Thompson Auckland residential sales that have gone unconditional. Excludes Northland and commercial sales.

Confidence Returning to Auckland Housing Market

The Auckland housing market has made a strong start to the year with the median sales price reaching $1 million for the first time in more than 12 months and the highest number of sales in a January for five years.

“It is one of the better starts to the trading year in the past decade,” said Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Barfoot and Thompson.

“Sales numbers for the month at 824 are exceptional for January, which is traditionally one of our slower months of the year.

“This January’s sales number have been exceeded only twice in a January in the last decade, the last time being 2021 when we went on to experience house peak prices and activity.

“It is 13 months since we last had a median sales price of $1 million and this month’s median price is 4.8% higher than the median sales price for the 2025 year and 5.3% higher than in January last year.  

“The average sales price in January was $1,169,773, nearly $36,000 higher than the average sales price over the previous three months and more than $116,000 higher than in January last year.

“January’s activity benefitted from the reduction in mortgage interest rates at the start of the year, and the consensus among economists that the economy is showing signs of improving. 

“We listed 1,375 properties in January, which is consistent with the normal number of listings at this time of the year, and the number of homes on our books at month’s end was 5,475, a small increase on the number at the end of December.

“The lifestyle and rural markets also benefitted from a revival of vendor interest with sales in these markets reaching more than $63 million, a 48% increase over sales in January last year and our highest level of sales in these markets in four months.”

Barfoot & Thompson knows Auckland best. It is the city’s leading real estate company, selling around one in three Auckland residential homes, significantly ahead of all other competitor brands. 

For further information, contact Peter Thompson, Managing Director, Barfoot & Thompson, telephone 09 307 5523 or 027 453 5931 www.barfoot.co.nz.  

Released on behalf of Barfoot & Thompson by Network Communication (Dennis Lynch) telephone 021 963 733, dennis.lynch@networkcommunication.co.nz