The national average asking price for a home in January means house prices have more than doubled over the past 10 years to more than $1 million.
The national average asking price rose 1.4 percent in January over December to just over $1 million on realestate.co.nz.
Gisborne's asking prices rose 20 percent while Central Otago/Lakes District dropped 8.1 percent.
The number of houses available for sale was up 28.5 percent on the year earlier, with a year-on-year increase of about 4500 homes.
However, January listings on realestate.co.nz were down 1.7 percent year-on-year, reflecting a slowdown in the number of sales.
"A significant factor at play is that the sale of dwellings is slowing and we have tightened lending rules to thank for that," spokesperson Vanessa Williams said.
While houses may be out of reach for many first time home buyers, the national average asking price for an apartment unit was $734,459.
"There are still pockets of affordability around the country.
"We see prices ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 for apartments often, depending on the region," Williams said.
RNZ
