June farm sales down
Rural property sales eased in the Waikato in the leadup to winter, the Real Estate Institute says.
Thirty-nine farms sold in the Waikato in the three months to the end of June, compared to 50 in the three months to May and 45 in the three months to June last year.
Of the 39 Waikato farms sold in the past three months, 19 were grazing, 14 dairy, four finishing, one horticulture and one special property.
The median selling price per hectare in the Waikato for dairy farms over the three months ended June was $47,794, compared to the national median for dairy farms of $27,919 for the same period, and the Waikato median for dairy farms for the three months ended June last year of $40,062.
For grazing properties, the median selling price per hectare in the Waikato for the three months ended June was $20,455 compared to the national median for grazing properties of $13,025 for the same period, and the Waikato median for grazing properties for the three months ended June last year of $26,592.
A total of 192 lifestyle blocks sold in the Waikato in the three months ended June this year, compared to 191 in the three months to May, and 151 in the three months ended June last year.
The median selling price for lifestyle blocks in the Waikato over the three months ended June was $448,500 compared to the national median for lifestyle blocks of $477,500 for the same period, and the Waikato median for lifestyle blocks for the three months ended June last year of $415,000.
Real Estate Institute rural market spokesman Brian Peacock said demand for farm properties remained strong nationally, despite the onset of winter and the continuing volatility in commodity prices.
A total of 1413 farms were sold nationwide in the year ended June.
This was 47 per cent more than sold in the year ended June 2011.