If you’ve driven past a string of open home signs this week, you’re not imagining the lift in activity.

Early January on the Hibiscus Coast is looking busier in terms of people moving, rather than prices running away.

To put some numbers around the supply locals are scrolling through right now, Trade Me was showing 843 residential properties for sale across the Hibiscus Coast and nearby Rodney suburbs at the time of writing.

The top asking price we could see in that set was $7.5m for a lifestyle property in Dairy Flat.

At the other end, one of the cheapest listings we could find was $399,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in Gulf Harbour.

Local agent Charlie from Charlie Cochrane Real Estate says the market has “picked up, in terms of sales volumes not higher prices”, which he links to “the lowering of the OCR and the consequential lower mortgage interest rates”.

He also says vendors’ price expectations have been “somewhat tempered” because of “the high volume of properties for sale”.

Charlie Cochrane.

If you’re in that first home buyer bracket, Charlie says homes in the “$800,000 to $1 million” range are “attracting good numbers of potential purchasers”.

That fits with what many locals notice first, plenty of foot traffic, lots of comparison, and buyers taking their time before they commit.

So if you’re planning a move in 2026, this looks like a market where prep matters.

Buyers can take a breath and watch what actually sells, not just what’s listed.

Sellers will likely do best by pricing to the competition and getting the basics right before the first open home, because people have more choice and they are using it.

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