NZ house sales rise 6.6% in April on strong demand; tight inventory pushes up prices

NZ house sales rise 6.6% in April on strong demand; tight inventory pushes up prices
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard May 11 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand house sales rose 6.6 percent in April, the biggest year-on-year increase in 23 months, as ongoing demand coupled with tighter inventory saw prices increase in 14 of 16 regions.  The number of houses sold climbed to 6,368 in April from 5,973 a year earlier, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand said in a statement.  Excluding Auckland, the number of properties lifted 8.4 percent on the year to 4,514 while sales in Auckland were up 2.4 percent to 1,854.   "The last time there was a...