Housing stock and new listings down

Housing stock and new listings down
The Otago Lakes region hasn't been hit as hard by the economic downturn as the rest of the country. (Image: BusinessDesk)
Staff reporters
Open homes and auction rooms were busier last month but new listings and housing stock numbers fell. Realestate.co.nz said July's 6,156 new listings reflected a 17.6% national drop on annual numbers and was the lowest number for any July since records began in 2007.Stock, meanwhile, was down 12.4% year-on-year in July.The property firm's spokesperson Vanessa Williams says prices have held fairly firm since the beginning of the year, at a national average of about $870,000. And while that's still down more than $1...