If you’ve been sitting on the fence about buying, selling, or making your next property move in the Waikato, the latest data from Infometrics makes for compelling reading. The region’s property market is outperforming the rest of New Zealand, and has been quietly doing so for the past year.

The Infometrics Quarterly Economic Monitor for Q1 2026 (March quarter) has just landed, and for anyone with an interest in Waikato property – whether you’re a first home buyer, an investor, or simply thinking about your next move – the headline figures are worth knowing.

Let’s start with the number that matters most for the property market: transactions. In the 12 months to March 2026, 8274 houses were sold in the Waikato. That’s above the 10-year annual average of 7788, and represents an 11.9% lift on the year before.

To put that in perspective, the national increase over the same period was 7.8%. The Waikato is outpacing New Zealand as a whole on house sales, by a meaningful margin.

Here’s a statistic that doesn’t get enough attention: housing in the Waikato is now the most affordable it has been in a decade. The affordability ratio, which measures average house values against average household incomes, sits at 5.5 in the Waikato, compared to 5.9 nationally.

The average house value in the Waikato is $729,317, which is $142,000 below the national average of $871,831. Combined with the region’s solid economic performance (GDP growth of 0.9% against a national 0.4%), the Waikato is genuinely offering value that is hard to find elsewhere in New Zealand right now.

The surge in first home buyer activity is one of the most striking features of the current market. In the Waikato, 501 properties were purchased using the Kāinga Ora First Home Loan scheme in the past 12 months, more than double the 10-year average of just 216. That’s a 34.3% year-on-year increase, reflecting both improved affordability and growing confidence among first-time buyers.

Nationally, first home loan purchases have hit their highest level on record. In the Waikato, the conditions that are driving this – better affordability, more stock on the market, and motivated vendors – are firmly in place.

Supply is keeping pace with demand. New real estate listings in the Waikato reached 11,655 over the past year, up 3.4% - above  both the 10-year average and the national growth rate of 2.2%.

Looking ahead, the pipeline for new property is also improving. Residential consents in the Waikato rose 3.5% year-on-year, with 671 new dwellings consented in the March 2026 quarter alone.

On the commercial side, the Waikato is a genuine standout. Non-residential building consents reached $707.9 million – up 8.9% year-on-year, against a national increase of just 1.2%. The region’s commercial and industrial property sector is clearly active, and investment intentions are strong.

One more data point worth flagging for renters: while residential rents across New Zealand fell 1.2% on average over the past year, Waikato rents moved in the opposite direction – rising 1.3% to an average of $528 per week. Rental affordability in the region, while still reasonable, is slightly tighter than the national average.

For renters in Hamilton and across the wider Waikato, the gap between renting and owning continues to narrow. At current house values and with first home loan options available, ownership is within reach for more people than at any point in the past decade.

All in all, the Waikato property market is in a healthy, active phase. Sales volumes are above average, affordability is at its best in 10 years, first home buyer activity is at record highs, and construction intentions – both residential and commercial – are on the rise. The region is outperforming the national market on almost every key metric.

Whether you’re buying your first home, upgrading, investing, or selling, the legal side of any property transaction needs to be handled carefully and efficiently. At OC Law, conveyancing is at the heart of what we do. We work with buyers, sellers, and developers across the Waikato to make property transactions as smooth and stress-free as possible.

If you’re thinking about a property move in the Waikato, we’d love to help. Get in touch with the team at OC Law to talk through your next steps.