Southland buyers have been paying slightly more than the asking price for homes over the past year, bucking a national trend of modest discounts, according to new figures from realestate.co.nz.

The property website compared its average asking prices with average selling prices from Real Estate Institute data across 19 regions. Nationally, homes sold for an average of $824,698 against an average asking price of $830,022, a gap of about $5300 or 0.6 per cent.

Selling prices came in below asking in 12 regions. Southland was one of seven where buyers paid more than sellers asked, with an average premium of 1.6 per cent.

Central Otago-Lakes recorded the biggest premium at 2.1 per cent, with an average selling price of $1,441,503 against an asking price of $1,411,460, a difference of about $30,000, and the highest average sale price in the country. Canterbury, the West Coast and Wellington also sold above asking.

At the other end, Coromandel had the largest shortfall, with homes selling for $969,696 on average against an asking price of $1,015,592, a gap of 4.5 per cent. Auckland sellers accepted about 2.1 per cent, or $24,000, below asking.

A credible starting point

Realestate.co.nz general manager of customer Vanessa Williams said even the biggest gap was under 5 per cent, and "asking prices remain a credible starting point for negotiations".

She told RNZ the gap was probably smaller than it had been because the market had been stable for a long time, and she did not expect it to widen until there was real stimulation. More than 37,000 homes are listed for sale nationally, and Williams said the sell-through rate had dropped off considerably because of the election.

Invercargill mortgage broker Mandy Jordan of Mortgage Supply told What's On Invers the local market was split by price. "The under-$500K bracket is moving incredibly fast while the over-$500K segment seems to be taking a bit longer," she said.

Jordan said first-home buyers were active, and she expected another wave of listings within about six months once owners finished preparing properties over summer.

The premium is consistent with other recent data pointing to steady demand in the south. Real Estate Institute figures reported earlier this month put Southland's median sale price at $505,000, with first-home buyers a strong presence in the market.

For buyers, the realestate.co.nz figures suggest there is little room to negotiate big discounts in Southland, and that well-priced homes in the lower brackets are likely to attract competition.