30 Jan 2026

Flipping houses for a quick buck could be over

From Afternoons, 1:10 pm on 30 January 2026
11218023 - house for sale

Photo: 123RF

Remember when flipping houses seemed like a sure-fire way to make a dollar? Well, it turns out those days might be behind us. 

New data from TradeMe shows New Zealanders are changing their habits, its survey showed 49 percent of buyers are looking for a house that already feels new, 16 percent looking to build from scratch, and 6 percent looking for a "fixer-upper". 

Barfoot & Thompson real estate salesperson Rawdon Christie chats to Jesse.