The Thames-Coromandel District Council says it was an unseasonably busy winter for the team in its Land Information Memoranda (LIM) department.

Over a three month period the department received a total of 422 LIM requests, with 140 received during July, 132 in August, and another 150 in September.

Land information officer Christine Harrison has worked in the department since 2000 and says they are the highest figures she's done in the winter months since joining council.

'These are normal peak summer figures,” says Christine. 'We're now getting feedback from our customers and real estate agents that things are at a tipping point and very little stock remains on the market.”

This seems to be especially true for Thames and Whitianga, but the department is also receiving LIM requests from all areas of the Coromandel at record levels.

Christine's also received feedback from Coromandel real estate agents saying they are desperately short of stock as everything has sold and 'there's nothing new to put up in the windows”.

'We also understand agents now have waiting lists for properties coming onto the market and it could mean a quiet summer because there's nothing left to sell.”

Market commentators say homeowners with new found equity in their projects are turning their attention to coastal areas where many prices are well below their previous peak.

Corelogic senior research analyst Nick Goodall says his firm was starting to see more requests for valuations in such areas as Thames-Coromandel, Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupo.

A LIM is usually requested generally when an offer has been accepted on a property and council is just keeping up with its statutory obligation to process within 10 working days.

'We're also seeing a lot more urgent LIMs being sought,” adds Christine. 'A third of our LIM requests are urgent and they need to be processed within two working days.”

An urgent LIM costs $320 while a standard LIM costs $220.

There could also be a potential flow-on effect from the volume of LIM requests.

'If people are coming in buying houses, generally we tend to see an increase in building consents as they move in and renovate,” says Christine.

Along with residential LIM requests, Christine notes commercial LIM requests were higher than usual between July-September.

For more information about Land Information Memoranda visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council's website at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/lims