It's late in the afternoon and dozens of people are packed into two auction rooms in downtown Auckland.
The Barfoot & Thompson auction has brought in the young and old, couples, men in suits, young singles - and they are spilling out on to the street.
There is a buzzwithin the room.
For most of the properties up for grabs, the bidding starts at the $395,000 mark, while others start at the $500,000 mark.
A four-bedroom flat in Massey ends at $590,000 but the reserve is not met. A house in New Lynn is sold for $535,000 - although the starting bid was $400,000. The cheapest is a unit in Royal Oak, which goes for $395,000.
Most of those coming away with homes are Asian and the majority of those are young couples.
A four-bedroom home with a sunroom, rumpus, huge backyard and a double garage in a prime spot in Mt Albert proves to be the one people are waiting for.
At first, there is silence when the auctioneer scans the room. After waiting for a starting bid, she makes a suggestion: $800,000. A hand pops up - followed by another. Soon there are three bidders at war.
Suddenly an Indian couple who look to be in their mid-forties join the battle. They look increasingly nervous as the bidding goes past the $1 million mark.
The other serious bidder - a young Asian man - looks calm, leaning lazily against a wall.
At $1,072,000 , the young man is no longer leaning against the wall and with a slight shake of the head, he's out.
A resounding "yes!" is heard and people start clapping for the winning couple, as they embrace.
