News articles

Tougher estate agent rules help everyone

28 Sep 2009: The rules governing the way we buy and sell real estate are about to change for the better and, as many will rightly say, about time, too. For too long the real estate industry has lived with the reputation that it was far too soft on those of its members who transgressed and duped or deceived their customers. read more >>

Forced mortgage sales at monthly high

27 Sep 2009: Record numbers of New Zealanders are being forced into mortgagee sales according to the latest sales figures. read more >>

Home loan affordability falls to low point

21 Sep 2009: Rising house prices and interest rates combined in August to weaken home loan affordability to its worst level in 2009, the BNZ Home Loan Affordability measure shows. read more >>

NZ's best-value house suburbs

20 Sep 2009: If you had $450,000 to spend on a house, where would you buy? The answer will vary wildly depending on where you work, where you grew up, where your friends are and your lifestyle. read more >>

House building boom will lead recovery - economist

19 Sep 2009: New Zealand's recovery from recession will be fuelled by a migration-driven housing construction boom, with Auckland leading the way, Westpac chief economist Brendan O'Donovan said yesterday. read more >>

Caution urged on mortgage rate drop

18 Sep 2009: Top economists are warning potential home buyers to proceed with caution as another bank drops its variable mortgage rate to the lowest in 40 years. read more >>

New housing figures point to possible end of recession

15 Sep 2009: House prices rose last month and homes sold more quickly, real estate figures show. read more >>

House market in top 10 with 1.3pc price fall

14 Sep 2009: New Zealand has ranked in the top 10 housing markets in the world, but prices have still dropped. read more >>

Labour backs property tax, but not on family homes

14 Sep 2009: Labour leader Phil Goff says his party is prepared to discuss a capital gains tax with the Government, opening the way for an accord on a tax that has long been a political hot potato. read more >>

Six tips for managing your mortgage

12 Sep 2009: Reserve Bank Governor Allan Bollard refrained from moving interest rates this week, but economists predict those at the mercy of market forces can expect the return of hefty interest rates in coming years. read more >>

Estate agents boycott new sales form

12 Sep 2009: Estate agents and lawyers have revolted en masse against a new plain English agreement for buying and selling property. read more >>

Bollard holds rates steady - no hike till late 2010

10 Sep 2009: Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Alan Bollard held the official cash rate at 2.5 per cent today, as expected, and said the strong kiwi dollar was a threat to a sustained recovery, ruling out a rates increase before the second half of 2010. read more >>

It's getting cheaper to build a new house

9 Sep 2009: New Zealanders are spending less money on new houses, pushing the value of residential building work down 6.5 per cent in the June quarter to its lowest level in nearly eight years. read more >>

House sales jumped in August - report

8 Sep 2009: Real estate agent Ray White Ltd has reported its August sales were almost 50 per cent higher than for the same period last year. read more >>

House prices gain, but with a warning

7 Sep 2009: House values are climbing back towards last year's levels after four months of improvement, says QV Valuations. read more >>

Buyers back in apartment hunt

7 Sep 2009: Buyers have renewed the love affair with easy, convenient apartment living - everywhere but Auckland. read more >>

Landlords hit hard by wayward tenants

6 Sep 2009: Landlords are hitting back at property managers after paying thousands of dollars in fees only to have their houses trashed by tenants. read more >>

Co-buy high risk

6 Sep 2009: Looking online for your perfect match is about more than just romance. read more >>

Kiwi dream closer with beach bargains

6 Sep 2009: Beach-lovers can bag a bach bargain in Whangamata as "price reduced" is written in red across more than half of the listings in the real estate office's window. read more >>

Home loan rate cut to lowest in 40 years

5 Sep 2009: The ASB Bank has slashed its floating home mortgage rate to a 40-year low of 5.75 per cent. read more >>

Spring boom for Auckland real estate market

3 Sep 2009: Auckland's property market has shot off in spring, with house sales up more than 65 per cent on the same month last year, says real estate firm Barfoot & Thompson. read more >>

Barfoots' house sales up 65% in August; prices up 5% in a month

3 Sep 2009: A mood of quiet confidence that now is the time to act has taken hold in the Auckland property market, Auckland’s largest real estate group Barfoot and Thompson said. read more >>

Spring fails to bring listing leap

2 Sep 2009: Spring has sprung but the "for sale" signs on grass verges outside houses are failing to sprout. read more >>

Harcourts has record website views in August; Believes Auckland market share grew

2 Sep 2009: Harcourts NZ CEO Bryan Thomson said the real estate group’s website had a record amount of unique visitors in August, suggesting the traditional spring selling season will be busy. read more >>

Home sellers now have upper hand, says new report

1 Sep 2009: A shortage of residential house sale listings in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch is an indication that home sellers have the upper hand over buyers, says a new report. read more >>