Earthquake adds to housing market woes - ANZ

What little momentum was being seen in the housing market is in danger of being entirely snuffed out in the wake of the devastating Christchurch earthquake, according to the latest ANZ Property Focus.
02-03-2011 more >>

March '11 Issue

LAQC changes - The Best Tax Deal For You

Lester Haycock's plan to profit from resorts

Kiwis wanting to invest offshore for great returns
01-03-2011 more >>

Banks offer loan relief for quake victims

The country's major banks have announced a number of assistance package measures for home loan customers affected by the Christchurch earthquake.
24-02-2011 more >>

House market to remain weak - ASB

The housing market is set to remain subdued for the next couple of years and further declines in house prices are expected in early 2011, according to the latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey.
22-02-2011 more >>

House sales hit a new low in January; prices slide

The Real Estate Institute says only 3,252 houses changed hands in January, beating the previous record low of 3,666 in January last year.
11-02-2011 more >>

What's happening with house prices in your region

Landlords.co.nz looks at the residential house price highlights for January 2011.
11-02-2011 more >>

Flat hunt tip: treat it like a job interview

People desperate to rent property in central Auckland should treat their dealings with estate agents like a job interview, estate agencies warn.
08-02-2011 more >>

Auckland rents rise above the doom and gloom

The rental market – particularly in Auckland – has been bucking the trend of falling prices and low sales as “a whole new generation of renters have left home ownership behind.”
08-02-2011 more >>

February '11 Issue

North v South: Which island offers the best investment locations
08-02-2011 more >>

Property values still down but stabilising - QV

Christchurch and Nelson are the only places to have seen residential property values increase on last year, according to the latest QV Residential Property update.
08-02-2011 more >>

Rental market madness

Demand for rental property in Auckland is at crisis point, with some houses now attracting as many as 200 would-be tenants.
07-02-2011 more >>

Rental property rated second best investment for returns

Despite falling house prices and sales, Kiwi’s love affair with rental property remains intact as it is rated the second best bet for investment returns behind term deposits.
07-02-2011 more >>

Housing pressures change the face of rental market

The black clouds of widening house affordability look like having a silver lining for landlords as a whole new demographic, priced out of home ownership, moves into private rental accommodation.
04-02-2011 more >>

Property shortage hurts sales, helps landlords

A low level of sales activity in the Auckland housing market was bucked by an active rental sector, according to Barfoot & Thompson.
03-02-2011 more >>

The risks associated with long term property investment

There is a particular risk that has showed up recently and that is building a property portfolio in a single area. The recent events such as the Christchurch earthquake and the Queensland floods have caused huge problems for the local populations and even loss of life. These natural disasters have also caused many problems for property investors and their tenants in both areas. These problems will have been especially bad for investors who had all their properties in the one area.
01-02-2011 more >>

Tax changes 'essential' to remove investment property bias - SWG

Tax changes are "essential" to remove the distortions that favour housing as an investment over basic savings products, according to the Savings Working Group report.
01-02-2011 more >>

Caution remains the watchword for property - ANZ

December saw a further pick-up in recorded house sales, however this comes from a very low base and mortgage lending remained flat, according to the latest ANZ Property Focus.
31-01-2011 more >>

Bollard keeps interest rates on hold

Home-owners can be confident floating mortgage rates won't be rising for some time following Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard's expected decision to keep interest rates on hold.
27-01-2011 more >>

OCR unchanged at 3%

The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 3.0 percent.
27-01-2011 more >>

Housing market unlikely to be able to withstand rate rises

Despite stabilising, the housing market "remains very fragile and unlikely able to withstand rate increases for some time, particularly as house prices continue to decline," said ASB economist Nick Tuffley.
27-01-2011 more >>

Wellington's rental pain is Auckland's gain

Rental vacancies remain low in Auckland while Wellington is suffering, and across the country vacancy rates are double the level of last year as house sales continue to dawdle, according to First National Group.
25-01-2011 more >>

Auckland and Tauranga top New York for unaffordable houses

Housing in New Zealand is "severely unaffordable", with property in Auckland and Tauranga less affordable than New York, according to new research.
24-01-2011 more >>

Bidding wars as rentals in crisis

The Kiwi dream of owning a home is long out of sight for many people, and now the chances of even renting a quality house are fading fast.
23-01-2011 more >>

Now's a good time to buy a house

Buying a house this year is “fundamentally a good idea” as inflation looks set to rise around the world, according to Tower Investments chief executive Sam Stubbs.
21-01-2011 more >>

Report reveals stark differences in rents across Auckland

Auckland suburbs Remuera and Takapuna/Milford have seen rents for three bedroom properties increase by 25% over the past year, while rents for a one-bedroom property in Birkenhead have fallen 47% over the same period.
20-01-2011 more >>