Major banks are "stress-testing" mortgage borrowers to ensure they will be able to meet repayments when higher interest rates hit.

The latest deal from a New Zealand bank to lure in new customers with "free" money and zero fees comes with a warning tag from financial experts.

Banks are still finalising how they will deal with the Reserve Bank's exemption for home-building loans.

Rising home loan approvals are another sign that the Australian housing recovery is in full swing, making another cash rate cut unlikely.

Banks are showing more interest in making low-deposit home loans after cutting back hard before Christmas, but it is mainly investors who are taking advantage.

Auckland's average house price rose to a record in December as property values benefited from a lack of supply heading into summer.

Kiwibank has become the third bank to lift its mortgage rates in a week.

National house prices rose $17,475 last month to reach a $425k median. But are falling sales numbers a sign that new loan rules are starting to bite? (with new infographic)

Borrowers need to be aware that current market pricing implies a rise in interest rates of around 2 percentage points over the next two years, writes Brian Fallow.

Lending restrictions are starting to ease the pressure on the property market but first-home buyers are still finding it tough as prices and interest rates creep up.

Despite the introduction of the Reserve Bank's lending restrictions, home affordability has continued to worsen according to a new report.

Homeowners who have stretched their budgets to get into the housing market in the past two years are likely to feel the squeeze as interest rates rise.

The Reserve Bank doubts its curbs on mortgage lending at high loan-to-value ratios will have a material counter-productive effect on house building.

NZ's median house price rose 1.9 per cent to a record in October, although sale volumes were dented as Reserve Bank lending restrictions began to bite.

Auckland house prices hit an all-time high, Barfoot & Thompson data just out showed, despite Reserve Bank lending restrictions.

The Reserve Bank's restrictions on low-deposit mortgage lending have yet to dent expectations that house prices will rise.

National property prices rose by $10,000 in September, taking the median house price back to a record high reached earlier this year.

Westpac has dropped its two-year fixed rate home loan but at the same time hiked its one-year rate.

Low-deposit mortgages will not only be harder to get from the end of this month, but they will be a lot more expensive.

New figures show national property prices were up $5,000 in August, taking the national median price to $390,000.

House prices dipped last month, says the Real Estate Institute, but the number of properties changing hands was up more than 10 per cent from the month before.

Auckland house prices rose for a third month in July as listings and sales jumped, according to Barfoot & Thompson, the city's biggest realtor.

The beginning of the end may have begun for record-low mortgage rates in New Zealand.

Mortgage debt is rising at the fastest clip for 4 years.

Lenders are offering home-owners the lowest short-term bank mortgage rates in New Zealand history as they compete to lure customers before an expected rise next year.

The number of New Zealand house sales slipped from a six-year high last month, but the national market is still being driven by Auckland and Christchurch.