New mortgages to Australian landlords dropped the most in three years in February, signalling an easing in the speculator demand for housing that had concerned the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Sales prices increased almost 4 per cent since February, taking the average price of a residence in Auckland to an all-time high of $776,729.

Catherine Smith was 25 when she bought her first home in 1982 - a three-bedroom bay-fronted Ponsonby villa for $55,000.

Real estate firm Bayleys yesterday joined Air New Zealand's Airpoints programme and the airline is on the lookout for more partners.

Houses in eight Auckland suburbs south of the CBD topped national value rises, up a "whopping" 17.9 per cent annually, according to QV data just out.

Mortgage payments for Auckland's most affordable homes are costing first-time buyers nearly half their take-home pay each week, a new report shows.

A property developer's family trust that bought 9000sq m of land in an exclusive Queenstown subdivision must repay $740,000 to liquidators after losing a High Court fight that involved fraudulent....

Former high-flying multibillion-dollar developer Nigel McKenna is working on Auckland's big state house overhaul.

It's valued at more than $1.5 million and situated in the sought-after Grammar zone - and it could be all yours for just $1. But there's a catch.

The major banks are breathing a sigh of relief that the Reserve Bank has decided to drop the 5+ proposal.

Landlords have hit back at Reserve Bank consultation on their sector, threatening to punish tenants by hiking rents if a tougher lending regime is ushered in.

The Reserve Bank has taken a step closer to treating residential investment properties differently from owner-occupied ones.

A new $300 million 800-unit Albany project, promoted as New Zealand's largest residential apartment development, has just been announced. Martin

Building activity has reached its strongest growth rate in almost 15 years and is up sharply in the latest quarter, but critics say it is still not helping relieve Auckland's housing crisis.

Auckland house values are up by 43.8 per cent on the last boom in 2007 - but a valuer is warning that off-the-plan buyers are not always recovering their money.

Former Blue Chip boss Mark Bryers returns to the witness box today as the High Court continues its look at his application for discharge from bankruptcy.

Former Blue Chip boss Mark Bryers is seeking discharge from his bankruptcy in the High Court at Auckland today.

The lakeside drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy lives up to its billing as one of New Zealand's most scenic roads - it just gets better at every bend as the north Wakatipu basin reveals....

Investors in property syndicates formerly run by SPI have been told to close ranks to the media.

In the last year, Auckland house prices were up 16 per cent and it is expected pressures will build up house prices even more.

New Zealand's banks had a bumper 2014, with home loan demand amid a booming property market helping to boost their combined profit by more than 20 per cent to a record $4.8 billion.

Australia has tightened the rules on foreign purchases of agricultural land and has reduced the ownership screening threshold to A$15 million from A$252 million.

Mortgage lenders have noticed an upswing in the number of people withdrawing money from KiwiSaver for a first home.

"Negligent" advice from a Tauranga law firm did not cause a Blue Chip investor's $90,000 loss, the Supreme Court has unanimously decided.

Investors in nine property syndicates that have so far lost $25 million say related-party loans and mismanagement may have contributed to their financial woes.

Contestants in Television New Zealand's new hit DIY reality show may face tax bills of many thousands of dollars.