A set of four run-down pensioner flats have been spruced up in a $350,000 renovation which is expected to attract first-home buyers.

A real estate agent who left a vendor liable for a second commission while pocketing a $47,500 fee from a buyer has been found guilty of misconduct.

Waiheke's biggest landowner is challenging zoning classifications on parts of its holdings on the island's eastern tip in the Stony Batter Historic Reserve war fortifications vicinity.

Three houses being renovated on TV One's Our First Home won't go anywhere near the $1 million mark each when they are auctioned next month, an investment expert believes.

One of Auckland's most spectacular penthouses - but one with a litigious history - is for sale 16 months after the luxury pad was last bought, fetching $4.7 million.

Facing huge bills to fix their leaky houses, more homeowners have joined the new $100 million-plus leaky home class action.

Councils may soon face private sector competition for issuing building consents again, as part of a Government drive to make housing more affordable.

A two-bedroom entry-level home in Mt Wellington drew an unprecedented 21 offers as desperate first-home buyers battle to break into Auckland's heated property market.

Auckland rental real estate remains NZ's most expensive but the tight Christchurch situation appears to be improving as more places come on the market.

Shopping around for a mortgage could save New Zealanders up to $28,500 over the lifetime of a loan, according to a new survey of home lending.

Housing starts plummeted in February as plunging temperatures and snow became the latest hurdles for an industry struggling to recover.

Gay Johnson spent $600,000 fixing her leaking Castor Bay house so she joined a new $100 million legal action to fight for compensation.

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

Politicians have looked at Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler as if he was a potential arsonist in the Auckland housing market, writes Bernard Hickey.

Selling up to rent could leave you high and dry if prices firm and you want to get back into the market, writes Mary Holm.

Jim Cleland has performed makeshift surgery on his Great Barrier Island dining room table, but now it's time to sell the $2m holiday home.

If you judged by house price growth alone you would think Auckland is the best performing region in NZ economically. But not by a long chalk.

More properties were sold last month than during any February since the last property boom of 2007, latest figures from the REINZ show.

About 1400 private bach owners on the Coromandel face being stung with a new council charge if their properties are rented out as short-term holiday accommodation.

Despite it being only March, we've already seen 17 central banks around the world reduce interest rates this year.

Bella Casa, one of Remuera's most luxurious mansions, could set a new record for the suburb this year if it sells for $15 million to $20 million.

Auckland's economy is expanding quickly with strong immigration, employment, wage growth and tourist arrivals.

Fun lifestyle, location and community feel sell this suburb, says Graham Hepburn.

Otahuhu is much like the Ponsonby of old and offers stand-alone character homes on good size sections with a colourful and character filled main street.

Experts from the industry have their say about the property market.

The Reserve Bank is considering tighter mortgage lending restrictions, and could impose them within months, reports Tony Verdon.

Turn-of-the-century workingman's cottages offer charm in the shadow of the city, writes Graham Hepburn.

Statistics indicate that the disparity between rents and house prices means the upward price spiral may still have a long way to go.