Auckland Council's Ree Anderson talks to Anne Gibson about Special Housing Areas.

Young aspiring Auckland house-buyers are not spendthrifts frittering their money on weekend entertainment but victims of an over-priced real estate sector, says an economist.

Twenty-three buildings taller than 200 metres are currently being planned or built in Melbourne, many by Asian developers.

Getting a mortgage is much harder than it was before the global financial crisis. No longer will banks lend willy-nilly.

A bylaw banning open fires and old woodburners in Auckland has been kicked for touch by Auckland council.

Council figures show 116,000 Auckland households are now expected to face a rates increase of more than 10 per cent, under a policy released today.

Young, aspiring Auckland first-home buyers are not saving enough, says a real estate agency boss, encouraging them to lower their expectations and spend less.

'Horrific" rates of nearly $50k a year on land still being grazed by livestock prompted the $37.9m sale of one of Auckland's largest land lots.

The Block may be a hit with viewers - but the reality TV show's creators aren't popular with some of the neighbours, with 111 complaints.

A do-up North Shore property with basic facilities, exposed plywood floor panels and an overgrown yard strewn with junk is for sale for $629k - $269k above its CV.

Auckland has the nation's highest rate of homeowners still paying off their mortgages and the lowest proportion who own their home mortgage-free.

Million-dollar views on a slim budget have sparked a flood of interest in a luxury apartment on Auckland's waterfront.

In the three years I've lived in New York, I've never owned a lawnmower. Of course I haven't.

The Block NZ favourites Alex and Corban Walls have a secret beachfront holiday home at a Northland paradise and rent it out for up to $1000 a night.

A coastal Northland property purchased for just $9000 in 1974 is commanding a price tag around $1.6 million.

Welcome to Newell St - an otherwise sleepy dead-end road in one of Auckland's hottest city fringe suburbs - median sales price last month: $1.134 million.

The Kiwi dream dies reluctantly. The Prime Minister is no doubt right when he suggests that young people dismayed by the latest rise in house values should look at an apartment for their first step on the ladder.

The average valuation increase for all Auckland properties is 29 per cent, but the new values won’t be used to help set rates until July next year.

Homes featured on The Block are being marketed online - and fans wanting a sneak peek at yet-to-be unveiled rooms only have to wait two more days.

Domestic chimneys will have to be cemented up or blocked in other ways before a house with an open fireplace can be sold under the Auckland Council's planned air-quality bylaw.

Auckland residents may be at risk of a $20,000 fine if they flout the council's planned ban on indoor open fires.

Domestic open fires will be banned from 2016 and old wood burners from 2018 under a plan Auckland Council is drawing up.

Buying a small apartment can be a good first step on the Auckland house ownership ladder, real estate experts say.

A specialist building and construction lawyer has backed a Supreme Court decision on an apartment owner's access to his Auckland block.

A big court case over one of Auckland's most ill-fated apartment tower developments is set down to be heard early next year.

The NY real-estate industry is mobilising to kill a proposed levy on non-resident owners of luxury apartments.

First home buyers in Auckland might have to consider an apartment in order to get onto the property ladder, Prime Minister John Key says. His comments follow the release of new CVs for Auckland, which have soared since 2011, particularly in city-fringe suburbs. There are fears the mostly higher CVs could lead to rates increases well in excess of the 3.7 per cent planned for homeowners by Mayor Len Brown next year.

As the release of Auckland's new CVs confirms values have soared, PM John Key suggests first home buyers consider purchasing an apartment instead of a house.