Auckland's housing stock shortage continues to cause havoc for prospective buyers, with the latest property figures revealing a sharp jump in prices in the city over the last 12 months.

"Oh, not another leaky building story!" an exasperated colleague complained to me in 2001.

With the exception of a few economic downturns, Americans have been building bigger and bigger houses since the Great Depression.

Nearly 5000 new Auckland apartments are either being built or planned.

Landlords are too lenient when a tenant falls behind in rent or causes damage, property managers say.

A couple who sold their "dark", "sad" and "depressing" Auckland home before they realised there had been a suicide on the property have lost their bid to be compensated.

It will be no surprise at all if the Reserve Bank raises the official cash rate again on Thursday to 3.25 per cent

The number of houses, flats and apartments valued under $400,000 in Auckland dropped by a third in the past 12 months.

An inner-city apartment in Auckland is on the market for $44,850 — less than the average price of a city carpark.

A landlord tried to rent a North Shore studio which had the kitchen, bathroom and laundry in the same room.

Areal estate brochure dug out from 1996 features a seven-bedroom villa in Herne Bay - now the country's most expensive suburb. The asking price? Just $190,000.

First time landlords are being warned to check how much tax they may need to pay on rental incomes ahead of the July 7 deadline.

A two-bedroom home with its original 1950s bathroom and kitchen and not in one of Auckland's hottest suburbs has sold for $1.08 million.

The heart of Silicon Valley and home to two of the three most valuable companies in the world, has a shortage of almost 54,000 affordable housing units to shelter its lowest-income workers.

A growing number of home buyers in the US are bringing an unusual tactic to the negotiating table: an all-cash offer.

Pasifika people are drinking less, staying away from crime and doing better at school.

A done-up Ponsonby villa that was auctioned with more than $100,000 of extras to sweeten the deal pulled a top bid of $1.67 million.

An exclusive seaside mansion at the centre of a heated quarrel between a retired couple and their son is still off the market - despite a High Court ordering a swift sale.

Fashion designer Denise L'Estrange-Corbet had dreams of turning her daughter's bedroom into a library when Pebbles finally moved out of home.

Our Government insists that a) fly-by buyers aren't part of the housing problem and b) it doesn't need any numbers to know this, writes Jolisa Gracewood.

The country's most expensive state home has sat empty for 18 months while neighbours in the same driveway endure rowdy trespassers - sparking a government-ordered review.

A property developer Tony Gapes will be back in control of one of NZ's most intensive affordable housing projects if he settles a debt within 20 days.

The woman who claims she could not afford a $73,750 annual Greenlane leasehold bill was involved in three other multimillion-dollar Auckland property investments.