At a first glance, Housing Minister Nick Smith's announcement of a warrant-of-fitness scheme on state homes seemed like a step forward that was as significant as it was welcome.

Banks' flow of money to borrowers with small deposits has all but dried up in the past three months - but the tide may be about to turn.

When weighing the pros and cons of owning your own home, the sense of security is important for parents, writes Mary Holm.

Stephen and Karen Pearson may have the only home in New Zealand that could double as an art gallery.

Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton is selling some of his $12 million property portfolio.

State houses will have to be leak-free, well-ventilated and contain an electric light in each room to get a warrant of fitness.

Affordable housing will be impossible in 85 per cent of Auckland if new planning rules come into force.

The Three Kings quarry proposal is not the way decisions should be made.

A new book is out to help landlords, with a series of forms ranging from notices to increase rent to a dog clause document.

Ngaire Duncan from Chatswood on Auckland's North Shore wanted to move to a retirement village but she hates high-rises.

As property prices rise, more homeowners are staying put and renovating - and if they do it well, they should be able to double their money, experts say.

A leading property firm is setting up a team to fight for compensation over houses that have been contaminated by methamphetamine.

Expectations that house prices will rise have eased in ASB's quarterly survey of housing market sentiment, remain high by historical standards.

There's a heap of trouble when you're floating along mindlessly in a property bubble that is fast deflating, as we in Auckland city are about to find out, writes Dita De Boni.

Migrating to the outer suburbs may not be the affordable dream many Aucklanders believe, according to a new study which lays bare the true cost of commuting.

A berm in Ellerslie has been entered into a national landscaping competition as part of a vegetable, fruit and flower garden. It even has a beehive.

It's certainly a sign of the times when something called the Dunn Housing Fund is being flogged to the public to "invest" in Auckland houses.

Treaty settlements tend to disappear from public view a day after they have been announced. Not so for an imminent settlement with Auckland iwi.

City Impact Church founders Peter and Bev Mortlock are selling their Whangaparaoa mansion - and its pricetag has surprised one church member.

Auckland's 13 Maori tribes say they want to "change the face of Auckland" through infrastructure and housing developments.

A $120 million housing project at Weymouth is being touted as a "pathfinder" for what could be New Zealand's first large-scale affordable new housing project in 30 years.

Auckland's economic prospects look the best in seven years, based on labour, housing construction and manufacturing activity.

Renters are paying up to $70 more a week than they were four years ago in some of Auckland's city fringe suburbs.

By this time next year, the first buildings could be going up in Wanaka's single-biggest commercial and residential development.

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

'There's not a rental shortage, there's a lack of etiquette." Landlords have had enough of the 'feral' behaviour of prospective tenants they're refusing to rent.

National house prices hit a new high of $427,000 last month but new mortgage restrictions and a Christmas slowdown was blamed.