The number of New Zealand house sales slipped from a six-year high last month, but the national market is still being driven by Auckland and Christchurch.

A one-bedroom unit attached to a state house in Auckland has reached $550,000 at auction.

Mayor Len Brown and his deputy Penny Hulse pushed hard for quotas for affordable housing to be included in the accord, but the Govt refused, writes Brian Rudman.

Aucklanders are escaping their unaffordable housing market by moving to Tauranga to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle, an industry expert says.

Handing state homes over to community providers may benefit corporate developers, the Green Party says.

The day my son phoned from the auction to say he had a house I felt a surge of pride and relief and wanted to shout the news from the rooftops.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown and the Government have struck a deal that will enable 39,000 new houses to be built in the next three years.

A deal aimed at breaking an impasse over Auckland's housing crisis will include a requirement for developments to include affordable housing and/or options for first-time house buyers.

The couple made a $200,000 profit - less the $30,000 spent on renovations - in under three years.

Labour leaders will today discuss how they plan to implement a plan to deliver 10,000 affordable starter homes every year for 10 years.

Auckland's top real estate agency has welcomed the Reserve Bank's moves to dampen the hot housing market but doesn't expect prices to suddenly drop.

A decision granting a company permission to mine beneath the eastern part of Waihi has left those on the other side of town worried they could be next, a residents group says.

Expectations of house price inflation have hit a record high in ASB's quarterly survey, while the numbers who consider it a good time to buy a house continue to fall.

A $224,000 prototype house, aimed at Aucklanders who want an affordable place, has been built at Papakura.

Fourteen apartments, starting from $1.25 million, will be built on the Ponsonby Bowling Club site in Herne Bay in Auckland.

Almost 10,000 houses are affected by an Environment Court decision on pre-1940s demolition consents, a planner says.

Before buying their new home, an Auckland couple specifically asked their real estate agent if it had been a P lab. Five days after they moved in, it tested positive.

Housing New Zealand has been criticised for outbidding first-home buyers at auctions. The state housing provider was among four groups of bidders on a two-bedroom property in West Auckland.

Average house prices in Auckland fell from a record high last month, snapping a three-month advance as more properties came to market, according to new statistics.

Asking prices for property in New Zealand reached an all-time high last month, according to new figures.

About one in six Australians cannot afford to rent a home, with young families - especially single parents with children - among the worst affected, new reports show.

Renters moving into popular central Auckland suburbs have had some relief, with rental costs levelling off or falling slightly.

The head of Auckland's main landlord group says TV2's Sunday night Renters reflects reality.

Commercial, industrial and retail properties sales last year totalled more than $1.4 billion - but deals this year could be higher, says a property market expert.

New Zealand's richest man has completed a huge new three-level banquet hall with pool and piazza area at his Auckland clifftop property.

The number of sales in Auckland suburbs typically considered less desirable are growing at a faster rate than their usually sought-after neighbours.