It's almost as good as claiming Lotto's first-division prize - hot homes in Auckland's frantic housing market are selling well above their official valuations.

A Remuera split-level home is tucked in the bush, finds Joanna Smith.

This stylishly restored villa with wide views over Ngataringa Bay makes a superb family home.

Home buyers are being urged to challenge estate agents who claim houses are architecturally designed after new moves that relax how properties can be marketed.

Estate agents have been given the all-clear to describe houses as architecturally designed - even if the creators are not registered professionals.

Non-resident Asians are buying Auckland houses and apartments to enhance their marriage prospects, an academic claims.

Any young Aucklander seeking to buy a first home, knows from bitter experience that the sainted "market" is failing to deliver homes they can afford, writes Brian Rudman.

Editorial: It sounds so simple it raises the question why the present Government has not done it, or the previous Government for that matter,

See a reply of our live chat about property and real estate with Wendy Alexander, chief executive of real estate agency Barfoot & Thompson.

Contrary to all that is being said, newly-built houses have never been more affordable, but that assertion requires explanation, writes Bob Jones.

A house in Whangamata has sold for $3.6 million - believed to be a record price for the summer hot spot.

The housing crisis is complex and many years in the making, but even so the current Government's response is woefully inadequate, writes Tapu Misa.

Survey shows Aucklanders don't think it's a good time to buy a home, but mood in regions remains buoyant.

The number of houses going to auction has rocketed in the same way it did at the 2008 peak, as home owners cash in during a desperate scramble by buyers.

A court has ordered a couple to pay about $3 million for a seaside mansion in Auckland that they never owned or lived in.

First-home buyers say they are being shut out of the Auckland property market as prices skyrocket. Where can house-hunters still buy for under $500,000?

Realestate.co.nz searched for three-bedroom, standalone properties on freehold land. Here are some examples. All photos supplied by Realestate.co.nz.

The Government has reinstated plans to allocate a percentage of the houses at Hobsonville Point in Auckland as affordable homes priced under $485,000.