A rise in household incomes that is greater than the average house price rise makes recent real estate market buoyancy unsurprising, says Bill English.

Auckland's biggest selling residential street, Manuka Rd on the North Shore, has had 45 homes sold in the past 12 months.

The Government helped insulate 12 per cent of New Zealand houses in just over three years but Auckland is lagging behind with 9.9 per cent of homes insulated.

Hamilton homeowner Antoinette van der Weerden's house is warm as toast during winter and cool during summer - and her power bill has come down.

Bratty middle-class me got my knickers in a twist when I had my resident's carpark taken away - boo hoo.

A country becomes richer by increasing its production of actual goods and services, writes Peter Lyons. "Individuals can get rich by buying and selling houses but a nation cannot."

Homeowners are turning to increasingly novel ways to sell their houses.

Banks again are offering big loans to property investors, but they come with a warning to those who assume they can leverage their way into high returns.

The late Sir Peter and Lady Sylvia Siddell's villa is awash with artistic details, says Penny Lewis.

Todd Property Group has conditionally sold the first 14 sections at its 160ha Long Bay housing estate, the country's largest new greenfields residential project.

An Auckland landlord with 19 properties recommends people rent - because even he is a tenant.

The prospect of their homes basking in sunlight after years of shading by a huge tree is being celebrated by a group of Manurewa residents.

The removal of 19 state homes on a street in the "up and coming" Auckland suburb of Sandringham may see property prices soar, experts say.

Sellers' expectations of what their property is worth could be getting too high as a surge in new listings prompts some buyers to be patient.

A 150-year-old mansion hidden on a remote island and linked to Governor Sir George Grey is all yours for a little under $2 million.

Is it better to sell down now and reduce the mortgage burden and then to save some money for retirement - if my health holds I don't necessarily need to retire at 65?

More than half of home building sites inspected in a safety clampdown have been closed or ordered to stop dangerous practices.

Changes to bank lending criteria are making it easier to buy apartments, but experts say increased competition will force prices up in Auckland's overheated market.

Modest rentals for beach houses and baches on Auckland Council parks are under pressure from Mayor Len Brown's drive to wipe $2.6 million from the rates bill.

Any approach to lifting housing affordability has to be broader than boosting the responsiveness of the supply side of the construction market, writes Brian Fallow.