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.

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

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.

Website rates companies on specific areas, including banking via the internet, phone and at branches.

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.

Aucklanders' love affair with property has been questioned by a leading economist who says renting makes more sense.

It's not hard to see why so many of us have a vested interest in the system, as damaging and unfair as it is, writes Tapu Misa.

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.