Asking prices for New Zealand residential properties hit an all-time high last month, says real estate listings website Realestate.co.nz.

New Zealand building consents stalled in September with its first monthly decline in five eroding gains over the past two months.

A real estate agent who failed to disclose he was marketing a property on behalf of his parents, has been censured by the Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA).

The number of new homes approved for construction in August was up 17 per cent, the second month of increases, with retirement units and earthquake-related replacement homes lifting the numbers, says Statistics New Zealand.

The annual spring flush of the real estate market is underway as home- owners take advantage of warmer weather to present their homes in their best light. There is plenty that you can do to improve your property’s appeal and, come sale time, value.