Would-be housebuyers struggling to scrape together a deposit have a glimmer of hope, as banks appear to be loosening the purse strings.

We reveal the suburbs and towns which are New Zealand's best - and worst - for real estate growth over the past year.

Property values are 6.1 per cent above the same time last year but buyers are cautious.

Andrew King asks whether rental property is really the cause of all our problems.

Mountaineer Graeme Dingle has renewed his bid to help save Sir Edmund Hillary's home.

Mary Holm's financial advice column features an accountant who's fed up with complaining landlords.

House sales in Auckland climbed to their highest level in almost two years last month.

John Gray, President of HOBANZ - The Home Owners and Buyers Association of NZ, responds to a recent Bernard Hickey column which suggested the Government should not spend billions bailing out leaky home owners.

Two leading real estate firms have gone head to head over whether auctions are a good way to sell houses.

Australians are muscling in on attempts to save the Remuera home Sir Ed Hillary built and lived in until his death.

Sellers appear to be in denial over asking prices with a glut of new homes on the property market strong favouring buyers, says realestate.co.nz.

Building consents issued in February jumped 10 per cent, after rising one per cent the month before.

Some extra weakness is showing up in the residential real estate and investment market, the latest BNZ confidence survey has found.

The easing of mortgagee sales is still some way off with the January figures up 31 per cent on the same month last year.

Rotting buildings are NZ's worst catastrophe, but the Govt is cashing in, says a study commissioned by the North Shore City Council.