Westpac bought an exclusive North Shore property, valued at $6.8m, from its former boss after the property failed to sell.

A new property report says that a shortage of listings means sellers will soon have the upper hand in any Spring market upturn.

As the property market shows signs of rejuvenation, banks are loosening the purse strings.

SFO alleges deception involved inflating the purchase price of property.

Real estate figures for July show small price rises and a five per cent jump in the number of sales.