Better and more timely rental information is the aim of an online database being set up by the Residential Property Investor magazine.

New Zealand households may now be feeling the pinch of higher interest rates and a dip in wealth, said NZIER director Alex Sundakov today.

A peak of 9 to 9.5 per cent, rather than 10 per cent, is now considered as more likely for floating mortgage rates this year.

Residential property investors need to take a more businesslike approach, according to the Real Estate Institute and the Auckland Property Investors Association.

Attributes such as independence, professionalism and approachability are being ascribed to mortgage brokers, says KPMG, and are behind their growing popularity.

Interest margins have continued to decline, thanks in part to intense competition for mortgage lending, says the latest KPMG financial institutions performance survey.

Auckland-based NewBuild Home Finance has launched a financial package for people borrowing to build a new home.

Massey University researchers have been asking what motivates investors in residential property.

The latest AMP Banking Home Affordability survey shows a continued decline, with interest rate rises the main culprit.

A correction for Wellington, stability for Auckland but a rise in the national median have shown through in March house price statistics.

By raising the Official Cash Rate to 6 per cent today, the RB has effectively ushered in the next wave of mortgage rate increases.

Bought a house in recent months? If not, take note that you can now be penalised for "last minute settlements".

The Consumer's Institute says you can save thousands of dollars on your mortgage, "but getting seduced by the ads and lurching from one great deal to the next is not how it's don
.

Floating mortgage rates rose an average of 50 percentage points over the 30 days to April 10, with most lenders' rate now at 8.10 per cent.

While the national median for residential rents has remained the same over the past couple of years, different regions have experienced different fortunes.

Online property advertising firm RealENZ is teaming up with Realestate.com.au to set up the first Australasian real estate directory on the Internet.