QV’s May property statistics released today indicate that nationally, residential property values increased by 12.4% over the past twelve months. This is down from the 13.1% reported in April. The average New Zealand sale price was $327,779. “The current market trend is showing a flattening of property values; it is the fourth consecutive month that a decrease in growth has been reported. Growth is back at the levels reported in May 2005. The most recent market activity suggests there is no longer the urgent pressure on buyers and prices are stabilising. This trend is expected to continue throughout the winter months” said QV spokesperson Blue Hancock.

Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard has left interest rates unchanged, saying that although the inflation outlook has worsened, it would be wrong to counter short-term pressures with monetary policy. By Jenny Ruth

The New Zealand Property Investors Federation new president Martin Evans plans to make his organisation the "voice of landlords".

Close to 90% of property investors intend to increase their holdings in the next five years in spite of indications price increases may be leveling off, the ANZ/NZPIF Property Investment Survey shows.

Finally some clarity is appearing on what assets property owners and investors can depreciate – and the news isn’t particularly good.

People looking to investing in the Queenstown market are being warned it is ”volatile” and that they need “to choose wisely and well.” The market peaked in 2004, stabilised in 2005 and is currently consolidating, Mac Property director Alastair Wood says.

An unusually short working month in April dropped national residential property sales figures to a long-time low, but prices held up, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (Inc).

Find out what is happening in the regional housing markets by using the links below.

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The latest sales figures from Auckland real estate agency Barfoot & Thompson paint a mixed picture of the property market during April with the average sale price increasing significantly at the same time that new listings almost halved.

Weekly Home Loan Report: The trend for rising home loan rates has continued over the past week and it looks like they will keep rising for a while longer until falls begin again.

For a third consecutive month, annual house price inflation eased according to Quotable Value's figures, although they have yet to fall back to single digit increases as the Real Estate Institute's figures have.

New Zealand home affordability has seen a quarterly improvement for the first time in two years, according to the March quarter AMP Home Affordability Report.

The government is proposing changing the rules covering apartments and other commercial buildings.

People still don’t think it is a good time to be buying a house, but sentiment towards the buying a place is improving.

The improvement in sentiment, which is detailed in the latest ASB Bank housing confidence survey, has been put down to a relatively positive March for the property market and "competitive

Building approvals took a dive in March, falling 14.1% after rising 11.7% in February, the latest information from Statistics New Zealand shows.