The contributory mortgage business is all but dead in New Zealand.

While there is increasing evidence that Australia’s banks are clamping down on the commissions they pay mortgage brokers, there aren’t any signs of this in New Zealand, although all the major banks here are now Australian owned.

Home owners selling their houses on-line are being warned to be cautious with their "virtual tours" in case they alert web-searching thieves to the location of valuables.

An outspoken real estate agent has been congratulated for criticising an Auckland apartment block he called a deathtrap.

Interest rate rises and declining migration numbers are hitting the housing sector, particularly cheaper properties.

Q. I live in an older style two-flat development which is the subject of a cross-lease.

Recently the owners of the other unit approached me and said they wanted to make some alterations to their unit, namely adding on another floor and a garage.

I am concerned that these alterations will block light from my flat and interfere with my privacy.

I don't f

The growth in New Zealand house prices is slowing, as indicated by the quarterly house price index (HPI) figures released by Quotable Value (QV) today.

House prices continue to rise, but the pace of growth is slowing, according to the latest Quotable Value figures.

If the housing market was a person, it might want to borrow Mark Twain’s famous quote: the reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.

Fewer immigrants, a glut in the apartment market, and winter causes rents to level off in Auckland

Interest rate rises and declining migration are hammering the housing sector, particularly cheaper properties.

Button collecting may not sound like a viable alternative to buying shares, but a friend of mine has scoured op shops, online auctions and garage sales for buttons of note.

Commercial property owners have seen the highest potential return on their investments in 10 years - 14 per cent in 2003 - driven by a surge in property values.

The brakes have gone on the housing market, with new Quotable Value figures showing price growth slowed significantly in the June quarter.

Q. I was just wondering, what do the banks do with all the money in their coffers when we stop buying houses and bonds and leave it with them instead on fixed deposit because the interest is so good?

A. In many ways, money is just another commodity rather like, let's say, trailers that are towed behind cars.

When you deposit money with a bank, it's as if you

Two industrial complexes, one in Waiuku south of Auckland and the other in Henderson, are for sale, offering prospective purchasers significant development opportunities.