If there is one thing thousands of small-block owners have discovered, it is that having a lifestyle does not necessarily mean having a life.

SYDNEY: Australians borrowed less to buy homes in May, an outcome likely to please the central bank and support expectations there is no urgency for a rate increase.

Statistics New Zealand today trimmed just $2 million off a surprise monster May trade surplus that was foreshadowed in preliminary figures released last month.

More people are focusing exclusively on paying off their house, at the expense of other types of saving.

Looking for the home of your dreams? Now's the time to buy or rent in the eastern suburbs.

The just released rule book aimed at ending the leaky buildings crisis is so flawed it is more like a joke book, says building disputes arbitrator and quantity surveyor Geoff Bayley.

A recent Australian High Court decision declaring that a product known as a "split loan" is illegal is having ripple effects in the New Zealand market, although similar products are still available here.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council said it would appeal a controversial Environment Court rural subdivision decision in the High Court, a move that could cost ratepayers up to $100,000.

More than $60 million worth of luxury Queenstown apartments had been snapped up by mostly New Zealanders in the past two weeks, Southern Lakes Real Estate managing director Warren White said yesterday.

Data from Barfoot & Thompson show that the Auckland property market "took a breather during the month of June," said B&T director, Peter Thompson.

LONDON (Reuters) - The booming British property market may follow Australia's lead and slow gradually, an industry report says, even as policymakers have started warning that prices could fall.

The Christchurch City Council is offering 78 property owners on its former Sandilands dump free testing for toxic waste.

A combined Westfield Group began trading on the Australian Stock Exchange yesterday as the world's biggest listed retail property group, with a market capitalisation of A$27.3 billion ($30 billion).

Record prices for beef and lamb and an eight-year high for dairy products are pushing commodity prices through the roof – while the economy is running "red hot".

The June sales figures for Auckland real estate market leader Barfoot & Thompson show the Auckland property market took a breather during the month of June with the volume of sales dropping back a little in line with the traditional winter trend and average price easing accordingly.

Life is never fair. People in some parts of the country are doing a lot better than others in the residential property market. And a fast-changing job scene is creating significant anomalies in wage packets, with experienced staff finding new colleagues can be better paid.