Heard about the missing cows? It is one of the tales of tension in districts around Auckland as urban lifestylers set up house beside real farms.

New Zealand has topped a chart of house price rises in the world's developed countries and been given a warning that the boom cannot last.

Real estate industry players are warning investors hoping to capitalise on the Nelson region's booming housing market that they could find themselves in debt if property values fall.

A Mt Maunganui beachfront home has sold for a record $4 million in the western Bay of Plenty - pushing the local housing market to staggering new heights.

A Treasury paper to Finance Minister Michael Cullen has recommended relaxing controls on the sale of non-coastal land worth more than $10 million to overseas investors.

There is a glimmer of hope for hundreds of Manukau people in desperate need of a state house.

Mortgage Choice in Australia has been censured by an Australian regulator for using the word "unbiased" in its advertising and could be forced to pay compensation to up to 50,000 of its customers.

The latest housing consents figures contain a few suggestions that the long-awaited slowdown in the housing market may be starting.

The housing boom is far from over, but the latest figures suggest a little less froth.

Fewer people are buying their own homes than 20 years ago even though it has never been easier to raise finance, a new report says.

Almost 600 people, a third of them high priority, are waiting for state homes in Auckland's east and bays.

Q. A reader commented on The Millionaire Next Door by Stanley/Danko, a fascinating study of Millionaires and Millionaire families in North America that has parallels in New Zealand.

It is a good read for the majority of Millionaires who do not accept or practise conspicuous consumption and who will realise that they are normal after all, and essential reading for those who aspi

Q. Barbara asks: There's a lot in the news at the moment about companies conducting IPOs. What does it actually mean when a company offers shares for sale in an initial public offering or IPO? Should I be applying for shares in an IPO?

A.Dan Dividend responds: As you've observed, Barbara, IPO is one hot abbreviation at the moment!

Kiwi companies that have re

Australian house prices had their smallest rise in three years in the March quarter, providing more evidence that economic activity has slowed and interest rates may have already peaked for the year.

New Zealanders are becoming a nation of big-spenders caught in a rental trap and doomed to never become homeowners, warns a report released yesterday.

Q. I am thinking of purchasing a leasehold apartment in Wellington. Is there a premium for non-leasehold-type properties? Do you think I will have any trouble reselling the property at all and is there anything I should be looking out for?

A. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward or simple answer to your question as each leasehold property will be held under differe