The Government is calling for a meeting of all interested parties to discuss the problems surrounding the leaking building crisis, but is leaving the issue of compensation to the courts. The report criticises a number of agencies involved with the construction industry, from architects to council inspectors.

One of the questions I hear most often from investors is do I buy for capital growth, or should I just focus on cashflow? The answer is different depending on your financial goals and current position.

Q: As a cash buyer off the street, I recently purchased a section after negotiation. The asking price was $5000. I offered and bought at $3500.

Buying a quarter-acre paradise is becoming less popular among New Zealanders, according to briefing papers to the Government. A decade ago, 74 per cent of households owned their home and 18 per cent lived in rental accommodation. The papers forecast that within the next decade 40 per cent of households will have a landlord. The Dominion Post spoke to three people who have made tough decisions about paying a mortgage or rent.

I have heard of reverse mortgages but don't understand them. Please can you explain?

Spring in Auckland is a hot time for residential tenants, landlords and would-be investors.

Fixed-term home loan rates may nudge down soon, but official interest rates are still on the way up, according to Bank of New Zealand.

Can you please offer an opinion on the merits of continuing to pay off our mortgage, versus selling and only renting a home, putting aside the rates and building insurance as savings?

Rotten balconies are causing alarm at one of Auckland's biggest and newest inner-city housing developments.

Q. If I get, say, $5000 written off the value of a rental property each year for five years, that gives me a total of $25,000.

Wizard New Zealand head John Grant says "the offer by Government backed Kiwibank provides a so-called guarantee of having the lowest rates and will refund the difference if the borrower can show that an alternative would have been cheaper. However it comes with so many conditions that it is unlikely to see many claims paid.

Housing is the mainstay of our wealth as a nation and the good news is that the home-owning sector is getting richer.

Sydney house prices could sky rocket after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) left interest rates at 30-year lows, a property specialist has warned.

Rising household debt, combined with ballooning house prices are likely to lead to a credit crunch, Bancorp economist Stuart Marshall says.

The thought of forking out pounds sterling for a property might be enough to send even the wealthiest of us running to the hills.

Q. I was interested to read your comment that any depreciation claimed on a rental property that rises in value will be clawed back by the IRD.
It is only the value of the house that you are claiming depreciation on, so how do IRD assess what the value of that dwelling is at the time of sale?

A. When you sell a rental property, you need to appo