Mortgage break fees 'reasonable'

Home owners hoping for compensation from their bank after being stung with high mortgage break fees may be out of luck after an investigation by the competition watchdog found most banks were charging reasonable fees.
12-05-2010 more >>

Property round-up

Market confidence and the predicted direction for prices are proving an issue to buyers, HNZ completes the rollout of a new scheme that will benefit landlords and Finance Minister Bill English invites comment about tax changes that will affect property investors.
10-05-2010 more >>

QV main urban areas commentary: April 2010

Average sales prices declined in April, although are still substantially above last year's prices, according to Quotable Value's (QV) latest statistics. Find out exactly what's happening in the six main regions in the story below.
10-05-2010 more >>

Property investors procrastinate ahead of Budget: QV

New Zealand property investors are procrastinating ahead of this month's budget as they wait for more clarity on what will happen to the tax treatment on housing.
10-05-2010 more >>

Optimism and house prices on the wane

Optimism in the housing market is waning and the direction for house prices is downward, according to ASB's latest Housing Confidence Survey.
07-05-2010 more >>

Procrastinate while one has the chance

If monetary policy tightening starts in June as BNZ still expects, then for those planning to have a mortgage exposure for three years there is a forecast benefit near 0.5% for fixing three years rather than floating, says BNZ economist Tony Alexander.
06-05-2010 more >>

Auckland house sales dip

Auckland house sales fell last month, coming off a stronger track in March, suggesting property investors are becoming tentative ahead of the 2010 budget, which will curb tax breaks.
05-05-2010 more >>

Conditions ripe for rent rises

Conditions look set for rents to rise over the coming year, despite overall downward pressure on house prices, according to ANZ’s Property Gauges.
04-05-2010 more >>

The Crombie Lockwood focus

This focus is to protect the one thing that matters most to you - your property and it all provides to you, your family and your future. They specialise in insurance advice.
03-05-2010 more >>

Investors not out of the woods yet

New Zealand mortgagee sales held near their 2009 highs and may rise, showing the property market's sluggish recovery, according to Terralink.
03-05-2010 more >>

May '10 Issue

With the more traditional perks of property investing looking shaky, focus will shift towards pure cash flow. We have exclusive figures on where you can find positive cash flow properties in the current market and how to spot potential.
01-05-2010 more >>

Building consents fall in March

New Zealand residential building consents fell for the third month in four in March, underlining the tepid pace of recovery in a housing market that is facing tighter tax rules and less activity from developers.
30-04-2010 more >>

Market continues trucking down

The property market continues to deteriorate, according to the Mike Pero Mortgages/Infometrics Property Cycle Indicator (PCI).
29-04-2010 more >>

Agent found guilty over misleading commission costs

An Auckland real estate agent has been censured under the Real Estate Agents Act after he mislead a client over his commission fee.
28-04-2010 more >>

Property round-up

Auckland sales prices have jumped, which research company Crockers finds unusual considering the lack of sales numbers, plus IRD is looking at what it constitutes as a mortgagee sale in relation to collecting GST.
26-04-2010 more >>

IRD shifts approach on GST applied to land

Inland Revenue has signalled a further shift in its approach on GST when applied to land sales.
23-04-2010 more >>

Rents set to rise as demand increases

Rent levels look set to rise, as pressure builds due to declining properties available and increasing demand.
22-04-2010 more >>

Website stats point to rise in renters

Rents may be flat at present but not for much longer, if the latest figures from Trade Me Property are anything to go by.
17-04-2010 more >>

REINZ residential highlights – March 2010

Sales have lifted throughout the country, but the market remains weighted in favour of buyers. Find out what's happening in the main regions throughout the country.
16-04-2010 more >>

House sales still in soft patch

House sales are still in a "soft patch" as the usual strong month of March edged up from February, according to the latest Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) figures.
16-04-2010 more >>

Think about fixing at a two-year rate soon

Borrowers could think opportunistically about hopping into, at the longest, a two-year rate in the next two or three months just ahead of the Reserve Bank tightening monetary policy, says BNZ economist Tony Alexander.
16-04-2010 more >>

Complaints to REAA pouring in

The new Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA) has already received over 320 complaints in its first five months of operation.
14-04-2010 more >>

Income tax cuts admirable, but let's look again at winners and losers

If income tax rates are to fall, then someone has to pay for it. We will all contribute through higher GST, which is fair. And many think it is fair for tenants and rental property owners to make up the shortfall. The main reasons suggested are that property investors have a tax advantage and that they take money out of the tax system. It is understandable why people may feel that increasing rental property tax is reasonable, but have we been told all the facts and the ramifications of these tax changes?
12-04-2010 more >>

Property round-up

Take-up of the government's insulation scheme has been hot throughout the summer months, HSBC has substantially dropped its home loan rates and now has the lowest rates on offer, plus a national real estate company has seen sales rise 30% over the past month.
12-04-2010 more >>

QV regional snapshot - March 2010

The residential property market has been changing dramatically over the past few months. Find out what has been happening in the main urban areas in March.
12-04-2010 more >>