March '12 Issue

In a special bumper 100th edition of the Property Investor magazine we look back over the past decade to find 50 golden rules all smart investors should be following and catch up with some faces from the past to see how the intervening years have treated them.
01-03-2012 more >>

Apartments lead rise in housing consents

The number of new home approvals rose in January 2012 compared to the year earlier, with apartments accounting for almost half of the increase.
29-02-2012 more >>

Nationwide prices up but provinces see falls: QV

Nationwide residential property values have continued to rise with Auckland leading the charge, according to the latest QV monthly index.
14-02-2012 more >>

Sales soar 25% in January

January 2012 saw a 25.2% rise in house sales making it the best January for sales volumes since 2008, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).
14-02-2012 more >>

REINZ Regional Commentaries - January 2012

Many regions record double-digit sales growth in January with Waikato/Bay of Plenty seeing 35% more sales than this time last year.
14-02-2012 more >>

Auckland and Chch housing hotspots

The gulf between the Auckland housing market and the rest of the country appears to be widening according to the latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey.
13-02-2012 more >>

Rent optimism trumps tax changes to spark investor activity

Property investors have been spurred back into action by stories of rising rents and accommodation shortages and are back in the market, according to the first
10-02-2012 more >>

Warm Rentals Bill proposals may get landlords hot under collar

Property investors and landlords may be legally required to ensure their properties meet Government standards for heating and energy efficiency if a Bill proposed by Green MP Gareth Hughes becomes law.
07-02-2012 more >>

Auckland market sees strongest January for four years

The Auckland property market saw its strongest January in four years with prices reaching the highest average ever for the month, according to Barfoot & Thompson.
03-02-2012 more >>

‘No end in sight' to rent rises, tenant bidding wars

More property investors are set to return to Auckland and will eventually branch out to other centres, according to BNZ economist Tony Alexander.
03-02-2012 more >>

Migration turnaround likely to underpin housing market

The housing market recovery is likely to be underpinned by a turn-around in net migration from the second half of this year and into next. The Department of Labour is predicting annual net migration will go from a net inflow of just below 4,000 people in the year ended June last year to an outflow of about 4,000 in the near term before turning back to a net inflow of about 6,000 in mid to late 2012 and early 2013.
02-02-2012 more >>

Clear thinking from Productivity Commission

The New Zealand Productivity Commission as an independent Crown Entity established by the Government in December 2010. The Commissions purpose is to help the Government improve laws and regulations that guide and incentivise how individuals, businesses and other organisations make their decisions.
01-02-2012 more >>

Housing consent numbers hit record low

The year to December 2011 saw the lowest number of new housing approvals since records began 47 years ago
31-01-2012 more >>

REAA promises more legal action, agents in gun too

Property finders - and the real estate agents that work with them - are to be targeted over the coming year for legal action by the Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA).
27-01-2012 more >>

Forster questions role of lawyers in finders' tussle

Property finder Dorien Forster has broken her silence over her court battle with the Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA), questioning the role of lawyers in the transaction that led her to the High Court.
27-01-2012 more >>

Real estate chiefs slam affordability claims

Claims New Zealand has no affordable housing have been dismissed by real estate chiefs.
27-01-2012 more >>

Blue Chip directors, auditors hit with $40m claim

Blue Chip liquidators have gone to court claiming more than $40 million from former directors and auditors of the failed property investment scheme.
24-01-2012 more >>

REINZ Regional Commentaries - December 2011

Auckland sees strongest December sales since 2006, Wellington numbers down on November and December 2010 and Manawatu/Wanganui sees a 45% year-on-year sales rise.
18-01-2012 more >>

Strong December with sales up 20%

National house sales were up 20% in December 2011 on the year earlier, the best December sales figures since 2007.
18-01-2012 more >>

Auckland home to least affordable property

Auckland has overtaken Central Otago Lakes as the least affordable place to buy a house, according to the latest Massey University home affordability report.
12-01-2012 more >>

Auckland prices up, December sales at five year high

The Auckland housing market had a strong finish to 2011 with the average selling price up $5,500 on November to $573,071 - the second highest average for the year.
11-01-2012 more >>

Wellington rents drop as job cuts bite

Rents in Wellington are dropping as demand slumps due to cutbacks to the public sector.
11-01-2012 more >>

QV January 2012 - the regions

Last year ended with Auckland property values at their highest ever level, 1.4% above the 2007 market peak. Wellington values struggled to just 0.4% above 2010 and there were mixed results for the rest of the country.
10-01-2012 more >>

Property values up but sales remain low

Nationwide property values rose 2.4% over 2011 and are now 3.5% above the 2007 market peak, though the year was also characterised by lower than normal sales volumes.
10-01-2012 more >>

2011 ends with marked fall in new listings

The amount of new listings plunged 35% in December as the property market saw a further tightening of supply, with the shortages most acute in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
09-01-2012 more >>