Property News

Best and worst performing street types - 13/07/2010
We’ve taken every street in the country, grouped them according to the street type, then calculated the average capital value of all the houses on those streets.

The budget and its impact on the property market - 15/06/2010
After signalling back in January that they were seeking to make changes to the tax treatment of investment properties, the details finally emerged in the Government’s Budget announcement on May 20th.

Property values decline - 15/06/2010
The results of the latest survey of the New Zealand housing market carried out by QV.co.nz shows a dramatic turnaround in expectations for prices over the next year.

Price drops expected - 21/04/2010
The results of the latest survey of the New Zealand housing market carried out by QV.co.nz shows a dramatic turnaround in expectations for prices over the next year.

Best and worst performing suburbs - 12/04/2010
Check the change in property value over the past year for the top and bottom suburbs across the country.

How long are houses owned before they are sold? - 10/03/2010
It is often said that properties are sold on average every seven years. Is that true? The answer is yes and no.

Differences in house price changes between Urban, Provincial and Rural areas - 10/11/2009
The latest QV property statistics show that house values for all New Zealand have recovered from the low of early this year. But not all parts of the country are behaving the same way.

Mortgage borrowing strategy - 26/10/2009
The OCR will be increased in the next year, which is leaving borrowers uneasy. However, given the positive and steep slope of the yield curve, we see little value in any fixed rates beyond one year.

Attraction and pitfalls of property investment - 07/09/2009
Dropping property prices, affordable interest rates and generally stable rental incomes can make property investment an attractive proposition. Investing in property is different from buying your own home. It is guided more by the financial principles of return than lifestyle factors and emotions that are a part of purchasing your own home.

Interest Rates - 07/09/2009
The Reserve Bank review their cash rate next week and one can expect the Governor will again reiterate his determination to keep the rate at the current 2.5% until the “latter part of 2010”.

Tips to get top house prices - 10/08/2009
After a tumultuous 18 months, the real estate market seems to be shaking off some of its malaise. Prices are showing signs of stability and sales volumes are increasing.

The changing New Zealand property market - 10/08/2009
It is now well known that New Zealand house values increased substantially from 2003 until they peaked in late 2007.

Monetary Policy Unchanged - 04/08/2009
The highlight from a general media commentary point of view this week was this morning’s review of the official cash rate by the Reserve Bank.

Interest rates - 04/08/2009
There have been only minimal movements in wholesale interest rates over the coming week. Bill yields have as expected stayed close to 2.8% while swap rates initially crept a tad higher on the back of a general reduction in risk aversion associated with rising sharemarkets causing investors to shift funds away from fixed interest assets.

Mortgage borrowing strategy - 27/07/2009
While the housing market is recovering, it is off remarkable lows, and in itself is insufficient to alter our favoured borrowing strategym.

Economic backdrop - 27/07/2009
After a period of extended weakness, we expect the economy to rebound in late 2009.

QV.co.nz Housing Survey - June 2009 - 6/07/2009
In the second quarterly survey of the New Zealand housing market carried out by QV.co.nz there are signs of improving optimism.

Interest Rates - 22/06/2009
We have been expressing a strong view here in recent months that medium to long term fixed borrowing costs will be rising well ahead of any tightening action by the Reserve Bank in response to a range of factors....

Cash flow positive suburbs - 10/06/2009
Cash flow positive properties are becoming more and more common as interest rates fall and rental rates continue to rise....

Interest Rates - 28/05/2009
Early this week wholesale interest rates edged down as there was a rise in worries about the world economy and falls in both share prices and the NZD...

Interest Rates - 14/05/2009
Wholesale interest rates have moved higher again this week as the markets increasingly buy into the improving global outlook scenario so start thinking about portfolio managers shifting away from interest rate investments towards stocks, and central banks raising interest rates probably from late-2010...

Mortgagee sale prices well below market value - 14/05/2009
The price realised for residential mortgagee property sales between 2004 and 2009 is on average 16% below market value according to research carried out by PropertyIQ, New Zealand’s leading provider of property information...

Home affordability on the improve - 27/04/2009
The current economic environment is extremely challenging, but there is some upside for homebuyers at least. Lower interest rates and falling house prices in many areas have combined to make housing in New Zealand more affordable than it has been for a long time...

Get your home ready for winter - 27/04/2009
If you’re a home owner, right now is the time to make sure you’re prepared for the winter chills. And the best place to start is by ensuring your home is adequately insulated.....

Interest Rates - 09/03/2009
Over the past week we have seen some downward movement in short term wholesale interest rates as the timing for the next official cash rate cut approaches. But longer term borrowing costs have crept up.....

Mortgage borrowing strategy - 24/02/2009
Mortgage rates have fallen steeply. In the current economic environment, and given our interest rate projections, we favour fixing for a shorter duration. The 6 month maturity still looks to be the sweet spot at this juncture......

Mortgage borrowing strategy - 27/01/2009
Mortgage rates continue to fall, particularly for longer maturities, which have “caught up” with earlier falls in short-term fixed rates. As a result, fixed rates are now close to 7 percent for terms ranging from 6 months to 5 years. As the RBNZ cuts the OCR further, we expect to see mortgage rates fall further. However, we need to be mindful of what’s priced in already, widening margins and the likelihood that long-term rates don’t fall as far as short-term rates.....

The property market in 2008 - 20/01/2009
2008 has been a pivotal year for the NZ property market with a sustained drop in property values for the first time since 1998.....

Interest Rates - 20/01/2009
The news just keeps getting better and better for borrowers.....

Good news for property values? - 22/12/2008
QV's November statistics for the residential property market report a 6.8% decline in national property values over the past year, the same level of decline as reported in October. The average New Zealand sale price for November dropped slightly to $375,408....

A Quiet Week with Mainly Negative News - 04/12/2008
It's been a relatively quiet week with regard to economic data and news in New Zealand. We have seen the release of data showing the annual net migration flow still running just above 4,000 though on a monthly basis there is no net gain under way at the moment...

Editorial: Banks' tougher lending rules in tune with economic times - 30/11/2008
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, as the saying goes. Homeowners with big mortgages must have been reflecting on the truth of that dictum in the past few weeks...

Savvy developers still buying up large - 25/11/2008
While the sale of land and redevelopment sites has been significantly affected by a tighter funding market, there are still good land sales being made...

Interest Rates - 18/11/2008
Wholesale interest rates have declined further this week in response to increasing expectations for the size of the Reserve Bank's next cut in interest rates and the potential for further interest rate falls beyond December 4...

Wages Growth Strong - 13/11/2008
For what it's worth – because clearly the data have been superseded by events - wages growth was quite strong during the September quarter and the year to September...

Property values down another 1% - 13/11/2008
QV's October statistics for the residential property market report a 6.8% decline in national property values over the past year, down on the 5.8% decline reported in September. The average New Zealand sale price for October remained steady at $379,290...

Global and NZ Growth Prospects Deteriorate - 21/10/2008
In recent weeks we have warned that the surge in business and consumer confidence over September should not be extrapolated to an especially good outlook for the New Zealand economy over the coming year. Those warnings now need strengthening...

Decline in property values continues - 21/10/2008
QV's September statistics for the residential property market report a 5.8% decline in national property values over the past year, down on the 4.5% decline reported in August. The average New Zealand sale price for September was $379,854...

House prices 'to keep falling until March - 08/10/2008
House prices are expected to hit bottom in March, and could fall to as much as 25 per cent down on boom levels, according to Treasury's pre-election report. Bad news for homeowners is that when the low point is reached, prices...

Interest Rates - 08/10/2008
After rising last week in response to some better than expected economic data, the events offshore have encouraged increased expectations of easing monetary policy in New Zealand so wholesale borrowing costs have fallen in some instances...

Housing Market Update - 23/09/2008
Here is something which reinforces one's view that the outlook for the housing cycle is rough but not as bad as some are predicting.....

Property values continue to decline - 08/09/2008
QV's August statistics for the residential property market report a 4.5% decline in national property values over the past year (calculated over the three months ending August 2008 in comparison to the same period last year), down on the 2.2% decline reported in July. The average New Zealand sale price reduced slightly to $391,487....

Bollard poised to cut cash rate - 08/09/2008
Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard is expected to deliver another official cash rate cut on Thursday, amid signs that consumers are starting to cheer up...

Weak Retail Spending but Migration Improving - 26/08/2008
We have learnt very little that is new about the New Zealand economy over the past week. On Friday we got confirmation of weakness in retail spending although the 0.7% decline in the seasonally adjusted volume of spending excluding the automotive sectors was slightly better than expected....

Widespread Expectations of Price Declines - 26/08/2008
This week the quarterly Housing Intentions survey by ASB indicated that more people are starting to feel it is a good time to buy a house but it seems only because they believe there could be lots of bargains out there....

Interest Rates - 19/08/2008
In the absence of any major data releases there has been practically no movement in wholesale interest rates over the past week and even the fall of the Kiwi dollar which for a while became quite rapid yesterday has not had much impact...

Property values continue to decline - 19/08/2008
QV's July statistics for the residential property market report a 2.2% decline in national property values over the past year, down on the 0.1% growth reported in June. The average New Zealand sale price stayed steady at $393,370...

Rents Barely Rising - 24/07/2008
The Consumers Price Index released this week by Statistics New Zealand shows that on average rents around New Zealand rose by just 0.7% during the June quarter...

Property downturn? Not for this $7m house - 20/07/2008
A luxury Waiheke Island property put up for mortgagee tender has sold for nearly $3 million over its present valuation. The three-bedroom house on 12ha of secluded land at Matiatia was valued at $4.2m but bought by a Melbourne-based...

Six out of seven - sales defy the trend - 30/06/2008
An Auckland apartment auction last week sold six out of seven units, bucking the recent trend in which many properties are handed in. Only a Sebel studio leased to the hotel was passed in. That Viaduct unit was under conditional...

Investors on bargain buying spree - 29/06/2008
Canny, cashed-up property investors are already scooping the bargain buying while prospective homebuyers procrastinate, hoping for further price falls. "The seasoned, cashed-up property investors are ready to re-enter the market...

Home buyers wait as sales stay low - 17/06/2008
A "staring competition" between buyers and sellers is stalling house sales, says the head of one of New Zealand's biggest real estate chains. Real Estate Institute figures out yesterday showed fewer than half the number of houses...

Mortgagee listings jump outside Auckland - 17/06/2008
The slump in the housing market is now rippling out beyond Auckland into the smaller cities, data from the latest interest.co.nz survey of mortgagee listings show. Total mortgagee listings hit a record 332 by Monday June 16, up...

Home buyers wait as sales stay low - 12/06/2008
A "staring competition" between buyers and sellers is stalling house sales, says the head of one of New Zealand's biggest real estate chains. Real Estate Institute figures out yesterday showed fewer than half the number of houses...

Recession looming, warns Goldman Sachs - 14/01/2008
NEW YORK - Leading Wall St banker Goldman Sachs today said it expects the US economy to drop into recession this year, prompting the Federal Reserve to slash...

Current account deficit widens - 02/01/2008
New Zealand's current account deficit widened in the third quarter as profits earned by overseas-owned New Zealand companies increased...

Auckland Airport takeover bids played role in drafting new rules - 29/11/2007
The Government's proposal to impose strict disclosure rules on airports is partly to build confidence in pricing regimes for potential foreign buyers of Auckland International Airport...

Dairy farmers react cautiously to Fonterra's 'float' proposals - 19/11/2007
Dairy farmer reaction to Fonterra's proposal to float part of its business on the sharemarket was cautious but positive during seven meetings held nationwide yesterday...

Global financial meltdown 'not far-fetched' - 12/11/2007
NEW YORK, LONDON - Billionaire investor George Soros has given warning that the US is on the brink of
a slowdown far more ...

Airport in for 2011 World Cup revamp - 30/10/2007
The airport hopes to enhance the arrivals experience for 2011 World Cup fans. Auckland Airport has confirmed ...

Rocketing oil prices won't bring country to its knees - 23/10/2007
Petrol prices are tipped to hit $1.66 a litre. Record oil prices are adding to the headwinds consumers have to battle...

Coronet Peak skifield to get $20m makeover - 15/10/2007
Queenstown's Coronet Peak skifield is to get a $20 million makeover, making it part of a rush of investment in New Zealand's ski industry...

Brakes go on - big dive in house sales - 08/10/2007
Economists say the market is slowing considerably. New Zealand's biggest housing market is in the grip of a
slowdown...

High times picked for listed trusts - 02/08/2007
The listed property sector is doing well, its buildings are full and those wanting income-focused defensive equities should consider buying...

Auckland property prices continue to rise - 08/06/2007
An Auckland real estate company said property prices continued to rise in May despite recent interest rate rises...

Hitting the high notes - for now - 21/05/2007
The current economic upswing will not be sustained, the Treasury says, and it has halved its growth forecast for next year, confident that high interest rates and flattening house prices will - eventually - sap the enthusiasm of consumers...

Getting a consent takes longer than building - 03/05/2007
It is ridiculous that government red tape means it now takes longer to get consent to build a house than to actually build it, says National's Building spokesman, Dr Nick Smith...

Thinking bigger on apartment design - 30/04/2007
Developers can no longer build cramped 'shoebox' apartments under sweeping new urban design measures. The days of poky apartments are over in central Auckland with the introduction of strict new design rules, including minimum apartment sizes...

Property investors' confidence firm despite warnings - 20/04/2007
Property investors are ignoring talk of a housing bubble and are still confident that prices will continue to rise. Only 2 per cent of 453 respondents in the annual ANZ Bank's...

Universal Homes' Chatham Hill on the Market Nationwide - 07/03/2007
With the appeal of its superb, nautical-themed homes at Chatham Hill, Gulf Harbour, proving to be far more widespread than anticipated, Universal Homes has given the job of marketing the development to influential national real estate company, Bayley's...