New Zealand should think about following Britain’s lead and introducing shared equity loans for new homes, commentator Olly Newland says. 21-03-2013 more >>
Landlords holding on to properties with big sections may be able to get their money’s worth out of them under proposed changes in the draft Auckland plan, says the New Zealand Property Investors Federation. 20-03-2013 more >>
Housing construction would need to double in Auckland over the next few years to keep up with demand but the construction industry is already keeping pace with growth in most parts of the country, Westpac’s economists say. 19-03-2013 more >>
Lower mortgage rates could be on the horizon after yesterday’s official cash rate announcement and monetary policy statement, one economist says. 15-03-2013 more >>
The Reserve Bank has left the official cash rate unchanged at 2.5% and expects it to stay that way at least until the end of the year. 14-03-2013 more >>
No matter how often the argument against a Capital Gains Tax is put forward, the subject is still popular among those who, it seems, fail to realise that implementing such a tax will solve nothing. The suggestion comes up again and again, and it has almost become an article of faith for ‘the left’ some of whom seem to imbue a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) with mythic powers to right all social wrongs. 14-03-2013 more >>
At most, 5.6% of New Zealand house sales go to foreign buyers who do not plan to live in this country, BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander says. 14-03-2013 more >>
New Zealand’s housing supply problem appears to be improving, albeit slowly. Nationwide building work rose 1.8% by volume in the December quarter, on top of an almost 10% jump the quarter before. 06-03-2013 more >>
Auckland house prices did not shoot up in February because there were many more new listings on the market compared to the month before, Barfoot and Thompson says. 05-03-2013 more >>
Gisborne is the only region in New Zealand that experienced a house price drop in the year ended December, according to ASB’s latest Main Report regional economic scoreboard. 04-03-2013 more >>
Listings are still not keeping up with demand in most regions of New Zealand, according to Realestate.co.nz’s report for February. 04-03-2013 more >>
After last months article on housing affordability, where I looked at reasons why we do not have a housing crisis, I started to wonder if in fact anyone who was employed could own a home. 01-03-2013 more >>
Imposing restrictions on loan-to-value ratios on home loans would have the opposite effect of what is intended, says BNZ’s chief economist. 01-03-2013 more >>
New Zealand home-building consents fell in January because a drop in the number of apartment approvals offset gains in other types of dwellings. 28-02-2013 more >>
The government is looking at formalising Reserve Bank proposals to rein in credit growth, including restrictions on loan-to-value ratios, Finance Minister Bill English said today. 27-02-2013 more >>
Rental property is still the asset seen as most likely to provide the best returns, according to ASB’s latest investor confidence survey. 26-02-2013 more >>
