What's behind Auckland's rapidly rising house prices - and should the finger of blame be pointed at investors? Andrew Bruce says 'no'.

House prices are up, home ownership is down. We all know the story, but what's really going on in real estate?

The ex-wife of a former bankrupt property developer has gone back to court in an attempt to revive her multi-million dollar claim over relationship assets.

A judge has refused to place a court order over a 9000sq m property in a picturesque Queenstown settlement as a liquidator chases $740k used to buy the land.

A former rich-lister charged with misleading authorities and concealing property has pleaded not guilty.

House sales fell in June from a year earlier, led by properties of $400k or less, indicating the LVR restrictions are curbing demand at the cheaper end of the market.

A "warrant of fitness" scheme for all rental housing may be on the agenda whoever wins the election in September, a new survey has found.

Auckland house sales data for June is out, showing a slight decline in sales volumes but average sale prices up $11,088 - that's a daily price rise of $369.60.

House sale volumes and prices are dropping, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, which has just released its May sales figures.

First time landlords are being warned to check how much tax they may need to pay on rental incomes ahead of the July 7 deadline.

Labour is looking "very closely" at changing the rules for foreign investors who can get residency in New Zealand by paying $10 million.

Institutional investors are praising the annual result of Kiwi Income Property Trust, saying it reflects the management shakeup which saw the exit of Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Graeme Wheeler delivered a trenchant defence of the bank's curbs on high loan-to-value ratio home loans yesterday when challenged by National MP Jami-Lee Ross that the regime had been "almost too effective".

Auckland mayor Len Brown has just announced a 'significant' number of new approvals of special housing areas will be revealed today.

An Auckland mortgage trust has won a $3.1 million High Court claim against a company part-owned by a bankrupt property developer.

A former rich-lister recently discharged from bankruptcy is heading back to court, facing charges including misleading authorities and concealing property.

The average Auckland house sale price and volumes achieved by the city's biggest real estate agency dropped from $725,708 in March to $708,603 last month.

Dealing with tenants is one of the biggest banes of many landlords' lives. Many break the rules, break things, or call in the middle of the night complaining about plumbing or rats in the roof.

A big new Takapuna beachfront development started a few weeks ago has left an Auckland councillor unimpressed

The figures for Auckland rental properties are out. So where are the most expensive places to rent in the city - and where can you get a bargain?

NZ could have had a superannuation pot of gold worth $278b by next year had it kept a compulsory savings scheme set up in 1974, a financial industry body claims.

A spokesman for the jailed South Korean developer says "personal" issues should not hinder or harm any of the business interests left behind here.

New Zealand is on a list of the top 10 most searched for countries by Chinese house-hunters, figures compiled from China's largest property search engine reveal.

Auckland landlords are making more capital gains off their rental properties than those elsewhere, a trend predicted to speed up in the next few years.

International investors with a total of US$2 trillion ($2.34 trillion) in funds have put New Zealand in their top-10 list of Asia-Pacific real estate investment targets.