If you think getting into your first home means your property problems are over, it might be time to think again. Auckland's house prices have risen 66 per cent over the past five years, according to Quotable Value's (QV's) price index. That has meant first-home buyers must look further afield for affordable properties, or consider apartments and units.

For many people, it would not be summer without a few days spent lounging around in a house by the beach. Property market commentators say homeowners with newfound equity in their properties are turning their attention to coastal areas, where many prices are still well below their previous peak. Nick Goodall, senior research analyst at Corelogic, said his firm was starting to see more requests for valuations in areas such as Thames/Coromandel, Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupo.

Finance Minister Bill English's comments about a possible Auckland house price crash are a "last throw of the dice" to address Government inaction on housing, the Labour Party says. Experts said English's concerns were unlikely to spook buyers or sellers.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has announced plans to help fast track development to deal with a growing housing crisis. As part of a 10-year review of the District Plan, the council will be cutting red tape to make it easier and cheaper for development and removing the need for resource consents in some areas. Changes include increasing building heights, creating business mixed use zones to allow for residential apartment blocks up to six storeys high, creating medium density zones and introducing a residential flat programme.

Is it worth paying the break fee on fixed-term mortgages? | Stuff.co.nz If you fixed your mortgage in the middle of last year, you may be gritting your teeth as banks roll out ever-lower interest rate specials. Two-year fixed rates hovered around 6.5 per cent this time last year, compared to anything from 4.65 per cent now. But breaking a fixed-term mortgage comes with a cost.

Ngatea launches campaign to attract Auckland buyers | Stuff.co.nz A township with a population of 1200 is looking to catapult itself into the booming housing market as the next residential hot spot for Aucklanders. Hauraki District Council has launched a campaign to entice retirees and first home buyers from Auckland to Ngatea's newest subdivision, Northern Estate.

Wellington's economy is in good shape according to a quarterly report, which shows a strong performance across retail, house sales and accommodation. However, it still falls behind the national average in some sectors, including house prices, GDP, vehicle registrations and residential consents.

A New Zealand woman who narrowly escaped being crushed in the Christchurch earthquake has welcomed a law change she campaigned to achieve. Ann Brower on Thursday revisited the site where masonry collapsed on the bus she was in on February 22, 2011. "This isn't really a place where you want to celebrate," she said.

A quarter of people approaching retirement haven't worked out what they will do with their KiwiSaver nest eggs. Of those who do know, nearly six in 10 intend to leave some or all of the savings in their Kiwisaver accounts and withdraw money as and when they need it.

New Zealand's Inland Revenue Department is proposing to introduce a resident withholding tax on foreign buyers of residential property from next July as part of the government's plans to crack down on speculators. The tax department is proposing to implement the tax, which would require an amount to be withheld on the sale of residential property, to support the introduction of the two-year "bright-line" test.