Smolenski businesses close down
Queenstown businessman Graham Smolenski is in financial strife again, eight years after the collapse of his insurance company Western Pacific.
Business
Winning ways
Winning ways
Housemart Queenstown has been named property management company of the year at the Leading Property Managers Association Awards, held in Auckland.
Otago outpacing market
Otago outpacing market
Spring has sprung for the Otago and Central Otago real estate markets.
Agent loses licence after sleeping in house for sale
Agent loses licence after sleeping in house for sale
Real estate leaders say the sector must learn from the case of the Auckland agent who has lost an appeal to keep practising after being caught sleeping at a house for sale.
Construction division spurs Fletcher turnaround
Construction division spurs Fletcher turnaround
Fletcher Building has ridden a bullish New Zealand building market with a $350million turnaround in profitability for the year.
Merger makes major change
Merger makes major change
Much has changed since Metro Realty was established in the old Roslyn post office in Dunedin more than two decades ago.
First-home buyers borrowing 4-5 times pre-tax earnings
First-home buyers borrowing 4-5 times pre-tax earnings
Most New Zealand first-home buyers are borrowing from four to five times their pre-tax earnings, according to latest debt-to-income figures released by the Reserve Bank.
Average Otago house price tops $500k
Average Otago house price tops $500k
The average home in Otago will now cost you half a million dollars. You can add $700,000 to that if you feel like owning a house in Wanaka.
34,500 new houses planned for Auckland
34,500 new houses planned for Auckland
Auckland Council has approved high-level plans for up to 34,500 new houses around Drury and Pukekohe over the next 30 years.
Big drop in number of foreign house buyers
Big drop in number of foreign house buyers
The number of foreigners buying local houses has fallen sharply as restrictions on overseas ownership have hit.
Tenants to be liable for rental damage
Tenants will have to stump up for rental damage
Tenants will soon have to pay for any accidental damage they make to a rental property - rather than rely on landlords' insurance.
NZ short of 130,000 homes, could rise to 150,000
NZ short of 130,000 homes, could rise to 150,000
New Zealand is short of 130,000 homes, the tally having risen lately by 30,000, two economists say.
Aussie billionaire not going anywhere
Aussie billionaire not going anywhere
A Queenstown property has hit the headlines for achieving the highest sale price in the country this year, but its owner says he is going nowhere.
Rapid rise in house values in South bucks national trend
Rapid rise in house values in South bucks national trend
Average house values across the country have eased back during the past month, but several regional areas in the South remain in double-digit growth.
Fewer overseas investors buy homes
Fewer overseas investors buy homes
House sales across Dunedin, Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District picked up in May, as did median prices, which were up in a range from 8% to almost 19%.
Dunedin open home crowd numbers ‘crazy’
Dunedin open home crowd numbers ‘crazy’
‘‘Horrifying’’ house prices and a ‘‘ridiculously’’ small number of properties for sale is making Dunedin ‘‘a seller’s market’’.
Growth in average house values continues in South
Growth in average house values continues in South
Gains in national average house values are waning in the face of winter, but regional areas continue to go from strength to strength, some still hitting double-digit growth.
Rising prices, fewer listings put pressure on Southland first-home buyers
Rising prices, fewer listings put pressure on Southland first-home buyers
Southland shone through as the largest median house price percentage gainer around the country in April, as prices rose more than 22%, to a record $300,000.
South to fore among house price increases
South to fore among house price increases
Dunedin is in the vanguard of a surging southern property prices, a new survey has confirmed.
Apology over over flat tender
Flat Debacle: Property managers apologise over tender
Property managers Cutlers Ltd have apologised and taken down a Facebook post calling for tenders to rent a notorious flat after backlash on social media where it was labelled by some as exploitative.