First-home buyers struggling to get on the property ladder are turning to new builds, which fall outside the high loan-to-value-ratio restrictions.

Banks are tipped to drop interest rates to new lows as competition to attract house hunters and homeowners escalates into an all-out mortgage war.

The Reserve Bank's indication that its next interest rate move could be down is expected to reinforce a decline in fixed mortgage rates.

More interest rates have been cut following a week of competition by the country's biggest banks to attract house hunters and mortgage holders.

Three more banks have cut interest rates in a fight to attract customers. But are some customers being unfairly stung by refinancing fees?

It's probably your biggest bill but too few people realise how much money they could save if they put some thought into managing their mortgage.

Banks have started cutting interest rates as the busy house-hunting season heats up. So how will it affect would-be home-buyers?

A life-time of renting is becoming a reality for many New Zealanders, a survey shows, as the need for large deposits and big mortgages block their way to home ownership.

Thousands of homeowners are paying higher interest rates on their mortgages than they need to - but many may not realise it.

Mike Pero has successfully stopped a major law firm acting in a court case brought against him by the mortgage business.

Getting a mortgage is much harder than it was before the global financial crisis. No longer will banks lend willy-nilly.

Banks are offering cash, TVs and furniture vouchers to entice customers into taking out home loans - but experts warn consumers not to be taken in.

Christchurch businessman Mike Pero is facing High Court action from the mortgage broking company he set up more than two decades ago and which still bears his name.

Auckland has the nation's highest rate of homeowners still paying off their mortgages and the lowest proportion who own their home mortgage-free.

An entire industry has grown around handing low-income earners a lifeline to the material rewards of middle-class life, but it comes at a hidden price.

Auckland Council will tomorrow release new valuations for more than 220 suburbs across the region for three-yearly review of CVs.

A large part of Generation Y might have to wait until they receive an inheritance before they can buy a house, a property commentator says.

An increasing number of Aucklanders are looking at getting 80 per cent-plus mortgages to build homes in the south and west.

Thousands of Kiwis desperate to get on the property ladder are signing up to 30-year mortgages - but many are saddling themselves with a lifetime of debt.

David Hamilton and his fiancee Lyna Pen are in their 20s but hope to be mortgage-free within 10 years.

Banks are handing out mortgages of as much as $10 million to the wealthy in record numbers while first-time homebuyers struggle to get loans.

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

Reverse equity mortgages are increasingly tempting to retired Aucklanders who have houses soaring in value, but little cash.

Sharp slowdowns in the Auckland housing market or in China are the main risks the NZIER sees to a recovery which is accelerating and broadening.