News & Research

After a lull in August, mortgage lending activity rebounded strongly in September – again driven by owner-occupiers, but this time with investors also showing signs of life. The figures suggest that the easing of the interest rates used for banks’ internal serviceability tests in late August has had an...

The latest research from Wellington Cityscope shows that commercial property sales have increased significantly in total sales value in the last quarter. For the three months to October 2019, there were 21 sales at a total value of $194.2 million, compared to the 14 sales at a total value of $39.1 million for...

The New Zealand property market is ticking over, with sales volumes relatively stable and average values rising in a controlled fashion.

Mortgaged investors’ share of purchases was 25% in Q3, returning their presence to its highest level since late 2016. It’s not just a % market share rise either – the number of purchases has increased too. The rise in mortgaged investors’ market share has been seen across the country, and in Dunedin cash...

After surging higher from late 2015 to early 2019, Wellington City property values have gone flat since March, and falls have actually been seen in some suburbs. In terms of the causes, all the usual suspects seem to be in play – a rise in listings, more dwelling consents, and cautious buyers. Certainly, with...

In recent months, building insurance in Wellington has become a hot topic in the media. Most of the debate so far has been around insurance for individual homes – but the latest rumblings in the market suggest apartment insurance could be the next wave to come crashing down on the Wellington property market.

Despite some anecdotal evidence mentioned to us, there’s no widespread evidence of a slump in the apartment market. Sales volumes have fallen (e.g. in Auckland City), but not really by any more than the wider market. Meanwhile, prices have generally followed the same trends as values across all properties,...

The NZ housing market showed signs of strengthening across the board in September with most main urban areas experiencing a lift in property values. The CoreLogic QV House Price Index showed that nationwide, average property values rose by 0.4% from August to September and lifted the annual growth rate a...

It’s hard to believe we’re almost three quarters of the way through the year already. Perhaps it was the relatively mild winter we had in Wellington that makes it a surprise we’re in spring already but here we are. The anticipation of spring is always a great time to review where we’re at in many ways, not...

According to CoreLogic Property Economist, Kelvin Davidson, “The constantly changing dynamics of the New Zealand property market mean that many would-be homeowners often find it challenging to understand which suburbs currently match their home-buying budgets”.

Earlier today the Reserve Bank decided to keep the official cash rate unchanged at 1.0%, which in truth isn’t much of a surprise. Meanwhile, mortgage lending activity in August was pretty stable too, with owner-occupiers driving the market but investors more subdued. The LVR speed limits are seemingly having...

Christchurch's commercial property market continues to tick over. The latest research from Christchurch Cityscope indicates CBD sales over the past three months had a total value of $64.2 million and $178 million for the previous twelve months.