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One of the advantages which existing home owners have over first home buyers is experience. They have learnt that as a rule there is no “best” time to buy property and it is wise to simply get on with it as soon as one is comfortable with the debt to be taken on, and then manage changes along the way.

We now have data in hand showing that after an obvious collapse in real estate activity from late-March through to early-May, sales have since rebounded.

I recently talked about the factors providing support for the New Zealand housing market which included interest rates, a shortage of listings, and a long queue of frustrated buyers. One other factor that's just now getting more attention is the high number of Kiwis returning home.

There is a certain moralistic view which many analysts have of the housing market. It goes along the lines that people who make money from rising house prices are not as worthy as those who make money from working 40 hours a week, and one day they will get their comeuppance through house prices going back to where they were in some imagined glory days.

Welcome everyone to the first of a new column I’ve commenced writing for Squirrel. Just in case you don’t know who I am, I used to be Chief Economist at the BNZ, and before that had a few years with Westpac in Sydney and Wellington. Late last year I went into business for myself and spend my time doing lots of writing, the occasional media interview, and making presentations.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has announced a proposal to remove loan-to-value-ratio (LVR) restrictions and it could be a game changer for the housing market, especially those who are trying to get into their first home.

This article is split into two sections. We’ll first explore the supply and demand issues, and secondly get into some tips and tricks to consider. So, what drives the housing market and what does that mean post COVID-19?

Interest rates are still low and the housing market seems to be thawing out after a slow 2019. That said, the latest uncertainty comes in the form of Coronavirus and what impact it could have on the economy. Here's a roundup of our views.

Auckland has come back to life after two years of lacklustre house sales and easing house prices. At the same time, the rest of New Zealand is taking a bit of a pause after a strong run of price appreciation.

During the global financial crisis, eternal optimists always looked for green shoots. There’s no better time to look for green shoots than spring, so what’s going on?

For the past thirty years there has been a strong correlation between property prices and interest rates. As interest rates fall, property prices go up. So, as interest rates continue to fall, property prices could potentially increase further. My view is that won’t happen.

We get asked hundreds of questions from Kiwis about buying their first home, so we decided to put our heads together and answer some of the most common ones for anyone that's starting to think about getting onto the property market.