Housing

A Queenstown social agency manager is outraged a Government house has been sold while there is a housing crisis in the resort.

Tenants in the Dunedin boarding house Alva House, which is listed for sale, could be set for a change, a broker says.

House sellers nationwide are asking more than ever for their properties. Aucklanders want a record $732,240 and Central Otago Lakes is in second place, up 10.5% at almost $670,000.

None of Dunedin's houses will pass a rental warrant of fitness if the standards used during a recent trial of scheme are applied.

House prices are being picked to continue to rise for the year and flagging sales numbers get a boost, before hitting a ''pervasive slowdown'' in 2015, according to Westpac economist Dominick Stephens.

Housing has emerged as the largest issue to date in the election, which is still five months away. Housing Minister Nick Smith was in Christchurch this week with further announcements for the earthquake-damaged city. Business editor Dene Mackenzie reviews the announcements so far.

The Reserve Bank's loan to value ratio (LVR) restrictions on banks' lending has seen a large decline in the lower end bracket of Dunedin house sales, and an increased workload to sell them.

Labour's policy of restricting non-residents from buying property would have serious legal, economic and political ramifications because of New Zealand's free-trade agreement with China, lawyer Stephen Franks said yesterday.

A record six-year low in the number of houses on the market continues to underpin higher prices and highlights the Reserve Bank's concerns of increased risks to financial stability.

Dunedin's huge stock of older houses is coming under scrutiny by insurance companies and affecting property sales at the last minute. The Star investigates.

The New Zealand dollar, the housing market and high borrowing in the agricultural sector are all providing major concerns for the Reserve Bank.