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Choosing a floor plan might seem like the natural first step in building your dream home, but an experienced home builder says it's often the wrong place to start. Instead, Latitude Homes Otago/Southland licensee owner Kurt Laurie encourages Kiwis to think first about their lifestyle, both now and in the years ahead. Factoring in lifestyle is too often overlooked by those starting on their home-building journey, he says. “Many start by comparing floor plans but that, on its own, is just a layout.

- A potentially unsafe Stratford police station is being sold, almost 30 years after officers left. - Prospective buyers can inspect only from outside because the 1920s building may contain hazards. - LINZ spent more than $14,000 maintaining the property and paying rates during 2025/26. A potentially hazardous former police station is being sold off almost 30 years after officers last walked through its doors. Start your property search Find your dream home today.

- The property investment market is shifting from speculative gains towards yield-focused, long-term investors. - High costs are pushing small landlords out, while first-home buyers purchase some former rentals. - Dunedin student rentals attract outside investors with 6%-8% yields, unlike weaker Auckland and Wellington markets.

- A Tamahere lifestyle property that is owned by co-owners of a Hamilton motel group has been listed for sale. - The owners bought it in June 2021, converting the property into Magnolia Park Airbnb accommodation. - Their motel group received more than $100m in Government emergency-housing grants between 2018 and 2024. A multimillion-dollar lifestyle property owned by two of the biggest players in New Zealand’s emergency housing sector has hit the market for sale.

ANALYSIS: Next week the Reserve Bank will undertake its regular review of monetary policy and decide whether or not to raise the Official Cash Rate. Last month it raised the rate for the first time in over three years, from 2.25% to 2.5%. If it does choose to raise the OCR again – and the markets are pricing in a 90% chance that there will be an increase – then borrowers should expect a near-immediate rise in floating mortgage rates. The chances of changes to fixed mortgage rates are minimal.

Homeowner Sara’s late husband Paul had always wanted to live in the country, but after he became ill, the couple realised that this might be impractical. Instead, they went looking for a more central property. “When we saw this home with a beautiful park – Watling Reserve, right next door, we loved it straight away,” Sara says.

- A 30ha Ohui estate in Ōpoutere is for sale, with rumours it once hosted Sting. - The estate was the site of the popular Prana Festival, which ended a decade ago. - The owners planned smaller events, but Covid and poor health kept the venue from reopening. Thousands once swarmed to Ohui for its promise of good vibes, healing and health. For some, the connection runs even deeper: many claim they were conceived there. Start your property search Find your dream home today.

- Wellington’s new property-value-based water charges are raising bills, and alarming homeowners, landlords and retirees. - Critics say unmetered charges unfairly penalise higher-value homes and could prolong the region’s housing slump. - Tiaki Wai plans to reduce reliance on property values, but meters may take seven years. There are fears Wellington’s new water charges could put further pressure on property owners and force landlords to sell up and retirees to quit their homes.

- 29% of New Zealand’s priciest properties remain unavailable to golden visa buyers. - The $5m threshold channels foreign investment towards Auckland and Queenstown-Lakes, where qualifying listings dominate. - Experts propose a $2m or $3m regional threshold, retaining $5m in Auckland and Otago. About a third of New Zealand’s most expensive properties are still off limits to foreign buyers, prompting calls to lower the $5 million threshold in the country’s cheaper regions.

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