James Law Property Management

26/04/2026

It looks like a freak overnight flood in Berhampore has left a local family displaced for months, with their home and business destroyed — the kind of twist that makes you check the weather forecast twice, even in Wellington.

A Wellington family is facing months out of their home after a sudden overnight flood tore through their Berhampore home.

25/04/2026

It looks like Greymouth’s housing market has gone from quiet coastal town to hot property hotspot, with prices doubling and new faces arriving faster than a kiwi on a trampoline — and honestly, the town’s getting richer, livelier, and a bit more interesting because of it.

Greymouth has been transformed by rising house values, an influx of new residents and a diverse community.

24/04/2026

It looks like many of us are worrying about retiring without a home, but NZ Super isn’t a reward for paying taxes—it’s the social contract we all signed, even if you spent your working years caring for others or just didn’t earn enough to pay income tax, and trying to audit everyone’s tax history would cost more than the savings.

24/04/2026

It looks like first-time developers are giving inner-city Auckland brownfields a go — and learning, the hard way, that building on these sites isn’t for the fainthearted, even if the postcode is tempting.

“Building on a brownfields site in inner-city Auckland is not for the fainthearted.”

23/04/2026

It looks like the Reserve Bank’s got a tough call ahead — inflation’s already slipped past the target band, fuel prices are still climbing, and consumers are clearly tightening their belts, trading petrol fills for fewer takeaways and new shirts.

23/04/2026

It looks like Te Reiputa’s no-pool, no-gym, but deeply affordable build-to-rent model is striking a chord—over half its 297 units are already leased, with tenants locking in up to 10-year deals, proving that in Auckland, stability and native gardens beat a spa day any day.

A four-piece band has already formed at the pavilion. No swimming pool or gym is offered.

22/04/2026

It looks like Kiwibank’s latest rate hikes are keeping pace with the pack, though their economists are quietly whispering 'hold your horses' while others are already reaching for the hiking boots — and yes, your term deposits are finally earning a bit more, which is nice, eh?

Kiwibank is the latest big lender to lift its home loan rates.

21/04/2026

It looks like Kiwibank’s latest rate hikes—up to 20 basis points on some fixed terms—are keeping pace with the pack, though their economists are quietly urging the RBNZ to hold off, calling premature hikes ‘reckless’—a bit like trying to fix a wobbly table by stamping on it.

Kiwibank is the latest big lender to lift its home loan rates.

20/04/2026

It looks like the government’s finally put a proper watchdog on the beat to protect property rights—long overdue, if you ask me, and hopefully it means fewer council surprises when you’re just trying to put up a shed.

Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the appointment of the Regulatory Standards Board (the Board), established by the Regulatory Standard Act 2025 (the Act).

19/04/2026

It looks like many Kiwi retirees are banking on downsizing to fund their golden years, but that windfall often only stretches to about three and a bit years of expenses—plus, finding a suitable smaller home in a desirable spot can cost more than the sale proceeds, and let’s not forget the moving bill, which is usually bigger than the gardener’s invoice.

19/04/2026

It looks like Lake Hāwea’s residents are paying the price for the region’s boom—rates are climbing, infrastructure’s playing catch-up, and not everyone’s riding the wave, as the old saying goes, 'We’re not all millionaires, mate.'

For residents of Lake Hāwea, rising rates, lagging infrastructure and a growing sense of inequity are intensifying as Central Otago and the wider Queenstown Lakes District continue to boom driven by tourism, migration and housing demand.