Housing Market

If you own your own business, chances are you've stopped to wonder at some point whether it's worth investing in your own premises. Here's what you need to know if you're thinking about buying owner-occupied commercial property.

The Reserve Bank has a tradition of being too slow to hike and cut and is likely to continue this tradition because of its poor forecasting and lack of understanding of what is going on at the coalface of the economy. The market, however, is usually quicker to respond — will it be the one to lead a fall in interest rates this year?

At a time when more vendors are appearing, buyers are backing away. And it's not because of increased worries about interest rates or access to credit. Instead, worries about job security have taken centre stage.

Most commentators are picking it'll be late 2024 (or worse, 2025) before interest rates start falling again — but the Chief, David Cunningham, reckons there's a strong case for the RBNZ to begin dropping rates much sooner.

It's tough going out there at the moment, and we're all feeling it in one way or another. The housing market is subdued, and NZ economic data is painting a pretty bleak picture. So the question on everyone's minds is: when will interest rates start to fall again?

Despite hopes of interest rate declines, booming population growth, and changes in tax rules, fewer investors are looking to make another property purchase. So why is this the case?