First-Time Home Buyers Finally Find Relief in New Zealand’s Market
Houses in the Lyall Bay suburb of Wellington, New Zealand.
Photographer: Mark Coote/BloombergFor years, Louie Hancock struggled to buy a home in New Zealand as pandemic-era low interest rates pushed prices out of reach and banks tightened lending.
This year, all that changed. Mortgage rates have fallen to the lowest in more than three and a half years and property values have hovered around 17% below their 2022 peak.