Steaming NZ property market cools as home loan restrictions, rising mortgage rates bite

Steaming NZ property market cools as home loan restrictions, rising mortgage rates bite
By Paul McBeth March 13 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand’s property market has cooled a little as restrictions on the level of low-equity home loans and rising mortgage rates have tempered demand in recent months, the Reserve Bank says. Annual house price inflation slowed to 8.8 percent in January from a pace of 9.7 percent in October, with the moderation influenced by the Reserve Bank’s limits on the level of high loan-to-value ratio mortgages, the bank said. The prospect of a higher official cash rate has fed into increased mortgage rates o...