Making Cents

A small change to a payment strategy can save hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of repayment time from your mortgage, cutting one of the biggest expenses most people will face.

A replay of Frances Cook's column for Stuff.co.nz, read here with permission. 

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What do you do when you’re stuck between two bad options?

Sell a home you bought near the peak of the market, even though it’s now worth hundreds of thousands less, or stay put in a house that no longer fits your life?

That’s the dilemma facing this week’s listener. They bought in late 2020, welcomed kids, watched their house value fall by around $250,000, and now feel trapped: too much mortgage pressure, not enough flexibility, and no clear “right” move.

Vanessa Williams from realestate.co.nz is in the expert hot seat, to tell us about the shocking number of New Zealanders in this situation, and what they can do about it.

We talk about:

What selling in a down housing market really means for your money

Whether holding on longer could help, or just prolong the stress

How life changes (kids, cashflow, burnout) should factor into property decisions

Why feeling “stuck” is common, and how a clear plan can restore control

If you’re weighing up sell or stay, worried about selling your house at a loss, or feeling trapped by a house that no longer works for your family or finances, this episode has the tactics you need to be thinking about.

If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and you might feature on our next episode!

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This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

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Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:12 Listener letter: bought at the peak, now stuck
00:03:43 How common is this situation?
00:07:47 First steps: get a realistic valuation
00:08:33 Talk to a mortgage advisor or financial advisor
00:09:15 Could you wait it out? Considering 2026
00:09:57 Creative options: students, Airbnb, and short-term solutions
00:11:49 What if you've lost your deposit?
00:13:33 The power of having a plan
00:15:05 Outro

For decades in New Zealand, property wasn’t just an investment, it was THE investment.

The safest bet. The biggest capital gains. Often tax-advantaged. And for many households, the clearest path to building long-term wealth.

But that narrative is starting to shift.

House prices remain high. Debt is expensive. And a growing number of New Zealanders are questioning whether residential property is still the best way to build wealth.

In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook speaks with BusinessDesk journalist Dileepa Fonseka about New Zealand’s housing market, property prices, and long-term investment trends.

Together, they explore whether New Zealand’s decades-long property obsession is beginning to crack.

Why has property been such a dominant wealth-builder in NZ for so long?

Are we reaching a ceiling on house price growth?

Is this just a market cycle, or a structural turning point?

If you’ve ever wondered whether buying property is still the smartest investment strategy, or whether it’s time to rethink the traditional path to wealth, this conversation will challenge your assumptions.

Follow me everywhere!

Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ

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Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook

 Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:38 Meet Dileepa Fonseka: tracking the winds of change in property
00:03:12 The land myth: why property prices can't rise forever
00:05:50 The COVID property mania and the crash that followed
00:17:10 Is there a ceiling on house prices?
00:06:48 The political shift: capital gains tax enters the conversation
00:10:17 From share market skeptics to everyday investors
00:23:35 The rise of accessible investing: apps, Kiwisaver, and the new generation
00:26:04 Property's hidden costs: climate change, insurance, and rising rates
00:28:13 Election year battlegrounds: where is money going next?
00:31:36 Outro

In this episode of Making Cents, Frances Cook joins the TVNZ Breakfast team to talk about the growing "resist and unsubscribe" movement, how everyday New Zealanders can use their wallets to make a statement, and why your KiwiSaver might be one of the biggest votes you'll ever cast.

Follow me everywhere!

Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ

Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz

TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz

Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest

What if you genuinely can’t earn more? Are you stuck financially?

In this Ask the Experts mailbag episode of Making Cents, we tackle a question that so many teachers, nurses, and public sector workers quietly wrestle with: what do you do when your income is capped?

Today’s letter writer is a teacher. She’s hearing the usual advice, to “earn more”, “start a side hustle”, “increase your income”, but her reality is strict salary bands, long hours, and family commitments.

So if climbing the income ladder isn’t straightforward, what’s the next best move?

In the hot seat is Kristin Sutherland, financial advisor at EnableMe, and we break this down properly:

– Are you really “stuck” in a capped-income career, or is there more wiggle room than it feels like?
– If a pay rise isn’t coming anytime soon, what should you focus on instead? Investing, spending strategy, debt reduction, or something else?
– Does investing still make sense when your income is flat?
– How to think strategically about promotions, specialisation, or changing employers
– Whether side hustles are worth it (and how to avoid burnout)
– Navigating relationship dynamics when one partner is aggressively pursuing higher income and the other offers stability

Listen now to learn how to move forward — even when your income doesn’t.

If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, please send it through to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and you might feature on our next episode!

Follow me everywhere!

Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ

Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz

TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz

Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe

This podcast was filmed & produced by Fanaticals

Video editing & content production by Lana Byrne

Audio engineering by Tash Chittock

#MakingCents #FrancesCook