First Home Buyers Information Centre

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What you need to know
First home buyer broker support
First home buyer videos
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FAQs

What you need to know

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The home buying process

Step by step guide to what's involved in buying your first home, including the home loan process.

First home owner grant

The First Home Owner Grant is a lump sum of cash available to first home owners to help with the cost of buying a first home. Find out more and see if you are eligible.

2020 First Home Loan Deposit Scheme

The new government scheme for first time buyers allows approved applicants to take out a mortgage with just a 5% deposit and avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance.

HomeBuilder program: $25k cash grant

Kickstart your 'dream' home with a $25K cash grant under the federal government’s newly announced HomeBuilder program.

Your local broker can organise a home loan pre-approval now to help you move quickly when you’ve found “the one”.

First home buyer broker support

How a broker can help first home buyers

Explain the costs & process

Your broker can explain all the costs and steps involved in buying a home and give you a realistic picture of what you can borrow.

Help you get pre-approval

If you haven’t yet found the right home, your broker could help to organise pre-approval so you can shop for your new home with confidence, knowing exactly what you can afford.

Apply for incentives

In Australia, there are a number of government incentives available to first home buyers. We’ll let you know whether you’re eligible for assistance schemes such as the First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) and help with the paperwork.

Support you all the way to your first home

When you’re ready to move ahead with your first home loan, your broker will prepare all the paperwork and support you at every step to settlement.

Find your local broker

First home buyer videos

Is now a good time for first home buyers? With Joel Gibson

If you're looking at getting into the property market, it's important to check that you're ready.

Hear from Joel Gibson as he answers all the common questions for first home buyers to make sure you're ready for your first home and if now is the right time to enter the property market.

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Extra Information

Home Buyer Concession Scheme

From 1 July 2019, the FHOG ACT has been replaced with exemptions on stamp duty. The stamp duty exemption is applicable to all properties in ACT, including vacant residential land and both new and established homes at any price. As this is still to aid first home buyers, to be eligible at least one buyer must live in the home for at least 12 months, starting within 12 months of settlement or completion of construction.

To be eligible, first homeowners in the ACT must have a household income below $160,000. This number increases up to $176,000 depending on the number of children you may have.

Click here for more information on the ACT First home Owner Grant.

Stamp duty concessions in NSW

From 1 August 2020, the NSW government has announced that stamp duty will not be applicable to first home buyers for properties valued up to $800,000 and vacant land valued up to $400,000. This stamp duty exemption will be in place for 12 months to 31 July 2021, in which the stamp duty exemptions will revert back to $650,000 for homes and $350,000 for land.

Additionally, a concessional rate of duty will apply to homes valued more than $800,000 but less than $1,000,000 and vacant blocks of land valued more than $400,000 and less than $500,000

How much is the First Home Owners Grant NSW?

The FHOG in NSW is worth $10,000 however conditions apply. To be eligible, your first home must have a total value below $600,000, and be either newly constructed or ‘substantially renovated’. A home is substantially renovated when most or all of the original house was removed or replaced, and it’s the first time the place has been sold, and lived in, after the renovations were completed.

If you plan to build a new home from scratch, you can still be eligible for the FHOG in NSW as long as your land plus the home you build have a combined value of less than $750,000.

Click here for more information on the NSW First Home Owner Grant.

How much is the First Home Owners Grant in the NT?

The First Home Owner Grant in NT is$10,000. Your income and the price of your home don’t affect the FHOG NT, and the grant is available if you buy or build a new house, apartment, duplex or townhouse.

The Territory’s First Home Owner Discount has been in place since 8 February 2019. It lets you save up to a maximum of $18,601 on the cost of stamp duty. The savings is available whether you buy a new or established home as long as the home is valued under $650,000.

Click here for more information on the NT First home Owner Grant.

How much is the First Home Owners Grant QLD?

As a first home buyer in Queensland you could be entitled to the $15,000 First Home Owner Grant. To be eligible, you need to buy a brand new home or build a home from scratch with the total value (including the land) below $750,000. You may also be eligible if you buy off the plan or an established home that’s been substantially renovated.

As a guide, substantial renovations include replacing or altering foundations or replacing or altering floors. Cosmetic work such as painting the walls or sanding floors doesn’t add up to a substantial renovation when it comes to the FHOG in QLD.

Stamp duty concessions

If you’re buying vacant land to build your first home, you pay zero stamp duty as long as you pay $400,000 or less for your block. Whereas if your first home is valued up to $500,000, you pay zero stamp duty. That’s a saving of $8,750, which is the maximum stamp duty rebate available to first home buyers in Qld.

Additionally, savings on stamp duty may still be available if you pay between $500,000 and $550,000 for your first home. As a guide, if your first home is worth $505,000, you pay stamp duty of $1,050, a saving of $7,875. These savings cut out altogether if your first home costs $550,000 or more. On a property valued at $550,000, for example, the stamp duty would work out to be $10,600.

Click here for more information on the QLD First home Owner Grant.

How much is the First Home Owners Grant SA?

There are currently no specific stamp duty concessions available for first home buyers in SA.

The $15,000 FHOG in South Australia is only available to first home owners who buy or build a brand new home. You can choose from a house, apartment, townhouse or villa, but you will only be able to claim the FHOG SA if you pay below $575,000 for your home.

You can also claim the First Home Owner Grant in South Australia when you buy a block of vacant land to build your first home on. However, the end value of your building plus land must be no more than $575,000.

Click here for more information on the SA First home Owner Grant.

Stamp duty concessions in TAS

If you buy an established home, you are not eligible for the FHOG in Tasmania but you may be able to claim savings on stamp duty. If you’re home is valued at

$400,000 or less, you will receive a 50% discount on the property transfer duty (stamp duty).

How much is the First Home Owners Grant TAS?

The FHOG Tasmania is worth $20,000 until 30 June 2022 but only when you buy or build a new home. Off the plan purchases are also eligible. In Tasmania, there is no limit on the purchase price of the property, and the FHOG is not means tested.

Click here for more information on the TAS First home Owner Grant.

Stamp duty concessions in VIC

First home owners in Victoria don’t pay stamp duty at all on their first home as long as the property is valued below $600,000. You may still be eligible for savings on stamp duty if you pay between $600,000 and $750,000 for your first home. The stamp duty concessions available in Victoria apply to both established and new homes.

How much is the First Home Owners Grant VIC?

The FHOG Victoria is only available if you buy a newly built home or if you choose to build a home from scratch. The FHOG is worth $10,000 if you build/buy in Melbourne. Or you can receive a FHOG of $20,000 if you buy/build a new home in regional Victoria.

Your first home can be a house, townhouse, apartment, or unit but it must be valued at $750,000 or less, and it must be a new home – being sold as a home for the first time, and less than five years old.

Click here for more information on the VIC First home Owner Grant.

Stamp duty concessions in WA

If you buy vacant land to build your first home, you’re exempt from paying stamp duty as long as you don’t pay more than $300,000. If you pay between $300,000 and $400,000 you will be entitled to a reduced rate of duty.

If you buy a home costing up to $430,000, no stamp duty is payable at all. If the value of your home is between $430,000 and $530,000, you’ll be entitled to a reduced rate of stamp duty. There are no additional concessions for homes valued above $530,000 and land valued above $400,000.

How much is the First Home Owners Grant WA?

The FHOG WA is worth $10,000 when you buy or build a brand new home. There are limits on what you can pay for your first home to be eligible for the FHOG in Western Australia.

If you’re located south of the 26th parallel, which basically covers all the Perth metropolitan area, you can claim the FHOG WA if your new home is worth up to $750,000 – this includes the value of the land plus buildings.

If you buy or build a home north of the 26th parallel, the property must be valued up to or below $1 million to be eligible for the FHOG WA.

The First Home Owner Grant in Western Australia is no longer available if you buy an established home however you may be able to claim stamp duty savings.

Click here for more information on the WA First home Owner Grant.

State / Territorial Revenue Web Sites

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eGuide download

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First home buyer's guide

Purchasing your first property can be an overwhelming process and there may be steps you are unsure or unaware aware of. This guide will walk you through all of the steps involved in the buying process.

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Hear from our customers

Andrew Ross, Melbourne, VIC
First home buyer
I’d definitely recommend Mortgage Choice. If I had known it would be this easy to arrange a home loan and buy a place of my own I would have done it years ago!
Andrew Ross received expert help from Mortgage Choice in Melbourne

Ashleigh Dodds, Melbourne, VIC
First home buyer
The help our broker provided was amazing. I don’t know how many times we asked the same questions but he never made us feel like any questions were silly. He even took the time to explain our home loan to our parents. I have already recommended Mortgage Choice to my friends - I am just so happy with the way things turned out for us.

Gabriel Sciannimanica,
First home buyer
Prior to booking my first appointment with Mortgage Choice I knew entirely nothing about home loans and the housing market. My broker provided me with the knowledge, expertise and guidance to feel comfortable enough to take the plunge and buy my first home. I am very happy with the package that I ended up choosing and would return to Mortgage Choice again.

James Paul,
First home buyer
At the age of 29, with a $50,000 deposit and a six figure income, my bank was unable to give me a loan. After meeting with my Mortgage Choice broker, she clearly and effectively communicated my options and the process of purchasing my first home. Within 48 hours I had been pre-approved to almost double the amount approved by my bank.

Joanne Grady, North Lakes, QLD
First home buyer
I asked my broker thousands of questions, and she never made me feel like I was an imposition or that I was asking a stupid question – and that’s not something I could say about every service provider I encountered as a first home buyer. With the right help and support, buying a first home doesn’t have to be hard. My broker was lovely to deal with and she made the whole process so much easier for me.

Portia Jonasi, Perth, WA
First home buyer
Our broker did more than help us find a competitively priced loan. She was really interested in providing personal solutions and she provided good advice, explaining all the things we needed to consider as first home buyers. Mortgage Choice made it very easy to buy our block of land. The hard part is waiting for our first home to be built so we can begin living in it – that’s a day I’m really looking forward to!

Sarah Nayton,
First home buyer
I purchased my first home and to say it was a daunting experience is an understatement. It was a very confusing time. I have said to my friends multiple times that I don’t know how I would have actually navigated through it all without the support of my Mortgage Choice broker. She made everything clear and her customer service and knowledge of the industry was exceptional.

FAQs

First home buyer FAQs

How much money can I borrow?

The amount you can borrow, commonly known as your borrowing capacity or borrowing power will be determined based on your unique set of financial circumstances. Your income, assets, liabilities and credit history can all affect your borrowing power. How much money you can borrow will also differ from lender to lender.

Our home loan calculator will give you an initial idea of how much you can borrow. Your local Mortgage Choice broker can give you a complete individual assessment of your situation.

How do I choose which home loan is best for me?

Mortgage Choice brokers can help you find which of the hundreds of home loans offered by our panel of lenders will best suit your needs. Consider the questions in Choosing the Right Home Loan to see which loan features are likely to be most important to you.

How much do I need to save for a deposit?

The deposit required depends largely on the type of home loan and, of course, the lender you select. As a general rule, if you are an owner-occupier you’ll require 5-10% of the purchase price as a deposit. If you are an investor, you’ll ideally require 10% of the purchase price, although it's possible to purchase with less.

Mortgage Choice has a savings calculator you can use to help you determine the amount you need to save each month and how long it will take to reach your desired deposit.

What is the First Home Owner Grant?

The First Home Owner Grant scheme is a one-off payment which varies by state or territory (from $7,000 up to $26,000) to assist eligible first home owners with purchase or construction costs. Find out if you are eligible for the grant.

How much money will I need to set aside for stamp duty?

Stamp duty is a state government tax based on a property's selling price. Each state or territory has different rules and calculations; some states offer discounts or exemptions to first home buyers. Stamp duty can be a significant additional cost when buying property.

Use our stamp duty calculator to get an idea of what you will need to pay.

First Home Buyers