
First home
Help to Buy Australia (2026): the federal shared-equity scheme explained — eligibility, price caps, and the trade-offs no one mentions
The federal Help to Buy shared-equity scheme opened on 5 December 2025, and the questions arriving in my inbox have shifted from 'is this real?' to 'is it actually a better deal than the First Home Guarantee?'. Here's the honest answer — current eligibility, every property price cap, a worked example on an $850,000 home, the trade-offs you'll only learn about when it's too late to change your mind, and when I'd point a client towards Help to Buy versus the First Home Guarantee.
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