First home buyers

Start here: Budget 2026 for homebuyers: why the next 18 months may be the best buying window in a decade

Articles in First home buyers

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  First home

  Negative equity and 5% deposit buyers: what the headlines mean — and what to do (Australia 2026)

  Bank forecasts of Sydney and Melbourne price falls have put low-deposit first home buyers in the spotlight. Here is what negative equity actually means for your mortgage, when it matters, and the buffer moves that still make sense.

  5 June 2026 · 13 min

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  First home

  HECS-HELP and borrowing power in 2026: what actually changed for home loan applicants

  Study debt still matters on your home loan file — but APRA’s 2025 clarification and lender policy shifts can free meaningful borrowing power when you apply to the right bank with the right evidence.

  29 May 2026 · 9 min

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  First home

  The 5% deposit scheme six months in: what actually works (and what still trips buyers up)

  Since October 2025 the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme has had unlimited places and higher price caps — and enquiry volumes from younger first-home buyers have jumped. Here is the broker playbook: eligibility, lender reality checks, funds-to-complete maths, and a 30-day EOFY checklist.

  28 May 2026 · 21 min

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  First home

  Budget 2026 for homebuyers: why the next 18 months may be the best buying window in a decade

  The Budget headlines went to negative gearing and CGT. The quieter — and more useful — story is what it means for ordinary Australian homebuyers. Treasury's own modelling has first home buyers as the net winners, the deposit-and-scheme settings have been quietly transformed since October 2025, and the combination of softer investor demand, a peaked rate cycle, and the most generous federal homebuyer schemes in a generation could make the next 18 months the most favourable buying window since 2013. Here is the full broker-grade walk-through.

  14 May 2026 · 18 min

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  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.

  26 Apr 2026 · 16 min

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  First home

  HECS-HELP and your home loan in Australia (2026): the new APRA rules, lender by lender

  If HECS-HELP debt has been holding your home loan back, 2025 quietly changed the rules. Here is what APRA, CBA and NAB actually did, how each lender is applying it in 2026, and how to sequence your application so the change works in your favour.

  22 Apr 2026 · 14 min

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  First home

  South Australia stamp duty reform: first home buyers, downsizers, and what actually changed (2026)

  SA did not abolish stamp duty for every buyer — it tightened incentives around new housing and downsizing. Here is how first home buyer relief and the new downsizer pathway work, what still attracts full duty, and how to budget before you sign.

  14 Apr 2026 · 8 min

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  First home

  Guarantor and family security home loans in Australia: what actually changes

  A family member’s guarantee can help you buy sooner — but it is not a cosmetic tweak. Here is how security, limits, and lender policy differ from a standard loan, and the conversations worth having before anyone signs.

  5 Apr 2026 · 9 min

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  First home

  First home buyer costs beyond the deposit (the ones people forget)

  Duty, conveyancing, adjustments, lender fees, moving, and a buffer — the settlement ledger buyers wish they had mapped earlier.

  4 Apr 2026 · 8 min

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  First home

  First home buyers: structure finance before the search gets emotional

  Pre-approval guardrails, cost of duty and legal lines, auction discipline — finance first so Saturday adrenaline does not outrun your ledger.

  4 Apr 2026 · 8 min

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  First home

  First Home Guarantee Scheme: buy your first home with a 5% deposit and no LMI

  First Home Guarantee Scheme & Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme: 5% deposit, no LMI, updated caps and eligibility — practical broker-backed guide.

  4 Apr 2026 · 11 min

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  First home

  Buying your first home on a low deposit: the moves that matter first

  Sequence genuine savings, LMI trade offs, lender fit, and full settlement cash before open homes turn into offer pressure.

  4 Apr 2026 · 8 min

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  First home

  How much deposit do you actually need in Australia right now?

  Beyond the “you need 20%” dinner-table advice: LVR, LMI, genuine savings, government schemes, and the full settlement ledger buyers forget until the week before exchange.

  4 Apr 2026 · 8 min

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  First home

  Stamp duty in Australia: what buyers often miss

  State based rules, concession timing, dutiable value quirks, and the rest of the settlement sheet — not “national averages”.

  4 Apr 2026 · 9 min