Your first home, step by step

First home buyer guides, calculators and personal help.

Build a realistic budget, understand deposits and government support, prepare for pre-approval and move toward settlement with fewer surprises.

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The buying journey

Take the next useful step—not every step at once.

Plan your deposit

Work out your available funds, buying costs and financial buffer.

Estimate your position

Explore borrowing capacity, purchasing costs and potential assistance.

Prepare for pre-approval

Gather documents and understand what conditional approval means.

Search with a clear budget

Compare properties without losing sight of repayments and costs.

Move toward settlement

Coordinate finance, legal checks, insurance and final documents.

First home buyer library

Clear answers for important decisions.

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The complete first home buyer guide

Follow the Australian first home buying process from budget and deposit through pre-approval, property search, loan approval and settlement.

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Prepare to buy

First home buyer pre-approval

Understand home loan pre-approval for first home buyers, including documents, conditional approval, expiry and what can change before final approval.

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Build your deposit

How much deposit does a first home buyer need?

Plan a first home buyer deposit, understand loan-to-value ratio, LMI, genuine savings and the additional buying costs to allow for.

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Explore available support

First home buyer government schemes

Understand the main types of Australian first home buyer assistance and where to verify current eligibility, property limits and application rules.

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Smaller-deposit pathway

Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme

Learn how the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme works, what a guarantee does and what to check with a participating lender before applying.

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Budget beyond the price

First home buyer costs in Victoria

Plan the costs of buying a first home in Victoria, including the deposit, transfer duty, conveyancing, inspections, loan costs and insurance.

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Victorian transfer duty

First home buyer stamp duty in Victoria

Understand how Victorian first home buyer stamp duty concessions may work, what affects eligibility and where to check current thresholds.

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Family-supported buying

Family guarantee home loans for first home buyers

Understand how a family guarantee home loan may help a first home buyer, including limited guarantees, guarantor risk and questions to consider.

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Buy with fewer surprises

First home buyer mistakes to avoid

Avoid common first home buyer mistakes involving budgets, pre-approval, contracts, property checks, government assistance and loan comparisons.

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Work with a broker

Get a first-home plan built around your numbers.

Chris Berry can help you assess your deposit, borrowing position, suitable lender options and next steps.

How Chris helps

Useful calculators

Test the numbers before you commit.

First home buyer calculator →Borrowing capacity calculator →Stamp duty calculator →

Ready when you are

Let’s find your better rate.

Book a free 30-minute appointment with a mortgage broker to clarify your next step.

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