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Buying my first home

Whether you’re buying or building your first home, the experience can be a daunting one, as it’s probably one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make.

To support you in your first home buyer journey, there are several types of support from the Australian Government that you may be eligible for. Both the First Home Guarantee (FHBG) and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (RFHBG) provide an assurance to Participating Lenders that allow you to purchase your first home sooner, with a deposit of as little as 5% and without having to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance. This is because Housing Australia guarantees the difference between the borrower’s deposit of at least 5% and 20% of the value of the eligible property.

If you are eligible for the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee you are not eligible for the First Home Guarantee. Home buyers who are not eligible for the RFHBG, may be eligible for the First Home Guarantee or the Family Home Guarantee (FHG). To help you work out which Guarantee you may be eligible for, try the Eligibility Tool on the Housing Australia website.

To help minimise your research time we have summarised the opportunities below that could help you with your first home experience.

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First Home Guarantee (FHBG)

The First Home Guarantee has been designed to support eligible home buyers.

The purpose of the First Home Guarantee is to support eligible home buyers to enter the housing market sooner. It does this by allowing Housing Australia to issue up to 35,000 guarantees each financial year for eligible loans to home buyers with a deposit of between 5 and 20 per cent of the property value

We’ve been approved as a First Home Guarantee Participating Lender by Housing Australia to offer you this option.

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Regional First Home Guarantee (RFHBG)

The purpose of the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee is to help eligible home buyers living in regional areas to buy a modest home in regional areas. It does this by allowing Housing Australia to issue up to 10,000 guarantees for each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years for eligible loans to regional first home buyers with a deposit of between 5 and 20 per cent of the property value.

What is a regional area?

A regional area is defined as:

  • the Statistical Area Level 4 (ASGS SA4 2016) areas in a State or the Northern Territory that are not a capital city of that State or Territory; and
  • Norfolk Island; or the Territories of Jervis Bay, Christmas Island or Cocos (Keeling) Islands; as defined in the version published by The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in July 2016.

The greater capital city areas of each state and the Northern Territory; and the entire Australian Capital Territory are excluded from the RFHBG. Home buyers in these areas may be eligible for the First Home Guarantee and Family Home Guarantee.

We’ve been approved as a Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee Participating Lender by Housing Australia to offer you this option.

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Check your Government Guarantee eligibility

An owner occupied home loan paid on a principal and interest basis must be entered into. Investment properties are not supported. 18+ Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident Must be able to provide 2022-23 Notice of Assessment issued by the ATO to reserve a place in the Guarantee.
Singles with a taxable income of up to $125,000 p.a and joint applicants* with a combined taxable income of up to $200,000 p.a for the previous financial year. Applicants must have a minimum 5% deposit, and can include first home buyers or previous home owners.~ Your maximum property purchase price will be restricted by the suburb and postcode.**
Regional Home Buyer Guarantee applicants (or at least one applicant if applying jointly) who have lived in the regional area or adjacent regional area they are purchasing in for the preceding 12-month period to the date they execute the home loan agreement.^ Applicants who intend to be owner-occupiers of the purchased property.^

 

 

* Joint applicants may apply for the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. Joint applicants may include partners, friends, siblings, and other relatives.

~ Previous homeowners are defined as those who haven’t owned a property in the ten years prior to the date they execute their home loan. Prior property ownership includes a freehold interest in real property in Australia (this includes owning land only), an interest in a lease of land in Australia with a term of 50 years or more, or a company title interest in land in Australia.

** To find out the property price threshold of a suburb you a looking to buy in you can try the Housing Australia tool.

^ Australian Defence Force applicants may be eligible for a partial exemption and should check with their participating lender if this applies.

Fact sheets and detailed eligibility criteria

For detailed eligibility criteria review the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and First Home Guarantee fact sheets or use the handy comparison table to determine which option you may be eligible for.

Information guides

There are no costs or repayments associated with the Guarantee. However, first home buyers are responsible for meeting all costs and repayments for the home loan associated with the guarantee.

Eligible property types

 

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First Home Owner Grant

The First Home Owner Grant is a state government incentive helping first home buyers to buy or build a brand new home.

We can support first home buyers to complete an application for the First Home Owner Grant.

To access the First Home Owner Grant, you must be buying or building a new home valued less than $750,000 (including land and any contract variations). You must be 18 years or older and this must be the first residential property owned in Australia.

The home:

  • must not have been lived in or sold as a place of residence at the time of completion
  • could be a
    • house, unit, duplex or townhouse; or a granny flat built on a relative’s land
    • home that has been moved from one site to another (including kit homes or modular homes)
    • home in a manufactured home park
    • substantially renovated home
  • must be one of the following eligible transactions
    • new home
    • off-the-plan purchase
    • substantial renovation
    • contract to build
    • owner–builder.

The State Government also recently announced changes to the First Home Owner Grant, which will see the grant doubled to $30,000. The changes will apply to eligible transactions between 20 November 2023 and 30 June 2025.

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How to apply?

Your application can be lodged through us or one of our approved brokers. To get started, register your interest by completing the form below and one of our Home Loan Specialists will be in touch with you. 

FHLDS Application Process

If you are a first home buyer and also a single parent or eligible single legal guardian, the Family Home Guarantee could also be an option for you.

Family Home Guarantee (FHG)

Saving to purchase a family home can be a challenging task, especially when you are a single parent or single legal guardian.

The Family Home Guarantee is for eligible single parents and eligible single legal guardians of at least one dependent, such as aunts, uncles or grandparents. Applicants can include those who are not first home buyers.

The purpose of the Family Home Guarantee is to support eligible single parents and eligible single legal guardians to buy a home. It does this by allowing Housing Australia to issue 5,000 guarantees each financial year to eligible single parents and eligible single legal guardians with a deposit of between 2 and 20 per cent of the property value.

Applicants can have previously owned a home and still be eligible provided they no longer have an invested interest in the property.

Find out more

As a first home buyer you may also be eligible for other government support programs like the First Home Super Saver Scheme, state and territory First Home Owner Grants, and stamp duty concessions.

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Ready to take the next step?

If you're ready to get into your first home sooner and take advantage of the government support options available, take a look at our special home loan offer.

Before acquiring the product, the information above should be read in conjunction with the following documents to determine if the product is right for you: Target Market Determination; Home Loan brochure; Account and Access Facility Conditions of Use; Fees and Charges brochure; Loan Interest Rate Schedule; and Credit Guide.