Independent Australian borrowing journal
General information, not credit advice
Deposit, duty and guarantees
Photo: Shixart1985, Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0. See all image credits.
Buying the first time is less a single product than a stack of settings: how large a deposit the lender will accept, whether Housing Australia will guarantee the rest, and which state revenue office will discount transfer duty. None of those settings are the same in Perth as they are in Parramatta.
Read the first home buyer guide for Australia, then the 5 per cent deposit scheme and stamp duty concessions.
The First Home Owner Grant is a state payment, usually aimed at new homes, and it is not the same thing as a stamp duty concession or a Commonwealth guarantee. Here is how the pieces fit.
20 May 2026
The honest answer is: enough to satisfy the lender's LVR, plus costs, plus a buffer. Twenty per cent is a pricing threshold, not a moral one. Five per cent is possible with the right scheme and a strong stomach.
18 April 2026
Read How much deposit do you need for a home loan in Australia?
Transfer duty is still one of the largest cheques a first home buyer writes. Concessions and exemptions differ by state and territory, by price, and by whether the home is new. This is the working map, not a substitute for the revenue office.
5 March 2026
Housing Australia's guarantee products let eligible buyers purchase with as little as 5 per cent deposit without paying LMI. They are not a gift, not automatic, and not a reason to stretch to the last dollar of borrowing power.
2 February 2026
Read The 5 per cent deposit scheme and First Home Guarantee, explained
A full-path guide for Australian first home buyers: savings, borrowing power, schemes, stamp duty, the contract, and the settlement day that still feels like a film set.
15 January 2026
