Home-buying finances
Prepare financially before you start house hunting.
Understand your safe budget, deposit, complete buying costs, home-loan options and available government support before property pressure begins.
Current RBA cash rate target: 4.35% (Reserve Bank of Australia, verified 29 Jul 2026). This is a system-wide rate, not any individual buyer's actual home-loan rate.
Financial preparation, step by step
Each stage opens a complete guide.
Start with your current need
I want the complete overview
Know your current financial position before anything else.
Read the guide →I want to know the full cost of buying
Duty, legal costs, inspections, fees and moving.
Read the guide →I am considering government support
Federal and Victorian programmes and eligibility.
Read the guide →I want to plan for ownership costs
Rates, insurance, owners corporation fees and maintenance.
Read the guide →Essential financial guides
Preparing financially: the complete overview
Know your position, choose a safe budget, build your deposit and prepare for pre-approval.
Safe budget vs. borrowing capacity
What a lender may approve is not the same as what you can safely repay.
Deposit, LVR and LMI
What counts as a deposit, how it sets your LVR, and when Lenders Mortgage Insurance applies.
Complete buying costs
Duty, legal fees, inspections and the costs that arrive before and after settlement.
Government support for home buyers
The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy, FHSSS and Victorian concessions — six programmes, each on its own page.
Understanding and comparing home loans
Fixed vs. variable, comparison rate, offset, redraw and the features worth paying for.
Comparing home loans
A practical process for shortlisting and getting a personalised quote from multiple lenders.
Working with a mortgage broker
The best interests duty, how brokers are paid, and what to ask before you rely on one.
Credit reports and your home loan application
Your right to a free copy every 3 months, and why checking it early matters.
Home-loan pre-approval: what it does and does not mean
Conditional approval, credit checks, expiry, and why pre-approval isn't a settlement guarantee.
Ongoing costs of home ownership
Council rates, insurance, owners corporation fees and a maintenance contingency.
Special circumstances
If your situation isn't the default case the guides above assume.
Preparing financially as a self-employed buyer
Lenders typically want more evidence of a stable income when you work for yourself.
Preparing financially with casual or variable income
How lenders commonly treat irregular pay, and how to budget around it yourself.
Buying while on or planning parental leave
How a temporary income reduction affects borrowing capacity and application timing.
Buying a home with a partner
Joint applications, and the real legal difference between joint tenants and tenants in common.
Buying with family — guarantors and co-ownership
Two different structures, two very different sets of risks and obligations.
Preparing financially as a single parent
The government schemes with lower deposit minimums for eligible single parents and guardians.
How existing debt affects your borrowing capacity
Personal loans, car loans and credit limits all reduce what a lender will approve.
How a HELP/HECS debt affects your home loan
An outstanding study loan is treated as an existing debt in most serviceability assessments.
Credit cards and buy now, pay later before you apply
Both count as credit lenders assess — even ones you rarely use.
Buying property in Australia as a non-citizen
FIRB approval rules, the current ban on established dwellings, and what's still allowed.
Financing a home you're building
Construction loans are structured differently from a standard purchase loan.
Financing an off-the-plan purchase
Sunset clauses, deposit bonds and staged payments — what to check before you sign.
Bridging finance: buying before you've sold
A short-term, typically more expensive loan that carries real timing risk.
Financial resilience and support
Preparing for what happens after settlement, and where to get free help if things get difficult.
Preparing for interest rate rises
A deeper look at stress-testing your specific loan against realistic rate scenarios.
Preparing for income interruption
Job loss, illness or reduced hours — building resilience before you need it.
Insurance you need as a homeowner
Building, contents and mortgage protection insurance — what each actually covers.
Building a maintenance buffer
Why ongoing repairs deserve their own line in your budget, not just a one-off allowance.
If you're struggling to make repayments
Free help exists, and lenders have hardship obligations — what to do, and when.
How to complain about a lender, broker or insurer
A free, independent dispute resolution scheme exists for exactly this.
Free financial counselling
An independent, no-cost service — not the same as a financial adviser.
Tools
Complete buying-cost calculator
Duty, fees, inspections and moving costs for a Victorian purchase, sourced from the current SRO Victoria thresholds.
Safe budget & repayment stress tester
See your repayment under today's terms and under realistic stress scenarios — no green or red verdict.
Deposit & LVR explorer
See your Loan-to-Value Ratio and whether LMI commonly applies at that level.
Financial preparation plan
Save your position, budget and target numbers in your browser, and print or export a summary to take to a lender or broker.