The TrueBuy buying guide

How to buy your first home in Australia

Six steps, in order, from working out your deposit to picking up the keys. Written for people buying their first place, with the parts agents would rather you skipped left in.

Free to read. No sign-up. Every figure is sourced and dated, because thresholds and grants change.

The six steps, for Australia

1Where to startWork out what you can actually spend, what the government schemes change, and who you need on your side before you look at a single listing.9 min read
2Where to lookHow to shortlist suburbs on evidence rather than vibes, where the listings actually live, and how to read a price guide that is designed to move.10 min read
3Getting a loanPre-approval, deposit size, lenders mortgage insurance, brokers versus banks, and the difference between an approval you can bid on and one you cannot.11 min read
4Inspecting a propertyA room-by-room checklist, the questions agents do not expect, and the defects that cost real money after settlement.10 min read
5Making an offerPrivate treaty tactics, auction day, the pressure lines you will hear, and how to set a walk-away number you will actually hold.11 min read
6Contracts and settlementWhat is inside a contract of sale, what a strata report tells you, cooling-off by state, and the run to handover.12 min read

Buying somewhere other than Australia

The process differs more than most people expect: when an offer becomes binding, who checks the title, what the deposit is for, and what the state takes. Pick a country - we have started you on the one you appear to be reading from.

Buying in the United States

Your offer is a contract, but contingencies let you out. Losing them is how you lose your earnest money.

An offer that becomes a binding contract on acceptance, softened by contingencies for inspection, appraisal and financing. Title insurance and an escrow closing replace the conveyancer of other countries.

Down payment: 20% avoids PMI
Paid on acceptance: Earnest money, typically 1-3%
Government charge: Transfer and recording taxes, set locally
Who does the legal work: Title company or escrow agent; an attorney in some states

The guide lists 6 documents to get before you are committed, and 11 of the things they turn up - each with what it costs and the delay it causes.

Read the United States guide

Before you decide to go it alone

Two pages on what representation is actually worth, and what it costs when nobody is checking the paperwork on your behalf.

What buying alone actually costsThe recurring ways unrepresented buyers lose money in Australia, what each one is worth, and the documented evidence behind them.Buyer's agent vs AI buyer's advocateWhat a good buyer's agent is genuinely worth, where the fee stops making sense, and how an AI advocate covers the same ground for a fraction of the cost.

Go deeper on one thing

The walkthrough above is the sequence. These are the reference pages - read in any order, whenever the thing they cover is the thing in front of you.

What agents omitWhat the selling agent will not tell youAn agent works for the vendor and is paid on the sale price. Here is what that means in practice, what they are legally allowed to leave out, and where the answers actually live.12 min read Negotiation techniquesProperty negotiation techniques that actually workAnchoring, conditions as currency, silence, and the difference between a discount you ask for and one you can evidence. With scripts you can send.14 min read Auction dayHow to handle an auction: strategy, tactics and the rulesWhat the rules actually are, how bidding psychology is used against you, when to enter, and why the contract is unconditional the moment the hammer falls.13 min read Due diligenceThe complete property due diligence checklistEvery search, report and question, in the order a careful buyer works through them, with what each one is actually protecting you from.15 min read Costs and red flagsHidden costs and red flags when buying propertyThe money nobody budgets for, and the warning signs that turn up in the paperwork long before they turn up in your bank account.12 min read Apartments and strataBuying an apartment: strata reports, levies and the trapsHow to read a strata report, what a thin capital works fund really signals, special levies, defects, by-laws, and the questions the minutes answer.14 min read Case studiesWhat a contract review actually findsWorked examples from real contracts: the clause that moved $50,000, the deposit released before settlement, the easement the title did not mention.13 min read Building a portfolioBuilding a property portfolio, one purchase at a timeEquity, serviceability, cashflow versus growth, structuring, and why the second purchase is harder than the first even when you have more money.15 min read Which buyer are youFirst home buyer, upgrader, investor, expat: how the process differsThe same purchase looks different depending on who you are. What changes in the finance, the paperwork, the tax and the risk for each kind of buyer.13 min read Buying abroadBuying property in another country: what changes and what does notAustralia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada compared - the contract, the searches, the foreign buyer rules and the part that is identical everywhere.16 min read

Common questions

How much deposit do I need to buy a first home in Australia?

Twenty per cent of the purchase price avoids lenders mortgage insurance. Five per cent is enough if you qualify for the First Home Guarantee, where the government guarantees the gap and the insurance is waived. Either way you also need cash for stamp duty where it applies, legal fees, inspections and moving.

How long does buying a first home usually take?

Most first home buyers spend three to twelve months searching. Once your offer is accepted, settlement is commonly four to six weeks in New South Wales and Victoria and thirty to sixty days elsewhere, though the contract sets the actual date.

Do I need a buyer's agent to buy my first home?

No. Plenty of people buy without one. The question is whether you can do the three jobs a buyer's agent does: price the property from evidence, read every page of the contract and reports, and hold your position in the negotiation. This guide covers all three so you can decide where you want help.

What is underquoting and is it legal?

Underquoting is advertising a price guide the agent knows the property will not sell for. It is illegal in New South Wales and Victoria and penalties were increased sharply in 2026. It still happens, so treat any guide as a marketing number and check it against comparable sales.

Start with the free price check

Paste a listing and see the likely range against the guide. No account needed, no card.

Check a price guide - free See what you get - free

Information, not legal advice. Confirm with your conveyancer before acting.