Buying your first home
We're here to help make things as simple and seamless as possible.
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Our home loans
- Discounted home loan rate
- Offset sub-account available for +0.10%^
- 10% deposit minimum
- Discounted green home loan rate
- Offset sub-account available for +0.10%^
- 10% deposit minimum
- Discounted solar home loan rate
- Offset sub-account available for +0.10%^
- 10% deposit minimum
- $5,000 interest free Visa debit card
- Unlimited free redraw
- 20% deposit minimum
Get ready to enter the property market.
The first thing you’ll need to do is decide what you want to buy, so consider the location, whether you’d prefer a house or unit, a new home or existing home, and whether you’ll live in it or rent it out.
Next, get an idea of how much you can afford. Will you be buying by yourself, or with someone else? How much have you saved for a deposit? What are your income and expenses looking like?
It’s also important to research all the costs which may be involved with buying your first home, like stamp duty, Lenders Mortgage Insurance, Property valuation and conveyancing.
When you’ve done your research, it’s time to get pre-qualified. With loans.com.au, you can apply online in just minutes. This will give you a guide of how much you can borrow. From here, we can help you apply, upload your documents, complete the valuation of your property, and get your loan approved so we can return your documents and you’ll settle.
No matter what stage of the process you’re at, we’re here to help.
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Why do people choose us for their first home?
Low interest rates
Being an online lender with fewer overheads means we’re able to pass on the savings to our customers.
Australian based
Get help when you need it from our friendly team of Australian based, lending specialists.
Flexible options
Looking to save with an offset, or make extra repayments with a redraw? We have a full range of loan features to suit your situation.
Award winning
We keep on winning awards for our products, innovations and customer service, year after year!
Our home loan application process
Application
Simply fill out your home loan application online by entering some of your details, or chat to one of our friendly lending specialists over the phone and they can complete your application for you.
onTrack
After your application is complete, use our system we call onTrack on your desktop or device to add your documentation such as payslips and bank statements, and track the progress of your application.
Speak to specialist
You will then have an appointment with one of our lending specialists to organise your preliminary approval of your loan, and help you progress through the home loan approval process through to settlement as quickly as possible.
Signing document
Check onTrack to received your final approval, mortgage documents and loan agreement. You must sign these and return them in to onTrack.
Settlement
Your loan will settle and you’ll start saving with your new loan rate, and get your keys to your new dream home!
Access your account
Once settlement is complete, we will send your login credentials to start managing your payments in the Smart Money app.
onTrack
Fast track your loan with onTrack
- Gain 24/7 control of your application
- Get alerts straight to your phone
- Easy to download mobile app
Access at your fingertip
You now have access and complete clarity of your loan application on-the-go with onTrack mobile.
The easy to use mobile app will keep you up-to-date with the progress of your loan anytime, anywhere with alerts straight to your phone. It's now even easier to get your loan approved and settled fast, no matter where you are.
Common home loan questions
Simply fill out your application online by hitting the apply button and entering some of your details.
Alternatively, chat to one of our friendly lending specialists on 1300 146 790 and they can complete your application for you.
After your application is complete, use our app onTrack on your desktop or device to add your documents such as payslips, and details of your existing loan. In the onTrack app, you can track the progress of your application.
For more information for documents required for a home purchase or build:
What documents do I need to buy or build a home in Australia?
Related content
Stamp duty is a tax imposed by state governments in Australia on the purchase of assets such as real estate. There are many factors involved in determining the cost of stamp duty for a property. These include:
- The state you’re buying in – All states have different methods of calculating stamp duty so the amount will differ.
- The price of the property – In general, the cheaper the property is the less stamp duty you will pay.
- The type of home you’re buying – Vacant land will have less stamp duty compared to an established home.
Most state and territory governments provide stamp duty concessions to first home buyers and sometimes waive the need to pay stamp duty altogether. It’s best to research your individual state or territory to see what the maximum property value is so you can avoid paying stamp duty.
Related content
You can get your dream home at a great low home loan rate because of our online model. We don't have to pay for branches or broker commissions, which means we are able to pass our savings directly on to you through low home loan rates and and no ongoing, annual or monthly fees.
A property report is helpful if you're looking to purchase a new property, know the address and want to determine if it’s the right property for you, or potentially in a high growth area.
Our property reports provide information such as Estimated property value, Property mapping, Properties sold in the area, Market comparison, Median sale prices in the area and Suburb insights.
Related content
At loans.com.au, you’ll need at least a 10% deposit to buy your first home. If you want to avoid paying LMI, we recommend you save at least a 20% deposit of the property price. We also recommend you to look into grants and schemes available to first home buyers which may assist with the purchase.
Related content
We can provide approval for applicants in as little as 2-3 days, pending the customer's individual circumstances and all correct documentation has been provided. It's important to note that this is not a 'one size fits all' number, and the approval time will depend on each individual applicant's circumstances.
We'd always advise our customers to have the right documentation ready at application stage, so you can move forward with your application as quickly as possible.
Lender's Mortgage Insurance is an insurance policy that protects the lender from financial loss in the event that the borrower can’t afford to keep up their home loan repayments. If you have saved a deposit of 20% or more, you won’t have to pay "Lender's Mortgage Insurance" (LMI).
Related content
One of the benefits of being a first time home buyer in Australia is the access to a First Home Owner Grant. A First Home Owner Grant or FHOG was introduced by the Australian government to help first time homebuyers purchase their home. The requirements aren’t self-evident and every state and territory has different criteria and grant offers. To get more information about FHOG in your state, we suggest you visit the relevant website:
ACT | NSW | NT | SA | QLD | TAS | VIC | WA
Related content
Unlike many other lenders, we charge no monthly, annual or ongoing fees. The only fees you will pay on your home loan are a one-off $300 settlement fee plus a security assessment fee, which for a standard property in a metropolitan area in a major city starts at $230 for properties valued up to $1 million.
You have the option to add a 100% offset sub-account to your loan. Many people choose to do this to help pay their home loan faster and save thousands on interest payments. For an extra 0.10% to the loan, you can add a 100% offset sub-account with online, ATM, EFTPOS & Visa debit card access to your money, plus unlimited free redraws. For out more information about adding an offset-sub account.
Related content
Home loan repayment calculator
Use our home loan calculator to estimate what your monthly mortgage repayments could be. Whether you're refinancing or just wanting to understand how much you can afford, all you have to do is enter how the amount you would like to borrow, interest rate, home loan term, payment frequency, and repayment type (either principal & interest or interest-only).
Your estimated repayments are
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Get started
Ready to enter the property market and buy your first home? Simply apply online or chat to a lending specialist and they can do the hard work for you. We make the process easy so you can get the keys to your first home as soon as possible.
Get free property & suburb insights
To help you find the perfect home, we'd like to give you a free loans.com.au Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) property report, a breakdown of information about the property you are considering, including previous sale prices.
Estimated property value
An indication of how much the property is worth, based on factors including recent sale prices for comparable properties in the area.
Property mapping
An aerial photo of the property and its immediate surrounds, plus maps of the street & the property in relation to points of interest and facilities.
Properties sold in the area
You will be able to see details of recently-sold properties in the area including the date they were sold, land size, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms and garage size.
Market comparison
Detailed information about nearby properties currently listed for sale or recently sold, including their first and last advertised price and days on the market.
Median sale prices in the area
The median sale price for homes in the area and how it has changed each month in recent years.
Suburb insight
Information about the suburb's demographics, such as household occupancy, household income and household structure.
Useful Resources
Guide on buying your first home
Most people have questions as they start on the home buying journey, so we have pulled together some articles to help you. From information on our easy steps to apply for a home loan, to advice on pre-approvals and buying a home, you can find it here..
What is the average house price in Australia?
The steadily growing house prices can be attributed to several factors including inflation, population growth, supply and demand, interest rates, and tax policies, to name a few.
Pros and cons of buying off-the-plan
Wondering if you should buy off the plan? Here are some pros and cons of buying a property off-the-plan.
Stamp duty explained: state-by-state guide
Stamp duty is a tax imposed by state governments in Australia on the purchase of assets such as real estate. This includes title transfers in real estate, vehicles, insurance policies and home loans.