First-home buyers
The unexpected hurdle for first home buyers after saving a deposit
They’ve put together a deposit, got a home loan approved and are counting the cost of rising interest rates – but many potential buyers aren’t prepared for the next challenge.
- by Kate Burke
Latest
Governments spent $20.5b on first home buyer help that pushes up prices: report
Stamp duty concessions and cash grants have made housing affordability worse by increasing the amount home buyers pay to home sellers, the report author said.
- by Tawar Razaghi
Opinion
Big Perth
Perth is already the world’s longest city, and we’ve dropped the ball on sprawl
Our city already stretches 150 kilometres, it is sprawling at a greater rate than it was in 2013 and at this rate, Bunbury will soon be its southernmost suburb.
- by Brad Pettitt
The affordable neighbourhoods starting to shine in the property market downturn
Some lockdown-era hotspots are missing from the latest ranking of suburbs where property values have risen most, but cheaper options made the cut.
- by Elizabeth Redman
How first home buyers can get help to spend $100,000 more at auction
Home hunters trying to get on the property ladder can get extra help from the government. But if their rivals at auction do the same, will it prop up prices?
- by Kate Burke
House prices are falling, but buyer beware of holding out for a better deal
Some property buyers are putting off their purchase, banking on finding a cheaper home later this year, but experts warn trying to pick the bottom of the market has risks.
- by Elizabeth Redman
Analysis
Stamp duty
Stamp duty catch: what happens when it’s time to sell?
First home buyers could get into the market sooner under a NSW plan to let them avoid stamp duty. But when it’s time to sell, experts warn there’s a catch.
- by Elizabeth Redman
‘Weight off our shoulders’: First home buyers welcome property tax
First home buyers have welcomed the option to swap stamp duty for an annual property tax, saying it would help them into the housing market sooner.
- by Kate Burke
I bought a house in my 20s with a friend, and we’re still friends
Somehow, probably over a Baileys on ice, we came up with the idea of buying a house together 27 years ago as a way of getting into the property market.
- by Monique Farmer
‘Money was never going to be free forever’: Borrowers can withstand higher rates, says Westpac
Westpac senior executive Chris de Bruin says the vast majority of mortgage customers can manage a series of interest rate rises, though the bank is watching closely for weaker discretionary spending.
- by Clancy Yeates
First-home buyer nabs Carlton terrace at auction for $1.5 million
No one wanted to make the first offer, and just when the property was about to pass in, three buyers raised their hands. After $200,000 worth of bidding, a father-son duo won.
- by Elizabeth Redman