First home buyers
Grants, concessions and practical guidance for people buying their first home in Queensland.
20,125 Queensland first buyers used the 5% Deposit Scheme in a year
Federal figures for the first year of the expanded 5% Deposit Scheme count 102,594 first home buyers, a fifth of them in Queensland, as lenders report borrowing limits biting.
Lenders mortgage insurance, and how a guarantee replaces it
Mortgage insurance is the premium a buyer pays to protect the bank when the deposit is under 20 per cent. What it costs, why a guarantee removes it, and the Queensland routes around it.
Boost to Buy places run out in South East Queensland, regions stay open
Queensland Treasury's Boost to Buy pages, updated on 30 September, say South East Queensland allocations are exhausted while places for regional first buyers remain available.
First-buyer applications down 22.6% in Queensland as rates rise again
Equifax data shows Queensland's first home buyer mortgage demand fell 22.6 per cent in August. On 29 September the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.60 per cent.
Help to Buy: the federal shared equity scheme and its Queensland caps
The Australian Government's Help to Buy scheme pays up to 40 per cent of a first home's price in return for a share of it. The rules, the income limits and Queensland's price caps.
First home buyers in regional Queensland: caps, places and a State loan
Outside the south-east corner the federal price caps drop to $700,000, half of Boost to Buy's places are reserved, and a State home loan has a higher income limit until 31 October.
Stacking the grant, duty relief and a 5% deposit on one Queensland home
Queensland's $30,000 grant, its first home duty concessions and the federal 5% Deposit Scheme can meet in a single purchase. Where they overlap, where each stops, with worked examples.
First Home Super Saver Scheme: using super for a Queensland deposit
The First Home Super Saver scheme lets a first buyer save part of a deposit inside super and withdraw it through the ATO. The caps, the tax, the steps and the traps.
Buying a first home with a family guarantee: how it works, what it risks
A family guarantee lets a parent's home stand in for the deposit a first buyer has not saved. How the security works, what the guarantor is promising and how it fits Queensland's schemes.
Queensland first-buyer loans slip to 5,646 as their average size jumps
ABS figures for the June quarter show fewer first home buyer loans in Queensland and a much larger average loan, while Equifax reports July applications down 25.2 per cent.
Boost to Buy: how Queensland's shared equity scheme works for a buyer
Queensland's Boost to Buy lets a first buyer purchase with a 2 per cent deposit while the State takes a share of the home. How the share works, who qualifies and how it ends.
Queensland adds a citizenship or residency test to first-buyer duty relief
For contracts entered into from 1 August 2026, Queensland's first home transfer duty concessions are open only to citizens, permanent residents and specified foreign retirees.
First home duty concessions in Queensland: thresholds and new homes
How Queensland charges transfer duty on a first home: nothing up to $700,000 on an existing home, a sliding concession to $800,000, and no duty on a new home.
Help to Buy gets a third lender as Teachers Mutual Bank signs on
Teachers Mutual Bank began offering federal Help to Buy loans on 27 July, the first new lender since the launch. Brokers can write its loans from 6 October.
Building a first home in Queensland: land, grant and progress payments
Buying a block and building is two contracts, one loan paid in stages and four deadlines. How the $30,000 grant, the land duty concession and Queensland's builder payment rules fit together.
The 5% Deposit Scheme in Queensland: price caps, rules and how to apply
How the Australian Government's 5% Deposit Scheme works for Queensland first buyers: the $1 million and $700,000 price caps, who is eligible and what it costs.
Palm Island rent-to-buy scheme opens to its first ten households
Applications opened on 13 July for a Queensland rent-to-buy scheme on Palm Island, where 1.4 per cent of residents own their home. Rent-level payments lead to a 99-year lease.
Help to Buy opens 10,000 new places, with Queensland third for demand
The federal shared equity scheme reopened on 1 July with 10,000 places and higher income limits. Housing Australia says Queensland ranks third for applications.
The Queensland First Home Owner Grant: who qualifies and how to claim
A plain guide to Queensland's $30,000 First Home Owner Grant: which homes count, the $750,000 limit, who can apply, how to claim it and the rules after payment.
Queensland Budget keeps the $30,000 first home grant for four more years
The 2026-27 Queensland Budget funds the $30,000 First Home Owner Grant beyond 30 June, keeps new homes free of duty for first buyers and adds a citizenship test.