Buying guide

Buying property in Australia, end to end

Reviewed against current legislation on

Buying a home in Australia takes most people two to six months from the first inspection to settlement, and longer if you're saving toward a deposit or waiting for the right property to come on. Every stage stacks decisions on top of one another. Where to look, how much to spend, what to bid, what's in the contract, who to engage, when to exchange, when to settle. Miss any one of them and the cost shows up later as a higher interest rate, an undisclosed easement, or a sunset clause that lets the developer rescind your contract.

This guide is the buyer journey laid out in one place. It points to the deeper guides on each stage and the state-specific resources for the rules that change at the border. Use it as a map. Start at the section that matches where you are right now and follow the links into the detail.

Research the suburb before you research the property

Buyers who get this wrong spend a Saturday driving to four open homes and realise three of them are in suburbs they wouldn't have shortlisted if they'd done the data first. Pull the median price, three-year growth, rental yield, school zones, transport, and crime stats for any postcode before you book your first inspection. The Realestate Lens app covers all ten categories on a single screen, so you can compare two suburbs side by side in under a minute.

First home buyer grants, schemes, and exemptions

Every state and territory has its own first home buyer grant, stamp duty exemption, and concession threshold. The numbers change in most state budgets, and some grants only apply to new builds or properties under a price cap. Before you put in your first offer, work out which schemes you actually qualify for. A first home buyer in NSW under $800,000 might pay zero stamp duty. The same buyer at $850,000 pays full duty. Knowing the threshold changes the property you should be looking at.

Inspections and the Saturday route

Most buyers see 5 to 10 properties they take seriously across their search. Six of those will end up at the same open home time on the same Saturday. The Inspection Planner inside Realestate Lens optimises the route, slots open-home times, and lets you take notes on each property without losing track of which house had which problem. Bring a checklist on the day and you'll spot the things buyers without one always miss.

Building, new builds, and off-the-plan

Buying a new build or an off-the-plan apartment is a different animal from buying established. You're signing a contract for something that doesn't exist yet, with sunset clauses, progress payments, and a builder's licence to verify. The risks compound when settlement is 18 to 36 months away and the market moves. Read the off-the-plan contract carefully, and consider getting a full review before you sign.

Valuation, insurance, and settling in

After the contract is signed, two things happen in parallel. The lender orders a valuation that determines how much they'll actually lend, and you start organising the move. A low valuation can blow up a purchase 48 hours before settlement, so understand the difference between bank valuation and contract price before you exchange. On the way in the door, your insurance needs to be live from settlement day, not the day you actually pick up the keys.

Run your shortlist through Realestate Lens

The iOS app combines suburb research, inspection planning, and contract review in one workflow. Free first analysis of each, no card required.

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