What do you need to think about when buying your first home?
Repayments and budgeting
Before you apply, think about how your repayments fit within your budget. Our repayment calculator could help.
Borrowing power
Estimate how much you could borrow by entering your income and expenses into our borrowing power calculator.
Purchase costs
Our stamp duty and lenders mortgage insurance calculator could help you estimate these property purchase costs.
Property reports
Check sales histories, estimated values and suburb trends with our online Property Market Research tool.
Understanding the process
While it’s an exciting time, the process of buying your first home can be a bit daunting too. From finding a solicitor to settlement, here are 5 things you need to know.
First Home Buyers’ guide
Buying your first place can be exciting, but also confusing. We’ve put together a concise step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process.
Don’t quite have a 20% deposit?
FAQs on our first home buyer LMI offer
You can reduce the cost of Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) to $1 if you’re an eligible first home buyer. You’ll need to contribute a minimum deposit of 15% of the property’s bank valuation to be eligible. And submit your home loan application either online, in-branch with our lending experts, or with your broker, who’ll chat about your eligibility and how best to tailor your loan.
Once your application’s been approved, the St.George team will apply this home loan offer by reducing your LMI to $1, which will be reflected in your Loan Offer Documents.
It’s important to keep in mind this offer can be withdrawn or varied at any time. You’ll find the rest of the offer details and eligibility criteria at the bottom of the page under ‘Important information’.
The bank for first home buyers
We focus on outstanding value and innovation: Canstar 2020 Bank of the Year for First Home Buyers, 5-Star Home Lender, 5-Star Fixed Home Lender and 2020 Best Lending Innovation RFi Group.
Our Home Loans
We offer a range of mortgages to suit your needs with competitive interest rates.
Products
Find out more about St.George Home Loan products for first-home buyers.
Some key features
Learn about the different features of your home loan and see how they could affect you.
Important information
Credit criteria, fees and charges apply. Based on St.George credit criteria, residential lending is not available for Non-Australian resident borrowers.
Before making a decision, it’s best to read the terms and conditions:
Residential Loan Agreement – General Terms and Conditions (PDF 284KB)
Loan Accounts – Charges for specific services and accounts (PDF 183KB)
Advantage Package - Terms and Conditions (PDF 148KB)
^LMI offer: This offer is available for first home buyers applying for their first home loan who have 15% of the property’s value as a deposit (in other words, an LVR of up to 85% at time of approval). The minimum deposit requirements are based on the bank’s valuation of the property. Your application will be assessed and, once approved, you’ll be charged LMI of $1.00. This will be reflected within the Loan Offer Documents. This offer isn’t an LMI waiver. LMI is subject to approval and you must adhere to LMI obligations during the loan agreement. Available for Owner Occupier loans with Principal & Interest repayments only. Offer current as of 13 July 2020 and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. Maximum loan size of $850k. Only one property to be financed per application. First Home Buyers are applicants applying for their first home loan for their first property. For joint applications, only one applicant must be a first home buyer. Offer not available for Owner Occupier Interest Only loans, or residential lending originated under family or company trusts. Offer not available in conjunction with Family Pledge option. Excludes Residential Investment Loans, Portfolio Loans, Constructions Loans, switches and refinances of home loans within the Westpac Group, including St.George, Westpac, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and RAMS. LMI is issued to Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 by either Westpac Lenders Mortgage Insurance Limited ABN 60 074 042 934, Australian credit licence 388077 a subsidiary of Westpac, or another LMI insurer. This information does not take into account your personal circumstances.
+LVR stands for the initial loan to value ratio at loan approval. LVR is the amount of your loan compared to the Bank’s valuation of your property offered to secure your loan expressed as a percentage. Home loan rates for new loans are set based on the initial LVR and don’t change because of changes to the LVR during the life of the loan.
#Advantage Package Terms and Conditions apply. A $395 annual package fee applies and is payable from an eligible St.George transaction account. The discount and fee savings apply for the duration of the package. Before deciding to acquire a St.George transaction account, read the terms and conditions and consider if the product is right for you.