MELBOURNE · FIRST HOME BUYERS

Buying your first home, made simple

We walk beside you from "can I even afford this?" to keys in hand.

WHERE DO I EVEN START?

Your first home shouldn't feel this confusing

Saving the deposit was meant to be the hard part. Then come the lenders, the grants, the jargon, and the quiet worry that you’ll get something wrong with the biggest purchase of your life. It’s a lot — and you shouldn’t have to figure it out alone.

That’s exactly what we do. Whether you’re buying your first place solo, with a partner, or stepping back into the market after years of renting, we sit on your side of the table and make the loan part make sense.

Here are the questions most first home buyers are asking themselves — and how we help you answer each one.

The questions running through your head

Can I actually afford this — and how much can I borrow?

There's a difference between what a lender will give you and what's comfortable to live with — and we help you see both. We'll look at your income, your spending, and your goals to work out a realistic borrowing range, so you can house-hunt with a clear number instead of a guess.

How much deposit do I really need?

The "20% deposit" rule isn't the whole story. Depending on your situation, there are ways to buy with much less — as little as 5%, sometimes 2%, and with the right family support, even less again. We'll explain what's possible for you, and how Lenders Mortgage Insurance, guarantor options, and low-deposit lending actually work — so you can weigh it up and decide what's right for you.

Are there grants or schemes I'm missing out on?

This is one of the most valuable things we do for first home buyers. From the First Home Guarantee to stamp duty concessions and the First Home Super Saver Scheme, eligibility rules are easy to miss — we check what you may qualify for so you don't leave money on the table.

What does using a broker actually cost me?

For most home loans, nothing. We're generally paid by the lender once your loan settles, not by you — and we explain exactly how that works upfront, with no surprises. You get access to a panel of lenders and someone in your corner, at no cost to you in most cases.

Okay — so what actually happens now?

We keep it simple: a no-obligation chat to understand your goals, then we do the legwork — comparing options, handling the paperwork, and guiding you to pre-approval so you can make an offer with confidence. From there, we stay with you all the way to settlement.

WHY KIAARA?

If there's a way to get you the keys, we'll find it.

A bank can only offer you a bank's answer. We look across 60+ lenders to find the one that says yes to your situation — not the one on the poster. Tight deposit, casual income, self-employed, buying with family? That's not a dead end. It's a puzzle, and solving it is the job.

Sixty-plus lenders, one conversation.

The big names and the specialists most people never hear about — all compared, so the right option finds you.

We handle the hard part.

The paperwork, the lender back-and-forth, the "what does this even mean" — that's ours. You just make the decisions that matter.

A selection of the 60+ lenders we work with

First Home Buyer Calculator

See what you may be owed

The grants, stamp duty savings and low-deposit schemes you may qualify for — federal and every state — checked against your situation in a couple of minutes.

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Every scheme in one place. Grants, stamp duty concessions and low-deposit options — not just one of them.

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Current for 2026. Checked against the state revenue offices and Housing Australia, so you're not reading last year's rules.

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An honest read. What you may qualify for, and what you don't — no guesswork, no leaving money behind.

First home buyers often leave real money behind. Some may be eligible for tens of thousands in grants and stamp duty savings — this shows you what applies to you.

Check what you may be eligible for →

Free · indicative only · no obligation

Example result

You may be able to claim

$32,713

$10,000 grant + $22,713 stamp duty saving

First Home Owner GrantEligible

First home duty reliefEligible

5% deposit, no LMIEligible

✓ Figures verified July 2026

Example only — your result depends on your situation.

MORE THAN A LOAN

A home loan is a moment. We're here for the years around it.

A home loan isn’t a one-off for us — it’s the start of a long relationship. We’re here before you’re ready to buy, beside you through every decision in between, and still here years after you’ve settled in.

BEFORE YOU BUY

A plan to get you there

Not ready yet isn't a no, it's a “not yet” — and it's the best time to talk. We map the deposit, the timing and the credit so that when you're ready, you actually are.

EARLY ON

Every dollar you're owed

First home buyers leave real money behind because no one told them what they qualified for. We run your situation against every grant, scheme and concession — state and federal.

WHEN YOU FIND THE ONE

Your whole team, lined up

You shouldn't assemble a property team from scratch the week you find a place. Conveyancer, building and pest, insurance — people we trust, including a contract check before you sign.

AFTER THE KEYS

We don't disappear

Settlement isn't goodbye. We check in each year to make sure your loan still fits — and we'll tell you straight when it's worth looking at something better, and when it isn't.

FAQs

The questions first home buyers actually ask us.

Why use a broker instead of just going to my own bank?

Your bank can only offer you its own products. We look across 60+ lenders and find the one whose criteria actually fit your situation — which matters most when something about your finances isn't textbook. More options, we do the legwork, and in most cases there's no cost to you.

I'm self-employed, casual, or on a contract — can I still buy?

Often, yes. Lenders treat non-standard income very differently — what one won't count, another will. That's exactly the kind of puzzle a broker is built for: we know which lenders are comfortable with your situation and take you straight there, instead of you guessing and risking a knock-back.

Will chatting to you or checking my borrowing power hurt my credit score?

No. An initial chat and working out your borrowing capacity don't touch your credit file — we can map what's possible without a single application. A credit check only happens later, with your go-ahead, when we're ready to submit to a lender you've chosen.

What if my deposit is small — will I have to pay LMI?

If your deposit is under 20%, lenders usually add Lenders Mortgage Insurance — a one-off cost that protects them, not you. The good news: it's often avoidable or reducible. The First Home Guarantee can let eligible buyers in with as little as 5% and no LMI, and a family guarantor can do the same. We'll show you which path leaves you better off.

What other costs should I budget for beyond the deposit?

A few that first-timers don't always see coming: stamp duty (though as a first home buyer you may pay little or none), conveyancing, building and pest inspections, and loan setup costs. As a rough guide, allow a bit on top of your deposit for these — and we'll map your actual numbers early so there are no surprises.

How long does the whole thing take?

It depends where you're starting. If you're getting deposit-ready, that's a longer runway we'll help you plan. Once you're ready, pre-approval often comes together in a week or two, and from an accepted offer to settlement is usually around six weeks — and we keep you posted at every stage.

A bank already said no, or pre-approved me for less than I hoped — can you still help?

Very possibly. One lender's "no" or low number isn't the whole market; criteria vary widely, and a situation that doesn't suit one bank can fit another comfortably. Let us take a fresh look — finding the lender who says yes is the job.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Your first home starts with a conversation.

Tell us where you’re at — even if that’s just “thinking about it.” No cost, no obligation, and no pressure to do anything next.

or call 0451 713 231