Home loans, money & the Sydney market — in plain English.
Plain-English guides from our Castle Hill team: first home buyer help, stamp duty in every state, refinancing, investing and SMSF, and what each RBA decision means for your repayments. We update them when the rules change. No jargon, no sales pitch.
New this month
2% deposit
Help to Buy scheme 2026: buy with a 2% deposit
How the Government’s shared equity scheme works: $103k/$165k income limits, $1.3m Sydney cap, lenders, and how it compares with the 5% Deposit Scheme.
or wait?
Is now a good time to buy your first home in Sydney?
Values are 8.6% below the peak and first home buyer demand is down 22%. What it means for you, the waiting-vs-buying maths, and five questions to decide.
3 November
Will the RBA raise rates on 3 November 2026?
Markets see a 15–20% chance, ANZ and Westpac forecast a rise. The data to watch, what a rise would cost, and what to do before the decision.
Start here
The questions we answer most, in the order most people ask them.
Stamp duty and grants by state
Calculators, rates and first home buyer help for every state and territory.
All guides, most recently updated first
4.60% today
RBA cash rate today: 4.60%
The current cash rate, every 2026 decision, the next meeting and what each move means for your repayments. Updated after every decision.
by state
Stamp duty by state: every state compared
From about $17,000 in the ACT to $37,070 in Victoria on a $700k home, plus first home buyer exemptions and grants side by side.
2% deposit
Help to Buy scheme 2026: buy with a 2% deposit
How the Government’s shared equity scheme works: $103k/$165k income limits, $1.3m Sydney cap, lenders, and how it compares with the 5% Deposit Scheme.
or wait?
Is now a good time to buy your first home in Sydney?
Values are 8.6% below the peak and first home buyer demand is down 22%. What it means for you, the waiting-vs-buying maths, and five questions to decide.
3 November
Will the RBA raise rates on 3 November 2026?
Markets see a 15–20% chance, ANZ and Westpac forecast a rise. The data to watch, what a rise would cost, and what to do before the decision.
tracker
Home loan and property rule changes: key dates
Every change affecting buyers, refinancers and investors, with dates and sources: RBA decisions, state duty and grants, the SMSF ban, foreign buyer ban and 2027 tax changes.
to save
First home deposit: how much to save in 2026
Deposit, stamp duty, costs and buffer in every state, and the 5%, 10% and 20% deposit options compared on an $800,000 home.
29 September
The RBA has raised the cash rate to 4.60%
What the 29 September rise adds to repayments on $500k to $1.25m, why the RBA moved, and four moves worth making now.
can I borrow?
How much can I borrow? Examples by income
About $470k on a $100k salary, or $1.1m for a couple on $100k each: what lenders assess, the 3% buffer, and how rate rises cut it.
mistakes
10 first home buyer mistakes we see every month
From auction day without pre-approval to the post-settlement loyalty tax — and the fix for each.
no LMI
5% Deposit Scheme: 5% deposit, no LMI
No income caps, no place limits since Oct 2025. Price caps by state and how to stack it with grants.
duty
WA stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
What you’ll pay in WA, $0 for first home buyers to $600k from 7 May 2026, the off-the-plan concession and the 7% foreign duty.
duty
SA stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
South Australian rates, $0 for first home buyers on new homes and land at any price, no relief on established homes, and seniors downsizing relief.
duty
Tasmania stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
Tasmanian rates, why first home buyers pay full duty from 1 July 2026, the $20,000 new home grant and the 8% foreign surcharge.
duty
ACT stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
Owner-occupier and investor rates, $0 under the Home Buyer Concession Scheme at any price, and $0 on new units for owner-occupiers.
duty
NT stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
How the NT formula and flat 4.95% rate work, $0 duty on house-and-land packages to June 2027, and the $50,000 HomeGrown grant.
home grant
NSW First Home Owner Grant, explained
$10,000 for new homes: price caps, who qualifies, the 12-month residence rule and how it stacks with $0 stamp duty.
first home grant
VIC First Home Owner Grant, explained
$10,000 for new homes up to $750,000: who qualifies, the 12-month rule and how it stacks with $0 duty to $600k.
first home grant
QLD First Home Owner Grant, explained
$30,000 for new homes under $750,000, plus no transfer duty on new homes. Who qualifies and how it works.
first home grant
WA First Home Owner Grant, explained
$10,000 for new homes, with caps raised to $800,000 in Perth from May 2026. Who qualifies and how it stacks.
first home grant
SA First Home Owner Grant, explained
Up to $15,000 for new homes with no price cap, plus no stamp duty on new homes. The stricter ownership rule explained.
first home grant
TAS First Home Owner Grant, explained
$20,000 for new homes to June 2027, and what changed for stamp duty on 1 July 2026.
HomeGrown grant
NT HomeGrown Territory Grant, explained
$50,000 for first home buyers of new homes, no price cap, contracts to September 2027.
stamp duty
ACT: no grant, but $0 stamp duty
From 1 July 2026 the Home Buyer Concession means $0 duty on any home, with no income test or price cap.
to renovate
Refinancing to renovate
How much equity you can access, four ways to fund a renovation, what lenders ask for and the traps to avoid.
explained
Lenders mortgage insurance, explained
What LMI costs at 85%, 90% and 95%, whether to add it to your loan, and five ways to avoid it.
consolidation
Consolidating debt into your home loan
When rolling cards and personal loans into your mortgage helps, when it costs more, and a worked example.
P&I
Interest-only vs principal and interest
How the repayments and total interest compare, the jump when IO ends, and who each one suits.
to 2029
Foreign buyer ban extended to 2029
Who it affects, who is exempt, and what temporary visa holders can still buy, with FIRB fees for 2026–27.
ending?
Fixed rate ending? What to do first
How much repayments can jump, the four options and a simple timeline to avoid break costs.
equity
Using equity to buy an investment property
How usable equity works, a worked example, how to structure the loans and the tax changes to check first.
duty
Victoria stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
What you’ll pay at every price in Victoria, $0 for first home buyers to $600k, the PPR and off-the-plan concessions, and the 8% foreign duty.
duty
Queensland stamp duty calculator and rates 2026
Home concession and general rates, $0 for first home buyers on new homes, the established-home concession to $800k and the 1 August 2026 visa rule.
Now what?
Property prices are falling — what it means for you
Cotality September 2026: sixth straight fall, national values 5.2% off the peak. The sober read for buyers, owners, upgraders and investors.
a visa
Buying a home on a visa: a visa-by-visa guide
444, 461, 482, 491, partner or bridging visa, or PR? Lender rules, FIRB fees and the established-home ban, now extended to June 2029.
Home loan pre-approval, explained
What it is, how long it lasts, what can change before final approval, and the auction risks to know.
decoded
NSW stamp duty calculator and rates 2026–27
What you’ll pay at every price, the first home buyer exemption and concession, the 9% foreign surcharge and when duty is due.
Your options
Repayments getting tight? Your options and rights
What to do before you miss a payment, how a hardship request works, and what it does to your credit file.
than you paid?
The bank valued it lower than you paid. Now what?
How a valuation shortfall hits your deposit and LMI, and five ways to handle it in a falling market.
or bank?
Broker or bank? An honest comparison
What a broker does that a bank can’t, when going direct makes sense, and the questions to ask either way.
Be ready to bid
Spring 2026: get finance-ready before you bid
Listings surge from September. The 5-step checklist that has you bidding, not scrambling.
July 2027
The CGT rules change 1 July 2027
Contract date counts. Who should care about the timing, who shouldn’t — and the panic-selling traps.
Finsure Awards 2026
365 Home Loans named dual finalist — Finsure Awards 2026
NSW Broker of the Year and Top Brokerage (<5 brokers), from Australia’s largest broker network of 4,000+.
Recheck the number
Your tax return just moved your borrowing power
Fresh financials, refunds, pay rises — what to recheck this tax season, especially if self-employed.
still allowed
SMSF refinancing after the ban
The ban stopped new loans — not refinances. Escape the legacy rate before lenders exit.
10 August?
Settling a grandfathered SMSF purchase
Contract date beats settlement date — incl. off-the-plan. The 4 risks and the 6-month checklist.
that survived
Business real property in super
Commercial LRBAs continue — your premises, leased back to your business. How and for whom.
borrowing ban
SMSF borrowing ban is now law
Now law: SMSFs can’t borrow for residential property from 10 August 2026. Contracts signed before then are safe — what changed, who’s exempt, and what to do.
नेपालीमा
पहिलो घर किन्ने पूरा गाइड — नेपालीमा
डिपोजिट, $10,000 अनुदान, स्ट्याम्प ड्युटी छुट र ५% स्किम — सबै सरल नेपालीमा।
LMI बिना
५% डिपोजिटमा घर — 5% Deposit Scheme
आय सीमा हट्यो, सिड्नी cap $1.5M — को योग्य, कसरी आवेदन। नेपालीमा।
हिन्दी में
पहला घर ख़रीदने की पूरी गाइड — हिन्दी में
डिपॉज़िट, $10,000 अनुदान, स्टाम्प ड्यूटी छूट और 5% स्कीम — आसान हिन्दी में।
negative gearing
New builds: the only way left to negatively gear
From 1 July 2027 the tax rules favour brand-new property. What counts, the depreciation edge, and the traps.
sell later
Bridging loans: buy before you sell
Peak debt, end debt, capitalised interest — how the bridge works, with a worked Sydney example.
decoded
What credit score do you need for a home loan?
No magic number — how lenders really read your file, and how to lift it before applying.
changes
What the 2027 negative gearing & CGT changes mean for investors
The biggest property-tax shake-up in a generation is now law — negative gearing limited to new builds, quarantined losses, and a reworked CGT discount from 1 July 2027. What changes, and who it affects.
गाइड
अस्ट्रेलियामा घर किन्ने — नेपाली गाइड
भिसा र PR अनुसार के सम्भव छ, FIRB नियम र डिपोजिट — सरल नेपाली भाषामा।
Approved.
Self-employed loans: what lenders actually want
Full-doc vs alt-doc, the add-backs that lift borrowing power, and the tax-time trap to avoid.
Buy there.
Rentvesting: buy where you can afford
Keep renting where life works, buy where the numbers do. Pros, trade-offs and a worked sketch.
professionals
Nurse, doctor or accountant? You may be able to skip LMI entirely
If you're in an eligible profession, many lenders waive Lenders Mortgage Insurance — borrow up to 90% with a 10% deposit and no LMI premium. Who qualifies, and what it's worth in dollars.
free?
Is a mortgage broker really free? How brokers get paid, explained
The #1 question before every first call answered in full — who pays the broker, why your rate isn't marked up, what clawback means, and the law that keeps a broker on your side.
Fixed vs variable: which rate is right for you?
Certainty vs flexibility, what break costs mean, and when a split loan is the smart middle ground.
Offset vs redraw: how to actually save interest
Both cut your interest, but they work differently — and the difference matters for tax and access.
When is refinancing actually worth it?
The rate gap that matters, the real switching costs, cashback traps, and the signs it's time to switch.
loans
Guarantor home loans: how family can help you buy sooner
Use family equity to buy with little or no deposit and skip LMI — how it works, and the risks done honestly.
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Written by our team, checked against the rules
Our guides are written by Jwala Aryal, Senior Mortgage Broker at 365 Home Loans in Castle Hill, broking since 2014 and an MFAA member. We check every figure against the official source (Revenue offices, the RBA, ATO and Housing Australia) and update guides when the rules change. They are general information, not advice for your situation.