Property buying guides
Plain-English explainers on the concepts that determine what you can borrow, what you'll pay in tax, and how lenders assess your application. No fluff — just the rules as they actually work.
Understanding your borrowing limit
Serviceability buffer
The 3% stress-test added to your rate that reduces borrowing capacity by ~$120k at a $900k loan.
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Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)
Australia's 6× income cap — and why credit card limits cost you more than you think.
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Loan-to-value ratio (LVR)
The 80% threshold that determines whether you pay LMI and your maximum loan size.
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Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI)
What it costs, when it applies, and why it protects the lender — not you.
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Household Expenditure Measure (HEM)
The minimum living cost floor lenders apply — even if you spend less.
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HECS and your mortgage
Excluded from DTI since September 2025 — but still reduces take-home pay and borrowing.
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Stamp duty by state — 2026 rates
New South Wales
FHB exemption under $800k. ~$30,735 on an $800k purchase.
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Victoria
Dual PPR/standard rates. FHB exemption under $600k. ~$43,070 on $800k.
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Queensland
Home concession rate for owner-occupiers. FHB exemption under $500k. ~$29,025 on $800k.
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Western Australia
FHB exemption under $430k. One of the lower regimes among mainland states.
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South Australia
No FHB stamp duty concession — unique among all states. ~$37,830 on $800k.
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Tasmania
50% FHB concession on established homes under $600k.
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Australian Capital Territory
Home Buyer Concession Scheme — full exemption for income-eligible buyers, not just FHBs.
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Northern Territory
Unique quadratic formula. $18,601 FHB rebate phasing out $500k–$650k.
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Rates fetched from GetReal's Supabase database and recalculated each time the site is rebuilt. Last updated: 2026-08-07.
All guides are part of GetReal's methodology documentation. Numbers reflect official government data — see each page for sources. This is not financial advice.