The Schemes Combine, and the Order You Use Them In Changes the Outcome
There are five separate forms of help available to a first home buyer in New South Wales, run by two different governments. Most buyers discover the one their lender happens to mention, use it, and leave the others unclaimed.
APW Finance works out which combination your purchase qualifies for before you start looking, because a few of them have to be arranged months ahead. Start with the scheme comparison for NSW.
Duty exemption, the 5% Deposit Scheme, the super saver scheme, Help to Buy and the NSW new homes grant, assessed together, since several can apply to one purchase.
A first home buyer broker NSW buyers use will tell you which schemes need setting up months before you buy, not in the week you find the property.
Most lenders want part of the deposit saved rather than gifted. We tell you how yours is viewed before it becomes a problem at assessment.
Conditional approval worked from a real lender policy, with the conditions still attached to it spelled out, so nothing about the figure is a surprise.
Finding a lender is the easy half. Knowing which forms of government help you can stack, and in what order, is the half that saves real money.
Every file starts with your deposit, your savings history and your eligibility across each scheme. Read the full guide to buying your first home in Sydney.
A first home loan specialist Sydney buyers rely on knows which lenders count overtime and bonus and which ignore them. See how borrowing power is set.
Scheme paperwork, valuation, assessment and settlement handled with the lender. A first purchase has enough moving parts without you chasing them.
Deposit, duty where it still applies, legals and inspections as one number. See the duty exemption rules.
Parental gifts, family guarantees and thin credit files all have a route. See family guarantee lending.
The first two steps have nothing to do with property. Buyers who do them in order usually find the rest of the purchase quiet, and buyers who skip them usually do not.
All five programs assessed together, not just the one your lender happens to offer. See the super saver scheme.
Five, ten or twenty per cent, and what each costs in insurance. See the Sydney deposit guide.
Not every lender participates in every scheme, and the participating list is what narrows the panel first. Documents are in the checklist.
As a first home buyer broker NSW wide, we coordinate valuation and settlement, then set up offset or redraw once you are in.
Lenders on panel
Serving Sydney since
Accredited member
End to end support
The rate is the smallest variable in a first purchase. Three others matter more.
Deposit composition comes first, because most lenders want part of it genuinely saved rather than gifted, and the test is applied to your statements. Scheme eligibility comes second, since a scheme place can be worth more than any rate discount. Capacity comes third, tested at a buffer above the rate you will pay.
This is where a first home loan specialist Sydney buyers trust earns the engagement. A scheme place that removes the premium can be worth considerably more than a rate discount on the same loan. Compare the ways to avoid insurance and what insurance actually costs.
Speak with our first home buyer team on +61 447 959 546
Buyers reasonably want to know how do I pick a broker as a first home buyer in Sydney when every website makes the same promises. The answer is scheme coverage. A broker who can only write two of the four programs will quietly steer you to those two.
Read scheme eligibility and the application timeline.
A first home buyer was uncertain about the process and wanted a broker who would explain it rather than simply push an application through.
Paritosh and Monika walked the client through each stage in sequence, from capacity and scheme eligibility to settlement. The client completed their first purchase and described the process as straightforward throughout.
Hanna G., Sydney. Individual circumstances differ and outcomes depend on lender assessment.
First home buyers are told to focus on the rate. The schemes are worth more than the rate, and several of them have to be set up long before you find a property.
Paritosh Wadhwani, Director and Principal Broker, APW Finance
Buyers ask what does a first home buyer mortgage broker in Sydney handle for you that a bank will not. These are the questions that come up first.
Scheme eligibility across all four forms of help, deposit structure including how gifts and savings are viewed, lender selection narrowed to those that participate in your scheme, and the application through to settlement. The rate is settled last. The part most buyers underestimate is timing, because two of the schemes have to be set up well before a purchase.
Ask whether they are accredited with the lenders that participate in the schemes you want, because not every lender does. Ask how they treat a gifted deposit, since that answer reveals whether they know lender policy or only rates. Ask who handles the file after submission. And check industry association membership and credit accreditation before you share any documents.
Not up to $800,000 for a new or existing home, under the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme. Between $800,000 and $1 million a concessional rate applies, and above that the full scale applies. Vacant land is exempt to $350,000 with a concession under $450,000. You must never have owned residential property in Australia and must meet the residence requirement.
Yes, through the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, formerly the Home Guarantee Scheme. It carries no lenders mortgage insurance, has no income caps, and now has unlimited places with no waiting list. Single parents can enter with two per cent.
Price caps apply by location and are set by the scheme rather than by the lender, so confirm the cap for your area before bidding.
Yes. A gift is the simplest route, though most lenders will want a letter confirming it is unconditional and not repayable, and many still want to see some genuine savings of your own. A family guarantee is the alternative, where a parent offers security over their property for part of your loan rather than handing over cash.
Funds you have accumulated and held in your own name for a period, shown in your own statements. The period each lender wants differs, so it is worth establishing with the lender rather than assuming.
Rent paid on time can substitute with some lenders, which is the usual route through when the whole deposit arrived as a gift.
Through the First Home Super Saver Scheme. You can release up to $50,000 of eligible voluntary contributions, with the associated earnings paid on top of that figure rather than counted inside it.
The tax treatment is the advantage. The constraint is time, because contributions and the release request both take months, so this one has to be started early to be useful. Your accountant can confirm what your own balance would release.
Yes, and this surprises most buyers. Each government scheme has a list of participating lenders, and your choice narrows to that list the moment you decide to use one.
That is why a first home buyer broker NSW wide will settle scheme eligibility in the first conversation, before lender selection rather than after it.
Five separate programs, two governments, and a different eligibility test for each. Several can apply to the same purchase.
| The help | What it gives you | The catch worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, NSW | No transfer duty up to $800,000, concessional rate to under $1 million | You must never have owned residential property in Australia, and must meet the residence requirement |
| Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme | Buy with five per cent deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, two per cent for single parents | Price caps apply by location, and only participating lenders can write it |
| First Home Super Saver Scheme | Release up to $50,000 of voluntary super contributions, plus the associated earnings on them, for a first home | Contributions and release both take months, so it only works if started early |
| Help to Buy, shared equity | Government contributes up to 30 or 40 per cent of the purchase, from a two per cent deposit | Taxable income must be at or below $103,000 for an individual or $165,000 for joint applicants and single parents, all applicants must be Australian citizens, and you repay the contribution when you can or when you sell |
| First Home Owner Grant, NSW | $10,000 towards a newly built, off the plan or substantially renovated home | New homes only. It is not available for an established home, and the price cap is $600,000 for a completed home or $750,000 for land plus a building contract |
Three points worth making. The 5% Deposit Scheme no longer has income caps or a place limit, which were the two reasons buyers used to miss out. Help to Buy does still have income caps, and they are indexed each year.
And every one of these is a separate program with its own test, so qualifying for one says nothing about the others.
NSW thresholds are published by Revenue NSW and the federal programs by the Australian Government. Caps and income tests are indexed, so confirm current figures before you commit.
| How APW works | What it changes for a Sydney first home buyer |
|---|---|
| Every scheme assessed, not one | You see every program you may be eligible for, not only the one your lender mentioned |
| More than 50 banks and non-banks | Including the participating lenders for each government scheme |
| Deposit composition reviewed first | Gifts, savings history and rent records sorted before assessment, not during it |
| Duty position confirmed in writing | Exempt, concessional or full, with the figure. See the duty calculator |
| Timing worked backwards | Super saver and scheme steps started early enough to actually be usable |
| Insurance treated as a choice | Scheme place, family guarantee or paying the premium, costed three ways. See how insurance works |
| A broker who stays after settlement | A first home loan specialist Sydney owners come back to at the first rate review |
Paritosh Wadhwani | Director and Principal Broker, APW Finance
Member of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA). Arranging residential, investment, commercial and specialist lending for Sydney clients across a panel of more than 50 lenders.
APW Finance Pty Ltd, 304/20a Lexington Drive, Bella Vista NSW 2153. Email: info@apwfinance.com. Phone: +61 447 959 546.
ACN 620 646 479 | ABN 79 620 646 479
Last reviewed: October 2026.
This page is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and it is not financial, credit or tax advice.
Government scheme caps and eligibility rules, and lending criteria change, and every application is subject to lender approval. Consider whether this information suits your circumstances and seek independent advice before acting. Full terms on our disclaimer page.
One conversation is usually enough to tell you which forms of help apply to you, what deposit you really need, and which of them has to be started this month rather than later.
Bella Vista NSW 2153
Call Now
Email Now
APW Finance Pty Ltd delivers expert lending solutions with personalised service, empowering clients across residential, commercial, and business sectors.
