Your Property Guide

Free PDF, 2026 edition

The free guide to buying property

Ten chapters for buyers in Australia, whether it’s your first home, your next one, an investment or a downsize: what you can really spend, the schemes in your state, inspecting, how the selling side works, and making the offer.

What happens next

  1. Answer three quick questions
  2. Download it straight away, or have it emailed
  3. We point you at the chapters for your situation

Free. Requesting the guide never passes your details to any agent.

  • 2026 schemes, grants and concessions, state by state
  • What a lender may lend you, buffer included
  • Underquoting and auction psychology, decoded
  • A printable 12-week buying timeline

10 chapters · 60-second form · Never shared with selling agents

Want the steps now? How to buy a house in Australia, step by step

Ten chapters, four buyers, no filler

  1. 1

    Which buyer are you?

    First home, upgrader, investor, downsizer: the playbook for each

  2. 2

    What you can actually spend

    Borrowing power, the lender buffer, deposits, LMI, true upfront costs

  3. 3

    Schemes, state by state

    2026 settings: 5% Deposit Scheme, Help to Buy, FHOG, duty concessions

  4. 4

    Finding the right suburb

    The data that matters, school catchments, growth signals

  5. 5

    Inspecting like a professional

    The 30-minute method, building and pest, strata, when to walk

  6. 6

    How the selling side plays you

    Underquoting, price guides decoded, auction psychology

  7. 7

    Making the offer

    Negotiation, protective conditions, auction strategy

  8. 8

    Finance to unconditional

    Pre-approval realities, valuation shortfalls, investor lending

  9. 9

    Contracts to keys

    Conveyancing, cooling-off by state, settlement day

  10. 10

    Your 12-week buying timeline

    A printable week-by-week plan, persona footnotes included

Selling as well? The selling guide is the other half of the move, also free.

Questions buyers ask us

Is the buying guide really free?

Yes. The guide is a free PDF and there's no charge for anything on Your Property Guide. Requesting it never passes your details to any agent, and we never sell them. If you later want a buyer's agent, that's a separate request with its own permission box; we're still building that network, so we'll tell you honestly whether we can introduce one. We don't introduce mortgage brokers.

Which first home buyer schemes apply in 2026?

The big ones: the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme (no place caps and no income test since 1 October 2025, with city price caps like $1,500,000 in Greater Sydney and $1,000,000 in Greater Brisbane), Help to Buy shared equity from 2% deposit, the First Home Super Saver scheme, plus state grants and stamp duty concessions that differ in every state. Chapter 3 has the full 2026 table.

How much deposit do I actually need?

Twenty percent avoids lenders mortgage insurance, but it isn't the only path. Five percent under the federal scheme skips LMI entirely if you qualify, and ten percent with LMI can beat waiting years while prices move. Chapter 2 runs the numbers on all three paths, including what LMI typically costs on a $750k purchase.

What does this guide cover for investors and downsizers?

Every chapter carries persona callouts where the advice diverges: investor lending differences (rates, interest-only, rental income shading), yield versus growth suburb selection, strata due diligence for downsizers, and the bridging decision for upgraders buying before they sell.

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Selling, not buying? There’s a selling guide too

Related guides

The buying process, one guide per step

Free to read on the site: the deposit and pre-approval, the checks before you sign, cooling-off, auctions and the offer.