It’s been three years since the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme was launched, and while it’s known today as the Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS), it’s still helping first home buyers get into the market with just a 5% deposit and no lenders’ mortgage insurance (LMI).
The HGS attracted criticism from some circles – some pundits pointed to the low deposit as a stumbling block that could land homeowners in trouble if property values fell or interest rates rose.
It turns out both have happened, yet first homeowners haven’t let it hold them back.
New data from the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), which runs the HGS, shows that first buyers who tapped into the 5% deposit scheme are now sitting on impressive piles of equity.
On average, these first-time homeowners have racked up $82,000 in home equity.
It’s a great result, especially when you consider that the average first home deposit across the scheme was just $35,200 in 2020, rising to $36,400 in mid-2023.
Compare that to the average deposit of $159,000 across the broader first-home buyer market, and it’s easy to see how the 5% deposit scheme gives first-home buyers a valuable leg-up into the market sooner.
Getting a deposit together can be a massive hurdle when buying a home.
Research by Finder shows it can take 12 years for a young Australian to save a deposit for an average-priced apartment, or 16 years to accumulate the deposit for a house.
But if your deposit is lower than 20%, you can get stung with LMI, which can cost you anywhere between $4,000 and $35,000, depending on the property price and your deposit amount.
But through the NHFIC, the federal government has three low deposit, no LMI schemes – all under the HGS umbrella.
The first two, the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, support eligible buyers to purchase a home with a low 5% deposit and no LMI.
The Family Home Guarantee, meanwhile, assists eligible single parents and guardians to buy a home with a deposit of just 2% and no LMI.
Along with the HGS, there can be other options such as family pledge loans, or the use of a guarantor, that could slash the time it takes to buy a home of your own.
So if you want to crack the property market sooner rather than later, call us today to find out if you’re eligible to buy a first home with just a 5% deposit.
You could be in a place of your own by Christmas!
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Paul da Silva
Director & Senior Mortgage Advisor
