Learn before you buy
Whether you're buying your first home, your first investment property or planning your next move, these guides will help you understand your options and make better property decisions.
Featured guides
Not sure where to start? These four cover the essentials.
Getting started
The essentials to understand before your first purchase.
How much deposit do you need for an investment property?
The 20% benchmark, the LMI trade-off, and how equity can replace cash savings. A first-time investor's guide to the deposit.
How much can you borrow for an investment property?
How lenders use your income, the expected rent and your expenses, plus the serviceability buffer that decides your real budget.
How much does it cost to buy an investment property?
Beyond the deposit: stamp duty, LMI, legal fees and the ongoing costs first-timers forget, with a worked NSW example and a 5–6% rule of thumb.
Interest-only vs P&I: which is better for investors?
How the two loan types differ on repayments, rate, equity, cash flow and tax, with a worked example, so you set the right structure from day one.
7 first-time investor mistakes to avoid
Buying on emotion, under-budgeting costs, over-stretching cash flow, the wrong loan structure: the seven traps that cost first-timers most, and how to dodge each.
Build your strategy
Compare your options and decide the approach that fits.
How to use your home's equity to buy an investment property
If your home has grown in value, that equity can become your deposit, often without touching your savings. Here's how it works.
What is rentvesting? (and is it right for you)
Rent where you want to live, invest where the numbers work. The pros, the cons, and who rentvesting actually suits.
Is rentvesting worth it? The numbers, honestly
A fully worked example, entry costs, the weekly holding gap, and the trade-offs most guides skip (first-home concessions, CGT), so you can decide with real figures.
Rentvesting vs buying your first home: which first move is right?
The first-home concessions at stake computed for all 8 states, the CGT trade-off, and a framework that actually settles the buy-to-live vs invest-first question.
Where should you buy your first investment property? A state-by-state comparison
Compare stamp duty, land tax and other investor costs across every Australian state and territory.
How much is LMI, and is it ever worth paying?
Computed premium estimates at 85%, 90% and 95% LVR, why the 90-to-95 jump doubles the rate, and the legitimate ways to avoid LMI entirely.
Negative gearing and CGT have changed: what first-time investors need to know
Understand what the 2027 tax changes mean for first-time investors and how they could affect your investment strategy.
Understand the numbers
The costs, tax and state-based detail before you buy.
Stamp duty, state by state
What investors pay in each jurisdiction (FY2026–27), computed at five price points, or start with the full state-by-state comparison.
SMSF lending
From 10 August 2026, most new residential SMSF borrowing ends. Commercial property and refinancing remain available in many situations. What's changing →