Your first home in Western Australia, matched to the right lender.
WA first-home buyers have three separate levers — the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant, first-home transfer-duty relief, and a 5% deposit path with no LMI. We explain who each is for, check which you're likely to qualify for, and match your file across 50 lenders. General information, not financial advice.
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Western Australia first-home support, on one screen.
Three government measures, each pulling a different cost lever. Every figure below is dated and subject to eligibility — caps and thresholds change, so treat this as a map, not a quote.
Where the WA price ceilings sit
Each measure has its own value ceiling. A home priced under the lowest relevant cap keeps the most options open. Bars scaled to the highest cap ($850,000).
The eligibility ladder — what these programs generally look for
Sources: WA Government (RevenueWA) — First Home Owner Grant and 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package (grant and duty thresholds effective 7 May 2026; duty amendments were before WA Parliament with system updates estimated late July 2026); Housing Australia / firsthomebuyers.gov.au — First Home Guarantee price caps, as at 15 July 2026. Figures are indicative of current programs, not a valuation, an offer of credit, or a promise of any grant. Eligibility criteria, caps and thresholds change — confirm your position with RevenueWA, Housing Australia or your conveyancer.
What each WA program actually does.
They're not interchangeable. One is cash toward a build, one cuts a government tax, one removes mortgage insurance. Knowing which applies to you is the whole game.
First Home Owner Grant
- One-off $10,000 for eligible buyers
- New or substantially renovated homes only
- Home value under $800k (south of 26th parallel, incl. Perth) or $1M (north)
- No income or assets test
WA Govt (RevenueWA), caps effective 7 May 2026. Subject to eligibility; thresholds change. Not a promise of a grant.
Transfer (stamp) duty relief
- No duty on a home up to $600,000
- Concession phasing out to $800,000
- Vacant land: nil to $450,000, concession to $550,000
- Applies to new and established homes
WA 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package, effective 7 May 2026; amendments were before Parliament with early contracts reassessed/refunded on implementation. Subject to eligibility; thresholds change.
First Home Guarantee
- Buy with a 5% deposit, no LMI
- Perth price cap $850,000; rest of WA $600,000
- No income caps; unlimited places (from 1 Oct 2025)
- Applied for through a participating lender
Australian Government scheme via Housing Australia, as at 15 July 2026. Subject to eligibility; caps change. Guarantee is not a cash payment.
Keystart
- WA Government low-deposit home loan
- No LMI; income and property limits apply
- Rate typically higher than mainstream lenders
- Often refinanced once you build equity
Keystart (WA Govt). Income and property limits change periodically — we compare it against First Home Guarantee options rather than assume it's best.
A 5% deposit path that removes LMI — if you're under the cap.
Since 1 October 2025 the Australian Government's 5% Deposit Scheme (First Home Guarantee) lets eligible first home buyers purchase with a 5% deposit (2% for eligible single parents) and no Lenders Mortgage Insurance — with no income caps and no place limits. Eligibility depends on the purchase price staying under the cap for your area:
Source: Housing Australia / firsthomebuyers.gov.au, current at 15 July 2026. Some suburbs span postcodes with different caps — always confirm via the official postcode tool. You apply through a participating lender; we'll tell you whether you're likely eligible and which of our 50 lenders take it. Subject to eligibility; caps change.
Can you use more than one? Often, yes.
Because the grant, the duty relief and the guarantee reduce different costs, eligible buyers can frequently use them together on the one purchase — but each has its own separate rules, and none is automatic. We won't add them into a single headline "saving": your actual position depends on the property, the lender and your circumstances.
The grant adds cash
A one-off $10,000 toward an eligible new or substantially renovated home — it doesn't reduce your loan size on its own, but it can help with upfront costs.
Duty relief cuts tax
Removing or reducing transfer duty on a home up to the WA thresholds lowers one of the biggest upfront government costs of buying.
The guarantee cuts your deposit
Buying with a 5% deposit and no LMI lowers the cash you need to get in — provided the price is under the guarantee cap for your area.
Combining programs is possible only where you separately satisfy each program's eligibility rules and caps; that is confirmed by the relevant authority and lender, not by us, and figures here are illustrative of how the measures work rather than an offer, a guarantee of approval, or a promise of any grant or saving.
The three figures a lender checks before any grant.
Grants and concessions help at the edges. Whether a lender says yes still comes down to these — and it's exactly what the 2-minute assessment works out for you.
How much you're borrowing
Your loan as a % of the property value. The grant is generally paid at or after settlement, so it usually isn't available as your deposit up front — plan your genuine savings accordingly. Above 80% LVR, LMI applies unless you use the First Home Guarantee or a guarantor.
The buffer test
Lenders assess you at your rate plus an APRA buffer (currently 3%), not the headline rate. With the RBA cash rate held at 4.35% (June 2026), buffers still bite — two lenders can reach opposite answers on the same income.
What you really need on day one
Deposit, plus costs the grant and concessions don't fully cover — conveyancing, inspections, moving, and any duty still payable above the threshold. We map the real number so there are no settlement-day surprises.
50 lenders, one search.
Accredited through Connective, we compare across the majors, regionals, mutuals and non-bank specialists — including the participating lenders for the First Home Guarantee — then match your file to the ones that fit a WA first-home purchase.
Major banks
CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ — sharp pricing for clean, lower-LVR first-home profiles.
Regional & online
Macquarie, ING, Bankwest and digital lenders — many participate in the First Home Guarantee.
Customer-owned
Credit unions and mutuals — competitive and flexible on genuine-savings policy for first-home buyers.
Specialist
Liberty, Pepper and similar — for self-employed or less-standard first-home income.
WA first home buyer FAQs.
Is there a property price cap on the WA First Home Owner Grant?
Yes. For eligible transactions commencing on or after 7 May 2026, the home's value must be under $800,000 if it's south of the 26th parallel of south latitude (which includes all of Perth) or under $1,000,000 if it's north of it. The grant is a one-off $10,000 for new or substantially renovated homes only, with no income test. Caps and eligibility rules change, so confirm your position with RevenueWA before you commit.
How much transfer (stamp) duty will I pay as a WA first home buyer?
Under the WA Government's 2026-27 housing package, eligible first home buyers pay no transfer duty on a home valued up to $600,000, with a concession phasing out up to $800,000 (vacant land: nil up to $450,000, concession to $550,000). These thresholds took effect for eligible transactions from 7 May 2026; the amendments were before WA Parliament, and some early contracts are assessed at the old rates then reassessed and refunded once implemented. Thresholds and eligibility change — confirm with RevenueWA or your conveyancer for your transaction.
Can I buy in WA with a 5% deposit?
Possibly, through the Australian Government's First Home Guarantee (5% Deposit Scheme), which lets eligible first home buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and no Lenders Mortgage Insurance, subject to price caps of $850,000 in Perth and $600,000 in the rest of WA. You apply through a participating lender rather than to the government directly — we can tell you whether you're likely eligible and which of our lenders offer it.
Can I use the grant, duty relief and the deposit scheme together?
Often, yes — if you separately meet each program's eligibility rules and caps. They reduce different costs: the grant is cash toward an eligible new build, the duty relief cuts a government tax, and the guarantee removes LMI. None is automatic and none is guaranteed, so we help you check which you actually qualify for rather than assume you get all three.
Does the $10,000 grant apply to established homes?
No. The First Home Owner Grant is for new or substantially renovated homes only — established homes don't qualify for the grant. However, eligible first home buyers may still access the transfer-duty concession and the First Home Guarantee when buying an established home.
What is Keystart and should I use it?
Keystart is a WA Government low-deposit home loan program with no LMI and income and property limits that change periodically. It can suit buyers with a small deposit, though its interest rate is typically higher than mainstream lenders and many borrowers refinance once they build equity. We compare Keystart against First Home Guarantee options so you can weigh the trade-offs rather than default to one.
See your WA first-home options.
Two minutes tells us which grants and schemes you're likely to qualify for, and which of 50 lenders fit your purchase. General information, not financial advice.
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