Stepping onto the property ladder is an exciting time and a huge milestone. Owning your own property is an intelligent way to secure your family’s future and financial prospects – but getting the right advice is more important than ever. It is no secret that on its surface housing prices make the whole prospect a daunting task so book your FREE First Home Buyers Guide with the team with a proven track record of getting Kiwi’s just like you into the game.
Ready to own the dream?
Your first home awaits.
Download your FREE First Home Buyers Guide and learn the key steps to getting into your first home faster.
What you can expect
Let’s get started fulfilling your first home plans by getting a clear picture of your current financial situation. Once we have mapped out your immediate plans and longer term goals we can put together the best mortgage structure for you.
We will even tackle the daunting task of saving for a deposit which can feel impossible to achieve these days with the high cost of living and rising inflation. The good news is you may have more options available than you realise. With Kiwisaver, First Home Grants, gifts from parents or family and even 2nd mortgages we can build a realistic plan together.
By the end of reading the brochure you will have a clear pathway to owning your first home including a budget for managing your finances, paying off debts and balancing your accounts to put you in the best position for lenders. We have worked hard to create strong relationships with all the major lenders and will work hard on your behalf to get you the best interest rate and mortgage terms we can.
Becoming a first time home buyer
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Deposits
Understand how much you need to pay upfront.
When applying for a home loan, it’s important to remember that you can’t borrow 100% of the house price. You will have to pay a percentage of the house price up front, and the bank loans you the rest. The current LVR is a minimum deposit of 20% however the good news is that there are opportunities for first home buyers to be approved for deposits as low as 5%. We will work through the eligibility requirements with you.
The bank requires proof that you can afford to pay the loan back before they will approve the loan. Depending on your financial situation, this may mean creating a new household budget to help you save the deposit and prove you can afford the monthly payments on your new mortgage. We are here to assist you to achieve both these requirements and present your situation in the best possible way to lenders when the time comes.
The amount that you contribute towards your home purchase doesn’t have to come from one place, say, just from your personal savings. You can accumulate the amount you need for your deposit from a combination of the following:
- Personal Savings
- Kiwisaver
- First Home Grant
- Sale of Assets
- A Financial Gift From An Immediate Family Member*
*If using gifted money, you’ll need to supply a completed declaration. This must be a gift, and not a loan from the family member.
KiwiSaver
If you’ve been contributing to your KiwiSaver over the years, then you may be eligible to withdraw it to help you pay your first home deposit. There are a few pieces of criteria you need to be eligible for in order to use KiwiSaver for this purpose.
You must have been a KiwiSaver member for three years or more, and can only withdraw funds for the purchase of your first property. This means if you’ve owned a house before, you can not use KiwiSaver to help you with your deposit.
A couple of other things to note are that you must leave a balance of at least $1000 in your KiwiSaver account when withdrawing from this fund, and you apply for this first home withdrawal through your KiwiSaver provider.
First Home Grants
There are a few criteria you need to be eligible for in order to apply for a First Home Grant, but if you can get it – it can be an enormous help in securing your first property as you only need to provide 5% of the deposit up front.
The First Home Grant criteria:
- You must be over 18 years of age
- You must have contributed to your KiwiSaver (or complying fund or exempt employer scheme) for three years or more
- You must not own any property or land (with the exception of Māori land)
- You will have to purchase a property that is within the regional house price caps
- You agree to live in the purchased property for at least six months yourself
- You must have earned less than the income caps in the last year
The income caps for this eligibility are as follows
In the 52 weeks before you apply for the First Home Grant, you must have earned:
- Less than $95,000 before tax for a single buyer
- Less than $150,000 before tax for a single buyer with one or more dependents
- Less than $150,000 before tax for two or more buyers, regardless of the number of dependents in their care.
Learn About Your Options Today
If you aren’t sure what options you are eligible for, you can talk to us to help you find out. We can work through all of the necessary information to give you clear indication of what you can apply for, and therefore what kind of deposit you will need for your downpayment. After that, we can work with you to streamline your spending habits in order to live a comfortable life while meeting your financial obligations.
Living the homeowner dream doesn’t have to be over complicated; we can guide you through the entire process to obtain the keys to a new chapter for you and your family.
Get your Free Home Buyers Guide
Download FREE First Home Buyers Guide today