• $10,000 for eligible first home owners who purchase a ‘new’ home valued up to $750,000.
• An additional $10,000 is available to ‘regional’ first home buyers for contracts signed between 1 July 2017 & 30 June 2020 (also only for ‘new’ homes valued up to$750,000). This means a grand total of $20,000.

Important Tip: Grants and Concessions tend to change at short notice, therefore please double check with your State government what is available in your area before buying your first home!

You are not eligible for the FHOG if you or any joint applicant have already:

• Received a first-home owner grant in Australia;
• Owned a home in Australia prior to 1 July 2000; or,
• Occupied, for a continuous period of at least six months, a home in which either of you acquired an interest in.

Furthermore, to receive the FHOG at least one applicant must:

• Intend to live in the home as their principal place of residence (PPR) for at least 12 continuous months, commencing within 12 months of settlement/construction completing;
• Be aged 18 or over (discretionary);
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

It must be a ‘new’ home (or substantially renovated home) and the market sale value must be valued at under the $750,000 cap.

For the full eligibility criteria please visit: http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/firsthomeowner

For locations that count as ‘regional’ for the regional FHOG please visit: http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/regional

Your new home can be a either a off the plan or brand new house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar, but it must be valued at $750,000 or less and be first sale of the property as a residential premises. See ‘where can I find FHOG eligible homes’ for more details.

Usually when you buy property you also pay a state tax known as stamp duty (or transfer duty). As a first home buyer in Victoria, you may be eligible for a concession or exemption of stamp duty. The current stamp duty relief for first home buyers is:

• A full emption where the dutiable value (property value) is $600,000 or less;
• A discount (based on a sliding scale) where the dutiable value is between $600,001 & $750,000

The main eligibility criteria for this stamp duty relief is that all purchases must meet all the FHOG eligibility criteria, except:

• The thresholds above apply (not the FHOG threshold)
• The stamp duty relief is for both ‘new’ & ‘established’ dwellings
• The residency requirement is that at least one purchaser must use the home as a principal place of residence for a continuous period of 12 months, starting within 12 months of becoming entitled to possession of the purchased property (this normally occurs at settlement).

If you have any questions in regard to these government assistance schemes, or want to know what other Victorian schemes exist that you may be eligible for, please contact your FHBA Mortgage Broker (or complete the Talk To An Expert form at the bottom of this page).

Applying for the FHOG and / or various duty concessions can be a little tricky. While you can check eligibility and apply online by yourself, we recommend you apply through the assistance of one of our FHBA Mortgage Brokers.

Our FHBA Mortgage Brokers are not only experts at finance matters such as home loans and the FHOG, but they are also experienced in helping first home buyers everyday. Our service is free of charge (should you proceed with a home loan option through us). We can check your eligibility, apply on your behalf and be with you every step, providing you with peace of mind that you haven’t missed a thing.

• To learn more about our FHBA Mortgage Broking service and have one of our experts assist you with your application, please visit our FHBA Mortgages home page.
• To apply online by yourself visit the VIC Government website and follow their instructions carefully.

As Australia’s premier first home buyer organisation we have access to hundred’s of FHOG eligible homes, from house & land packages through to townhouses, apartments and more.

Called FHBA New Homes, our new homes search service involves us connecting you with leading property developers, builders and real estate experts to help you find and secure your first home. Meanwhile, your FHBA Coach stay’s by your side every step of the way.

Plus, if you purchase your FHOG eligible home through our FHBA New Homes service you could be eligible for the FHBA 50 Rebate (in addition to any government entitlements you may be eligible for such as the FHOG!).

If you haven’t been introduced to an FHBA Coach yet send us an email ([email protected]) or complete the enquiry form and one of our friendly FHBA Coaches will be in touch to provide you with a free Discovery Session.

If you are thinking of purchasing an established (existing) home then:

• Currently, you will not be eligible for the VIC FHOG, as one of the requirements is that it must be a ‘new‘ home;
• however, you may be eligible for a stamp duty discount (concession) or exemption as outlined in the ‘are there any other entitlements I might be eligible for’ section above

If you would like assistance with purchasing an established home (or a new home) we recommend you book in a free Discovery Session with an FHBA Coach.