Let’s get your first home loan approved

Welcome! We’re so glad you’ve found us. If you’re looking to buy your first home, you’re definitely in the right place. Here, you’ll discover everything you need to know as a first home buyer – from borrowing capacity, eligibility for grants and deposit requirements, and we’re here to guide you through it every step of the way.

We help first home buyers in Perth and beyond understand their options, access grants, and navigate the loan process from start to finish with maximum support and minimum stress.

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How we help first home buyers

Personalised First Home Buyer advice at no cost to you

A mortgage broker is a licensed professional who acts as the go-between for you and lenders. Instead of going straight to a bank, you work with a broker who understands your goals, compares loans from multiple lenders and guides you through the entire application, approval process and settlement of your property purchase.

Understanding how much you can borrow

Getting pre-approved with confidence

Accessing grants and government schemes

Supporting you every Step of the way

Got Questions? We’ve got the Answers.

The most common thing we hear from our first home buyers is “This might be a stupid question but…”. There are definitely no “stupid questions” and rest assured that we’ve heard them all before. It’s important to feel empowered and confident when buying your first home and applying for your first home loan, it’s a big deal! We’re here to answer all of your questions, as many times as you need to ask them. For now, here’s a few of our most frequently asked questions to get you started.

Typically, you’ll need at least 5% of the property value, but ideally 10–20% to avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). We can help you explore all your options — including low-deposit loans and guarantor loans.

This is the number one question that people want to know. And for good reason. This is crucial information to know BEFORE you start your property search. It’s important to understand your budget to ensure you’re not wasting time and energy looking at properties you can’t afford (yet!!)

We can give you an approximate idea of how much you can borrow over the phone after you answer a few questions. You can expect us to ask questions about your occupation, age, annual income, if you have any dependents, and any liabilities and expenses you have like credit cards, personal loans or a car loan. From there, we can give you an idea of your borrowing capacity. 

Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is a fee or insurance premium charged when your deposit is under 20% — it protects the lender, not you. However, there are ways to avoid or reduce it, depending on your situation.

Yes, there are options for you to secure a home loan with as little as 2% deposit. You may be eligible for schemes like the First Home Guarantee or a Keystart loan which can help you avoid LMI.

As a genuine first home buyer, you may be eligible for the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG), stamp duty concessions, and/or federal schemes like the First Home Guarantee. We’ll help you apply for everything you would qualify for.

Stamp duty isn’t included in your home loan, it is an upfront cost that you will need to save for. However, your lender may let you borrow extra to cover its cost, depending on your deposit size, borrowing power and eligibility. It’s important to remember that adding this cost to your mortgage, will mean you’ll pay more interest overall, over the life of your home loan.

This depends on your income, debts, expenses, and deposit. We’ll calculate your borrowing power for you and help you understand what’s realistic and affordable. It’s a good idea to start with this before you start searching for your first home.

Besides your deposit, you’ll need to budget for conveyancing fees (settlement agent), potentially loan setup fees, and building inspections. We’ll can help you estimate if you’ll have any additional costs and give you an approximate idea of what they will be up front.

Yes! Getting a finance pre-approval first helps you know your budget and makes your offers more competitive. We help you get ready with confidence.

We compare home loans from dozens of lenders, negotiate on your behalf, handle the paperwork, and guide you every step of the way — all at no cost to you. We’re like a handy home loan helper, here to make sure you pay as little as possible for your home loan and helping you iron out any issues you might come across along the way. Most of our clients stay with us for a very long time, coming back to us when they’re ready to buy their next homes, investment properties and businesses! Basically, we’re here to support you for the long haul.

It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on your situation, whether you’re using any grants or schemes, the lender you’ve chosen and whether or not you’ve already received a pre-approval. We do lots of work behind the scenes to help speed things up and keep you in the loop at every stage. Our general advice if you’re buying a home is to stipulate the standard 21 days in the finance clause of your offer to purchase, which is a safe a commonly accepted timeframe in most residential property purchases. You would have discussed this with your mortgage broker before making the offer.

It can be more complex, but it’s mostly just a different process. With that said if you’re self-employed first home buyer you’d definitely benefit from having a mortgage broker to guide you through the process. We have relationships with lots of specialist lenders who offer home loans specifically for self-employed buyers and can help you navigate any special requirements.

Pre-approval is an estimate of what you can borrow, while unconditional approval means the bank has formally approved your loan for a specific property.

Yes, through the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) — you can withdraw voluntary contributions you’ve made to super, up to certain limits.

A guarantor loan is a type of home loan where another person—usually a close family member such as a parent—uses their own property or savings as extra security for your mortgage.

Who can be guarantor: Typically immediate family (parents, sometimes siblings). Some lenders are stricter than others.

Security, not cash: The guarantor doesn’t usually give you money. Instead, they allow the bank to secure part of your loan against their property (often their home).

Helps reduce your deposit: With a guarantor, you may be able to borrow up to 100% of the property price (plus costs) without needing a large deposit.

Avoids Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI): Because the guarantor provides extra security, the lender is less exposed, so you can often avoid paying LMI (which can save tens of thousands).

Click here to read more about how a guarantor loan works.

No, but it helps. A mortgage broker can compare multiple lenders, guide you through grants and schemes, and make the process smoother. Over 70% of borrowers in Australia use a broker to help them with their home loan due to factors like:

  • Convenience and guidance, especially for first home buyers or complex financial situations
  • Easier access to a wide range of lenders and products
  • Increased trust in brokers following tighter regulations (e.g., Best Interests Duty introduced in 2021)

No – we can help you get finance for almost anything! From car loans, investment properties, business loans or personal loans, we can do it all under one roof, which means less work and hassle for you.

First Homebuyer Checklist

Download our free checklist to guide you from the very start of your property journey, through to settlement.

get the checklist here
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We’re here to help you get the best possible home loan. simple.

Having helped hundreds of Western Australians find the right home loan solution, Daniel Niederberger of Base Home Loans has grown a base of loyal clients who appreciate his down-to-earth, no nonsense approach as much as his excellent home loan advice and service. We are a Perth-based independent mortgage broker built on the core principles of respect, integrity and trust and we’re here to make home loans feel easy, because life is stressful enough.

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We Work with over 80 lenders to give you choice & Flexibility for your home loan

  • 5.0

    Daniel was incredibly helpful throughout the process of securing a loan for my first home. I was unsure and had a lot of questions and he was always quick to get back to me (even outside of business hours) and had all the answers I needed. Highly recommended!hentic endorsements from satisfied customers, serve as potent social proof, significantly inspiring trust in potential consumers.
    Charlotte Scott

Ready to get started?

We’re mortgage experts — but we speak your language. If you’re ready to chat about buying your first home, please contact us below or simply book a time that works for you directly into our calendar now.

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