Want to buy a home but don’t know where to start? Buying a home can feel overwhelming, especially for first-time buyers. From understanding your borrowing capacity to finding the right property and securing your loan, there are many steps to consider.

In this guide, Josh, our Senior Mortgage & Finance Adviser, breaks down the home-buying process into six simple steps to help you get started with confidence.

 Step 1. Free Consultation with Rise High Brokers

The first step towards buying your first home is understanding your borrowing capacity and exploring your loan options. At Rise High, we offer a free consultation to help you fast-track your homeownership dreams, even if you have a small deposit.

During the consultation, we’ll:

• Assess your personal financial situation and borrowing capacity

• Review what your repayments might be and how they fit your budget

• Guide you through required documentation

• Check your eligibility for home ownership schemes and grants

• Provide a Lender Comparison Report highlighting the top 5 lenders best suited to your needs

 Step 2. Get Pre-Approval

Once you understand your borrowing capacity and options, the next step is to obtain pre-approval. Pre-approval:

• Shows how much you can borrow

• Strengthens your position when making an offer

• Helps you act quickly when the right property becomes available

Step 3: Find a Property

With pre-approval in hand and a clear list of criteria, you can start searching for your ideal home.

Start online: Check real estate portals such as realestate.com.au and domain.com.au.

Inspect properties: Use your weekends to visit homes that meet your criteria and get a sense of their features, condition, and overall appeal.

Get expert support: As you narrow down your property search, we can assist by providing you with comprehensive property reports for the shortlisted properties.

Step 4: Formal Approval

Once you’ve selected a property, we work with the lender, real estate agent, and your conveyancer to ensure everything goes smoothly for formal loan approval.

Our team manages the process from start to finish, keeping you informed at every step so you can focus on the exciting parts of buying your first home, rather than the paperwork.

Step 5: Settlement

Settlement is the final stage where property ownership is officially transferred to you and your loan funds are released.

We coordinate with your conveyancer, lender, and real estate agent to ensure a smooth settlement, including final inspections, signing documents, and key handover, so you can move in confidently and stress-free.

Step 6: Review

At Rise High, our dedicated customer service team provides ongoing support after you move in. We aim to identify opportunities to save you money and ensure your loan continues to work for you.

As part of this service, we review your loan every six months, working to secure extra discounts and reduce your interest rate whenever possible.

Our favourite part? Surprising you with savings, helping you keep more of your money while staying on track with your financial goals.