Buying

Buying costs explained for Australian home buyers

A guide to the common upfront costs to check before buying a home, including deposit, duty, legal costs, inspections, and lender fees.

Updated: 15 June 2026
Read time: 7 min read
Reviewed by: emoney broker team

Reviewed for general guidance. Reviewed by emoney broker team. Last updated 15 June 2026. Sources are listed below so borrowers can check the public references behind this general information before speaking with a broker.

Key checks before you decide

Deposit and any genuine savings requirement.
Transfer duty, registration, and state government charges.
Conveyancing, contract review, building, pest, and strata checks.
Lender fees, valuation fees, package fees, and LMI where relevant.
State duty rules can change by buyer type, property value, and eligibility.
First-home concessions or grants can reduce the cash needed, but only if the rules fit.

Full guide

Now read the full guide

Checklist

Start with cash to complete

The deposit is not the full buying-cost picture. A purchase budget should include deposit, transfer duty, government registration charges, conveyancing, lender fees, inspections, insurance, moving costs, and possible lender's mortgage insurance.

Deposit and any genuine savings requirement.
Transfer duty, registration, and state government charges.
Conveyancing, contract review, building, pest, and strata checks.
Lender fees, valuation fees, package fees, and LMI where relevant.

Guide

Separate government costs from lender costs

Government costs and lender costs behave differently. Transfer duty and registration charges depend on state rules and property details. Lender fees and LMI depend on lender policy, loan size, deposit, and loan-to-value ratio.

State duty rules can change by buyer type, property value, and eligibility.
First-home concessions or grants can reduce the cash needed, but only if the rules fit.
LMI may apply at higher LVRs and protects the lender, not the borrower.
Some lender costs are paid upfront, while others may be added to the loan.

Watch out

Budget for repeated inspection and legal costs

Some buying costs can happen before you secure the property. Building, pest, strata, valuation, and contract review costs may repeat if you inspect or bid on more than one property.

Auction due diligence can cost money before you know whether you will win.
Private treaty contracts may still need legal review and finance timing checks.
Inspection reports can reduce risk, but they are usually property-specific.
Do not spend settlement funds without checking the remaining cash position.

Broker note

Check scheme and concession rules early

Government schemes can help some buyers, but eligibility can depend on buyer status, income, property price, location, lender participation, and timing. Check the official rules before relying on any benefit in your purchase budget.

Confirm whether the property and buyer fit the scheme.
Check whether the lender participates in the pathway.
Confirm whether a grant or concession affects cash to complete.
Keep documents ready for any first-home or deposit pathway checks.

Next step

Want a broker to check this against your situation?

Answer a few questions so emoney can route your enquiry to the right broker conversation.Estimate buying costs

Example

Use calculators before making offers

An upfront buying costs calculator can help estimate the purchase cash needed before inspections become emotional. The estimate still needs checking against current state rules, lender policy, property details, and your contract timing.

Run the calculator at your preferred purchase price.
Run a second scenario at the top of your search range.
Add a buffer for inspections, moving, utilities, and insurance.
Compare the cash needed with savings, gifts, grants, or scheme assumptions.

Broker note

Bring the cost stack to the broker

A broker can check whether the lending pathway looks realistic, but a conveyancer or solicitor should check contract and legal costs. A better first conversation shows the full cash stack, not only the deposit.

Purchase price range and deposit available.
State, suburb, property type, and first-home status.
Expected grant, concession, guarantee, or family-support pathway.
Known debts, credit limits, and savings history.

Calculator next step

Upfront buying costs calculator

Bring deposit, duty, legal costs, lender fees, moving costs, and settlement cash into one planning view.

Best for: Checking whether the cash-to-complete picture is realistic before inspections or offers.
What it calculates: Deposit, transfer duty, legal, lender, moving, and other purchase-cost assumptions.

A broker still needs to check lender policy, LVR, mortgage insurance, concessions, contract timing, and document fit.

Open Upfront costs

Sources used

officialASIC MoneySmart buying a house officialASIC MoneySmart save for a house deposit officialAustralian Government first home buyer pathways officialHousing Australia Home Guarantee Scheme officialATO First Home Super Saver Scheme

General information only

This guide is general information and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. A broker can review your circumstances before any recommendation.