How to: Apply for the first home owner’s grant

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Many home buyers are eligible for government support through first home owner schemes, particularly those buying off the plan apartments, but each state has their own schemes in order to boost state construction.

Here is a breakdown of the current grants and incentives available in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

The New South Wales government has the New Home Grant scheme, which offers $5000 for off the plan homes valued at $650,000 or less and is available to both investors and owner-occupiers.

An application for the New Home Grant must be made within three months of the first signed contract and is paid as credit on the purchaser’s stamp duty.

If the stamp duty tax is greater than $5000, the difference between the duty and the $5000 grant is to be paid by the buyer, but if the stamp duty is under $5000, the grant is used and the buyer is not out of pocket.

The grant can be applied for more than once on multiple properties, however each property must be new and only one grant will be issued per property.

The New South Wales government also offers a First Home Owner grant of up to $15,000 for newly built or bought homes valued at under $650,000. The property must be the intended place of residence, as the buyer must live in the property for a continuous period of six months.

The New South Wales First Home Owner grant will drop down to $10,000 from January 1, 2016.

The Queensland government offers first home buyers building or buying a brand new home a $15,000 Great Start Grant for properties valued under $750,000.

To be eligible for the grant, first home buyers must move in within one year of the completion date and live there for a minimum of six months.

Applications can be made through the Office of State Revenue or through a bank or lending institution.

The South Australian government offers up to $15,000 for first home buyers building or buying a new property that does not exceed that value of $575,000.

As with other states, the property must be the intended place of residence for at least six continuous months.

Off the plan buyers may also be eligible for an off the plan concession, which provides a full stamp duty concession of up to $21,330.

To be eligible for the full stamp duty concession, contracts must be entered into before June 30, 2014, as after this date, only a partial concession will be paid until June 30, 2016.

The stamp duty concession is only available to apartments located within a certain area, so check the Revenue South Australia website for more details.

First home buyers building or purchasing a new home in Victoria are eligible for up to $10,000 as long as the value of the home does not exceed $750,000.

All states can apply for grants via the Office of State Revenue or through a bank or lending institution.

If applications for grants are made through the Office of State Revenue, the grant may be paid as soon as all necessary documentations are received.

For those applying through a bank or lending institution, the grant is generally paid on settlement. 

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