Depending on your lender, you may have to pay a one-off application fee or establishment fee when arranging your home loan. These can be from $400-600, regardless of loan size.

However, if you’re smart, you can avoid paying establishment fees by doing your homework and choosing a loan that’s both right for your circumstances, and looks out for your bottom line. The Greater Bank Ultimate Home Loan Package features a great value rate, as well as a range of added product benefits, and no establishment fee. 

If you’re able to save a deposit of more than 20% of the purchase price of your home, Lender’s Mortgage Insurance (LMI) won’t be an issue for you.

However, many of us will have a healthy sized deposit but will still fall below the 20% mark. If this is the case, LMI is the premium you must pay to insure your financial institution for lending you more than 80% of the purchase price.

Based on a property price of $500,000, and a deposit of 10% ($50,000), you should budget to pay Lender’s Mortgage Insurance somewhere in the region of $7,000-10,000. This amount would be payable up-front (rather than being added to the loan).

When purchasing a property, you must register the title with your state government. On top of this, to protect you against any claims made against the title of your property, you may wish to consider title insurance.

To insure your actual property, Home Building insurance is usually purchased compulsorily when finalising your home loan, however, you are able to choose which insurer’s services you enlist. While Home Building Insurance prices will vary, it’s important you decide on one with the size and strength to be there for you when it matters most, and with a reputation as an industry leader. 

When buying your new home, the cost of the remaining yearly or quarterly rates for the property (such as water & land rates) fall to you.

These take effect from the date of settlement, and will be different for each property and area, but for a property of $500,000 you can expect a bill between $500-700. 

Now all that’s left for you to do is add all your expected costs together, and add them to your deposit figure, so you’ll have a much better idea of how much you’ll need to buy.

With your total in mind, be sure to plot your goal to success with our Savings Goal Calculator. Simply punch in your goal and regular deposit amount to learn how quickly you’ll be making an offer on your new home.