fbpx

Benevolence Financial Group (BFG) is now Open Home Loan. Start home loan rate tracking and let Open automatically shop around for you – over your loan duration. When your ideal rate is reached, we’ll ask your bank to match it. Choose to stay or switch in minutes. No effect on credit score. Start for free.

BFG’s Guide on How to Save for a House Deposit

READING TIME

3 Mins

Share this post

Unsplash | Amol Tyagi
Alt text: Sticky notes, a pen, an iphone calculator and a handful of gold coins placed against a white background

Applying for your first home loan can feel like a daunting process for anyone, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we created this guide to break down this portion of the process to guide you on how to save for a house deposit as easy as possible.  

In this blog, we will cover:

  • How long it takes to save for a home loan
  • Our recommended tips on how to save for a house deposit  

Have any questions we missed or require more detail? Contact us via email or call today!

How long will I be saving for a home loan?

Well for a 20% deposit, the most frequent home loan deposit amount you will need, the short answer is years.

However, the longer answer is more complicated, depending on the following:

  • If you’re looking for a home or an apartment.
  • Which state or capital city you’re currently looking to purchase property in.
  • Whether you have a single or dual income.

Based on this and Canstar’s June 2021 property research, we compiled the following information.

Estimated time to save for a 20% Home Deposit in Australia

Capital city Average property valueEstimated Time to Save (Single Income)Estimated Time to Save (Dual Income)
Sydney$1,224,61321 years10 years, 5 months
Melbourne $929,76915 years, 6 months7 years, 10 months
Brisbane$657,55111 years, 2 months5 years, 10 months
Adelaide$551,5389 years, 8 months5 years
Perth$550,0998 years, 2 months4 years, 3 months
Hobart$652,09211 years, 11 months6 years, 2 months
Darwin$567,8429 years, 1 month4 years, 9 months
Canberra$877,31113 years, 3 months6 years, 9 months

Estimated time to save for a 20% Apartment Deposit in Australia

Capital city Average property valueEstimated Time to Save (Single Income)Estimated Time to Save (Dual Income)
Sydney$794,19312 years, 9 months6 years, 6 months
Melbourne $610,0439 years, 8 months5 years, 1 month
Brisbane$415,5366 years, 10 months3 years, 7 months
Adelaide$359,3596 years, 1 month3 years, 3 months
Perth$395,9795 years, 9 months3 years, 1 month
Hobart$492,7488 years, 10 months4 years, 8 months
Darwin$337,0485 years, 3 months2 years, 9 months
Canberra$501,7547 years, 3 months3 years, 9 months

Our tips to save for a home deposit

Now that we have our saving estimates, we highly recommend the following tips to make the most of it and even reduce your time spent saving:

Budget

This is one of the most common and practical approaches to saving up for a house deposit. Creating an expense sheet to reduce spending and adopting cheaper transport and shopping options are the most popular and sustainable ways.

Sustainability and achievability are key as it’s more likely you will benefit more from 12 months of minor to moderate savings over 12 days of massive ones.

We also recommend saving a similar amount to your expected repayments to help with long-term budgeting, if possible.

Want to find out your expected home loan repayments? Click here to use our repayment calculator today.

Take advantage of government, regional first home loan deposit schemes and discounts

Why not use the system to your advantage?

We recommend the First Home Owner Grant. While it varies from state to state, it can give up to $20,000 to help pay for your home and reduce how much stamp duty you pay.

Likewise, the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme can help eligible first-time buyers purchase with a 5% deposit and save $10,000 in LMI fees.

We also suggest the Family Home Guarantee for single parents first-time buyers, which allows family home purchases for a 2% deposit.

Though, be careful when opting for a grant, especially if it means purchasing a home in an area you don’t want to be in for the future.

Want to know how much stamp duty you could be paying before and after the schemes? Click to use our stamp duty calculator.

Finally, book an appointment with a home loan specialist to get personalised saving advice quickly.

We at BFG are always willing to guide you through your mortgage journey, and each time you make a home loan with us, we invest half of all the profits into our partner charities in the names of our customers, which they can claim as a tax-deductible difference.

Disclaimer: The information provided is general in nature and does not constitute financial advice. Please speak to us for recommendations on your individual circumstances and requirements.

Send Us a question

Have something in mind?