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First-Home Guides

Plain-English guides for first-home buyers — deposits, borrowing power, grants and price caps, step by step.

7 articlesUpdated 8 Sept 2026
A residential Melbourne street ending at a government secondary school ovalFirst-Home Guides

School zones and Melbourne property prices, measured

REIV data puts the Melbourne school-zone premium between 13 and 35 per cent. The famous zones are not the expensive ones — and the zone you pay for can be redrawn the year after you buy.

8 Sept 202611 min read5 sources
A young man crouching to inspect a cracked skirting board during an open home in a 1970s brick-veneer house

First home buyer mistakes 2026: 12 traps to avoid

The first home buyer mistakes 2026 buyers keep making — 12 traps, the data behind each one, and the specific check to run before you sign a contract.

15 Aug 20268 min read9 sources
A young woman at a kitchen table working out her home deposit on a laptop and notepad in a renovated weatherboard cottage

How much deposit to buy a house in Australia? The real 2026 numbers

How much deposit to buy a house in Australia in 2026 — 5%, 10% and 20% compared, with real LMI costs, scheme price caps and the settlement cash you also need.

15 Aug 20267 min read10 sources
Young couple on the porch of an affordable Melbourne home checking their borrowing power on a phone

How much can I borrow? Borrowing power calculator Australia 2026 explained

A plain-English borrowing power calculator australia 2026 guide: how APRA's buffer, HECS debt and rate hikes shape what a lender will actually approve.

26 July 20267 min read8 sources
A young couple holding keys at the front door of their first home on a quiet suburban street

First Home Buyer Guide 2026: Step-by-Step in Plain English

A first home buyer guide 2026 buyers can actually follow: deposits, the First Home Guarantee, Help to Buy, stamp duty and the mistakes to avoid.

22 July 20269 min read9 sources
Young couple researching Melbourne suburbs using the first home buyer scheme in 2026

First home buyer scheme 2026: price cap traps and how to navigate them

The first home buyer scheme 2026 now has no income cap, no place limit, and a new $950k Melbourne price cap. But real traps remain. Here's what VIC buyers must know.

28 May 20268 min read7 sources
First home buyer suburbs in Victoria: the under-$700k shortlist for 2026

First home buyer suburbs in Victoria: the under-$700k shortlist for 2026

Discover the best first home buyer suburbs in Victoria with median prices under $700k — with real price data, government scheme details, and what to watch out for in 2026.

9 May 20268 min read7 sources

Other topics

5 more categories, each with its own page.

Investor Playbooks

Strategy and tax for investors

Yield, capital growth, gearing and the policy changes that move the numbers.

12 articles →Market Trends

Where the market is heading

Rates, budget measures, supply, and the shifts showing up in the data.

8 articles →Comparisons

Two suburbs, the same metrics

Head-to-head suburb comparisons — two markets, the same metrics, so you can see which one actually fits your brief.

11 articles →Suburb Spotlights

Deep dives on one suburb

Demographics, price history, rental demand and what the data says about where a suburb heads next.

1 article →The Abora Advantage

How Abora builds its analysis

The data sources, the methodology, and how it compares with the alternatives.

1 article →

About this research

Market Pulse articles are written from named, dated sources listed at the foot of each piece. Figures are accurate as at the publish date shown and are not updated continuously — check the source before acting on a number. General information only, not financial or legal advice.

Market Pulse covers Australia. ABS Census data © Australian Bureau of Statistics. Where an article draws on state land, planning or lending data, that source is named and attributed in the article’s own source list.