Between the First Home Owner Grant, stamp duty concessions and the 5% deposit guarantee, Victorian first home buyers have real help available — if they know how to stack it.
Buying your first home in Melbourne’s east can feel out of reach — until you line up the support that’s actually available. Used together, the current grants and schemes can cut years off your savings timeline. Here’s the 2026 picture for Victorian buyers, in plain English.
The First Home Owner Grant
Victoria’s FHOG puts $10,000 toward buying or building a new home under the price cap. It applies to new builds only — so it suits buyers looking at townhouse developments and new estates rather than established homes in older streets.
Stamp duty savings on established homes
For established properties, first home buyers pay no stamp duty under $600,000 and a reduced rate up to $750,000. On the right unit or townhouse in Nunawading, Ringwood or Croydon, that’s tens of thousands of dollars you keep.
Buy with 5% and skip LMI
The federal Home Guarantee Scheme lets eligible buyers purchase with a 5% deposit while the government guarantees the rest — meaning no Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Since the scheme expanded, most first home buyers qualify, but lender places and property price caps still apply, and not every bank participates.
The part nobody explains: stacking them
The real question is which combination fits you — grant plus guarantee on a new build, or duty concession plus guarantee on an established home, or a family guarantee instead of either. The answer changes with your income, deposit and target suburb, and it changes which lenders we shortlist.
We walk first home buyers through the whole process, from pre-approval to settlement day. It costs you nothing — call Tudor Finance on (03) 9894 7135 or drop into our Nunawading office.
This article is general information only and doesn’t consider your personal circumstances. Scheme details change — we’ll confirm current eligibility when we talk. Tudor Finance Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 393142.
