r/AusHelptobuy

Hi all,

Just curious what others think, as we know renovations >20k (+ index) will need to have someone come and revalue the property.

So if this is the case shouldn’t you always aim to have >20k in renovations, either combining multiple smaller things or doing some bigger items but making sure it just barely crosses the threshold? Because you get additional equity attributed to you / lower the gov %.

So far I’ve done a solar upgrade which costed me 21k and added 20k in equity. And I’ve been just thinking for future upgrades if this is the way to do it.

I've been reading through the scheme and, on paper, it seems like a great way to get into the market sooner. The only thing I'm still unsure about is the government owning a share of the property. For anyone who's looked into it seriously, what helped you make your decision?

There's plenty of information about eligibility, but not as much about what the process actually feels like once you're applying.

Were there any delays, surprises or things you wish you'd known earlier?

I hope I’m either completely wrong, or at the very least this is common knowledge. I made the FHSS withdrawal request a couple of weeks ago not realising it was taxable. I was saved by virtue of only having $13k FHSS on top of my $70k income.

I imagine a lot of people that have more super and income are going to get a nasty shock when they realise EOFY ticking over means they’ll have to wait another year, particularly considering the ATO will slug you 20% if you don’t buy within 12 months.

We settled in April. We are having a large solar system with battery and ev charger installed. I’ve just submitted the request for valuation. Install happens Thursday. Paying $25k for the system. Will let you know soon what the result is!

Final approval pending upcoming settlement with 6.17% atm via CBA. Just curious what everyone else is getting.

Has anyone purchased land and had a kit home, prefab or modular home installed?

I believe I need to have land and a quote (or contract?) from a builder ready to go before HTB approval. Would a kit home company count? If anyone has done this, would love to hear about your experience!

It looks like these are the only two lenders currently processing applications for the scheme. I am trying to figure out which one is generally faster or easier to deal with for pre approval

Has anyone built or bought a house in WA using the Help to Buy scheme? Which builder did you use, and how accommodating were they in meeting the HTB requirements and timelines? How long was/is the expected build time? If you bought an established home instead of building, what made you choose that option?

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the information. My understanding is that the approval is only valid for 90 days, so if you're building, the land must already be titled or be titled within that 90 day period. I also understand that you need a fixed-price building contract. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

We have received 2 seperate mortgage forms - one from commbank, the other from Housing Australia. In the ‘Part Land Affected’ section on the forms, the commbank form has ‘Y’, and the Housing Australia one is blank. Is this normal or an error?

Has anyone had a building contract accepted by HA with allowances included?

I have a $10k delayed title allowance and $10k prestart allowance included although with everything going on I will probably have to use both to cover price increases.

I asked my lender if the contract was sufficient for final approval and she said it was but I'm not sure if that included HA approval or just CBA. Unfortunately, she went on leave the same day that I asked her so I can't follow up until next week.

I would love some insight from people that have had their contracts accepted/rejected.

Hello Everyone. I'm looking at buying an untitled land (titles expected March 2027) and building a home using the Help to Buy Scheme.

The developer wants me to sign the contract now and pay a 5% deposit within the next two weeks to secure the lot.

Has anyone used Help to Buy for untitled land? Can I sign the contract before approval, and would the 5% deposit simply be credited towards my contribution/purchase price at settlement?

Unfortunately, titled lots are not available in the area I’m interested, and even untitled lots get sold out pretty quickly.

Any experiences or advice would be much appreciated.

Hi,

I wanted to get a definitive answer in relation to placing a deposit on land that is currently untitled.

There is a block of land that is due to tile in November - December 2026 in which I am very interested. At the moment I have an informal hold however I am expecting that in a few days the developer will contact me to organise a deposit.

Obviously it would be pointless to go for pre approval until the block is titled but holding it until then with a deposit seems to be a difficult answer to get from mortgage brokers and housing Australia themselves

My question is: can I place an EOI deposit on a block of land or even organise a contract of sale (subject to pre-approval) until it is ready to title in November where in will obtain my pre approval closer to the date

DOES THIS DISQUALIFY ME FROM HTB