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Northern Territory real estate offers affordable and realistic opportunities for first home buyers to get their foot in the door of the Australian property market. However, a recent government report noted a 40.3% plummet in first home buyer commitments in the year to July 2022.
While first home buyer commitments are decreasing, the Northern Territory government has made several grants and incentives available to help you get one step closer to securing your dream home.
These include the following:
It is important to note that applications for the Household Goods Grant Scheme (HGGS) and the Home renovation Grant are closed and therefore are no longer available in NT.
The First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) is a nationwide initiative that State and Territory governments distribute to empower first home buyers to secure a property.
As FHOG is controlled by individual State and Territory governments, the conditions and qualification criteria change depending on where you are looking to buy your first home.
The First Home Owner Grant NT (or FHOG NT) provides eligible first home buyers $10,000 when purchasing or constructing a new home.
How you use this $10,000 depends entirely on your personal circumstances and goals, although some common uses include:
However, you must adhere to specific conditions and criteria to qualify for the grant.
According to the NT Government, you can qualify for FHOG if you buy or build a new home, which includes:
It is also notable that a new home means that your property should not have been previously occupied or sold as a place of residence. Additionally, you must occupy your new home as a primary place of residence for a continuous period of 6 months within a 12-month window of the completion date of the transaction.
Meanwhile, FHOG NT has no property value limit, meaning that any new home you purchase as an eligible first home buyer can qualify.
Corresponding with these qualification conditions, you must also meet the eligibility criteria to apply for FHOG NT successfully.
The set eligibility criteria state that you must:
If you're applying for the grant with a spouse or partner, at least one applicant needs to be an Australian permanent resident or citizen. For further assistance, the NT government has an eligibility tester to help you determine if you qualify for FHOG.
There are two ways to apply for FHOG NT:
If your application succeeds, relevant authorities will advise when you can expect the grant to be deposited in the nominated bank account. The specific time when the grant is deposited will depend on how you applied. For example:
The HomeBuild Access scheme provides eligible applicants access to low-deposit home loans for purchasing newly built homes or constructing a house on vacant land.
While not reserved solely for first home buyers, the HomeBuild Access is open to all low to middle income earners in NT looking to purchase or build a property.
If you qualify for HomeBuild Access, the NT government guarantees up to 17.5% of the purchase price of your home alongside other low deposit home loan options such as:
You must meet several conditions to qualify for HomeBuild Access, including contracting, purchasing, or building a new home. Therefore, if the house has previously been sold or occupied as a primary place of residence, it cannot qualify for HomeBuild Access.
Furthermore, the NT government impose property price limits for HomeBuild Access loans with the cap depending on your house size:
In the case where you are building your home, this price limit includes both the vacant land purchase and construction costs. Additionally, you must also contract a licensed builder from the Northern Territory under a single fixed price if you're constructing a home.
Finally, to access this grant you must live in your newly purchased or built home as a primary place of residence for a minimum continuous period of 3 years.
According to the NT government, eligible applicants must fit the following criteria:
According to the NT government, the HomeBuild Access scheme is managed by People's Choice. Therefore, you will need to apply directly to this financial institution.
To find the nearest People's Choice branch, please click here or call the institution directly at (08) 8943 3319 for more information.
Yes, first home buyers in the Northern Territory must pay stamp duty when purchasing a home.
Previously, some stamp duty concessions were in place for first home buyers. However, the NT government scrapped these on June 30 2021. To see how much you would need to pay in stamp duty on your home purchase, head to our calculator here.
As a first-time home buyer in NT, you have access to FHOG and the HomeBuild Access scheme and several other Federal Government grants. This includes the Regional Home Guarantee, the New Home Guarantee, the Help to Buy Scheme and the First Home Super Saver.
For a comprehensive breakdown of these incentives, head to our first home buyer grants resource page!
As previously stated, the First Home Owners Grant is handled by each respective State or Territory government. Therefore, conditions and eligibility vary depending on where you want to purchase your first home.
If you're not from NT and looking for information on first home buyer grants in other states, check out our specific guides below:
No matter your eligibility, Joust can help NT first home buyers secure competitive rates on their first home loan! Our home loan marketplace is free of charge and helps bring lenders to the tip of your fingers.
See how you can save using Joust Live Auction and take one step further to securing your dream of home ownership!
The information in this article is general in nature and should not be considered personal or financial advice. You should always seek professional advice or assistance before making any financial decisions.
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