The complete guide to buying a house in Australia

Buying a house in Australia follows the same seven steps wherever you buy: work out what you can afford and get your finance pre-approved, find a property and inspect it, make an offer, have the contract reviewed before you sign, pay the deposit and satisfy the conditions, complete your pre-settlement checks, then settle and collect the keys.

What changes is the detail. Cooling-off rights, what a seller has to disclose, and the point at which the contract becomes binding all differ between Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

This guide is the map. Each stage below links to the detail.

The buying journey, stage by stage

• Getting ready to buy — set a budget, get finance-ready, understand the costs, and line up a conveyancer before you sign.
• Finding & assessing a property — inspections, what's included in the sale, and who carries the risk before settlement.
• Offer, contract & conditions — making your offer, cooling-off, deposits, finance approval and the conditions that make it binding.
• Settlement — how settlement works, your rights if it runs late, and getting the keys.

Key guides for getting ready

• The real cost of buying a home
• Stamp duty & first-home grants
• Set a buying budget
• Getting pre-approved
• Choosing a conveyancer
• The conveyancing process

The explainers below cover a few specific situations — buying a second or investment property, auctions vs private treaty, the common pitfalls to avoid, and buying through a company, SMSF or trust.