Five Deposit Strategies to Consider as Loan Sizes Rise Higher

Owner-occupiers are stepping up in the property market as investors are stepping down, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while average loan sizes now range from $465,000 in the Northern Territory to $811,000 in New South Wales.

During the final three months of the year, loan commitments fell 4.5% quarter-on-quarter for investors while rising 2.2% for owner-occupiers, reflecting a changing dynamic in the market.

Meanwhile, the average mortgage across Australia reached a record $666,000 at the end of 2024, an increase of 8.5% on the year before.

Given those large loan sizes, accumulating a deposit can be hard. So here are five things you can do to either save your deposit faster or reduce the size of the deposit required:

1. Ask me about borrowing strategies that require less than a 20% deposit

2. Speak to your parents about a guarantor home loan, which could potentially reduce your share of the deposit to 5% or even 0%

3. Consider buying in conjunction with a partner, relative or friend

4. Research the Home Guarantee Scheme, which lets eligible buyers purchase a property with just a 5% deposit without having to pay lender’s mortgage insurance

5. Increase your savings rate, by looking for opportunities to cut your spending and grow your income

If you’re thinking about buying your first home or purchasing an investment property, contact me to organise a pre-approval.

Or book a callback from me at a convenient time by clicking this link. https://bit.ly/HomeLoanFinder