Buying your first home in Melbourne comes with plenty of questions — from how to save for a house deposit to figuring out what to look for at inspections. For Luisa, a Home Buyer Academy graduate, the process wasn’t easy. But with preparation, persistence, and the right guidance, she bought in her dream suburb and even secured an off-market property in Melbourne.

When you step into a home on a bright Saturday afternoon, it’s easy to fall in love. The sun is streaming in, the breeze feels perfect, and the neighborhood is quiet. But what happens when the seasons change? That “dream home” could turn into a freezing icebox, a mossie haven, or a noisy hotspot you didn’t sign up for.

A 5% deposit sounds like the golden ticket into your first home. But what if it's quietly pushing prices higher — and setting you up for a costly mistake?

Buying your first property is already nerve-wracking — but nothing rattles buyers more than hearing, “There’s another offer on the table.” Is it true competition, or just a sales tactic designed to push you into bidding more than you planned?

Imagine saving for years, finally building up a $43,000 deposit, only to risk losing it all because of one overlooked detail. That’s exactly what happened to a Victorian first home buyer caught out by a little-known property type — and the fine print of a government scheme.