First Home Buyer Checklist
This checklist is designed for buyers who want the planning layer organised before they choose a lender path or narrow the suburb shortlist too aggressively.
What is covered
- Deposit and cash-buffer checks before the search starts.
- Document list for PAYG, self-employed and mixed-income files.
- NSW grant and duty prompts that are worth confirming early.
- Suburb and property-type notes so the budget stays realistic.
- Pre-approval questions to sort before auction or offer season picks up.
How this is calculated for pre-approval planning
The checklist is designed to be used before the lender shortlist becomes fixed. It helps organise the deposit, documents, suburb choices and grant checks that tend to affect the first clean pre-approval or application path.
For formal consumer guidance while working through the checklist, keep the current references from Moneysmart and ASIC nearby.