Stay informed with the latest real estate news, market trends, and expert insights for Melbourne City. Our blog covers everything you need to know about the property market in Australia.
Victoria’s First Home Buyer Grant offers $10,000 for eligible new properties up to $750,000. The federal Help to Buy scheme provides up to 40% equity (30% for existing) with Melbourne caps of $950,000. Learn how these programs stack, LVR differences, allocation timing, valuations, and settlement coordination.
Passed-in auctions often signal mispriced reserves, design or access constraints, or softer market sentiment. In Melbourne’s inner-city (Fitzroy, Collingwood, Brunswick), these homes stay on market longer and typically sell 5–15% below reserve via private negotiation. Use comparable sales, inspections, and timing to separate red flags from genuine value opportunities.
Rentvesting lets Australia’s first home buyers invest while renting in preferred areas. Compare borrowing capacity, deposits, interest rates, cashflow, tax, and risk versus owner-occupied purchase. Learn how debt-to-income limits, FHLDS, LMI waivers, guarantor loans, auctions, and market timing affect affordability, serviceability, and long‑term equity growth for sustained wealth creation goals.
Victoria’s new 7‑day reserve disclosure turns the final week into a strategic sprint. Verify the official reserve, recalibrate your budget, estimate the suburb premium, and lock in inspections, finance, and auction tactics. Set a firm walk‑away number and execute with discipline to avoid overpaying on auction day.
Australia’s Help to Buy shared equity scheme lets eligible first home buyers purchase with deposits from 2%, with the government contributing up to 40% (30% for existing). Learn income thresholds, city price caps, lenders, 10,000 annual places, buyback rules, and a $900k example showing reduced mortgage size and repayment mechanics.
First Home Guarantee: avoid paying ~2.5% higher rates. See which banks overcharge, the long‑term $400k interest hit, and use our 5‑step plan to dodge Australia’s first‑homebuyer rate trap, compare lenders, and secure a fair deal.
From October 2025, Melbourne homebuyers can enter the market with just a 5% deposit under the new Home Guarantee Scheme. Forge Real Estate explains how this game-changing policy makes property ownership more accessible and impacts real estate trends.
Malcolm Lee, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Forge Real Estate, shared his expert insights on SBS Chinese.