Top Tips for Building your First Home

If you’re ready to start the journey to buying and building your first home, but you’re not sure where to start – you’re not alone.

We spoke to our friendly sales team at Sage about common questions first-home buyers ask to help you through the process, from planning your home to picking up your keys.

What are the benefits of buying a new home?

Buying a new home comes with many financial and lifestyle benefits.

Financially, you may benefit from a lower deposit, paying less stamp duty and the opportunity to take advantage of government incentives, like the Queensland Government’s $15,000 First Home Owners’ Grant. You will also have peace of mind that you are buying a home that shouldn’t require any unexpected maintenance or repairs.

Many first-home buyers also find building a better lifestyle option for several reasons. Building puts you in control of the look and feel of your new home and enables you to work with your builder to make changes to the design, ensuring it suits you and your family from day one.

What steps do I need to take?

It’s important to do your research before you build your home so you can be familiar with the process before you start.

Make sure you confirm with the developer the timeframe for the community from signing the contract to handover so you can organise your finances to meet key milestones.

You’ll also need to engage with a mortgage broker, solicitor or conveyancer to help you through the process.

That process can vary depending on the build scenario; however, we have outlined what purchasing a house and land package looks like below.

Once finance and pre-approval has been arranged with your preferred lender, you’ll need to select your community and preferred block as well as a builder.

Talking to the sales team at a new community is a great way to find the right location and lot for you. They’ll be able to provide a wealth of information on the masterplan and what’s to come, and are trained to ask key questions that will determine the type of homesite best suited to achieve your home building goals. Please refer to the following section on finding the right community and home for more information on this.

To find the right building partner, it’s always a good idea to research their track record – including experience and reputation. You should also review their design range, check what they offer as standard inclusions and, if possible, visit a display home to see the quality of the finished product first-hand.

Two contracts will then need to be signed – one for the land (between you and the developer) and one for the build (between you and your chosen builder). A good option can be to obtain a construction home loan, which gives you the flexibility to pay your builder at key milestones of the building journey rather than upfront. This is a great way of managing repayments and cash flow as you are not paying interest on the full loan amount.

Once your new homesite settles, the fun really begins – the construction of your new home. It is also important to remember to arrange home and contents insurance before you move in.

The next step is to inspect your new home when construction is complete and make the final payment. Then you’ll be ready to move in.

How do I find the right community and the right home for me?

Choosing where you want to live is perhaps the most important decision you will make in this journey. There are many things to consider, starting with location.

Communities like Sage, which are close to schools, transport, employment, parks and shopping centres, are popular because they offer a convenient lifestyle.

Sage’s masterplan includes almost nine hectares, equal to more than 30 per cent of the site, of open space, including a recreation park and environmental corridor.

In addition, Sage will offer a variety of homesites, suiting a range of purchasers from first-home buyers through to families and downsizers.

Consider your family and lifestyle to decide what’s best – single-level living, a two-storey abode with extra storage and a bigger backyard, or a larger home with a low maintenance yard – the opportunities are endless!

Read more about what makes this area so desirable in our blog why Burpengary is appealing to new homebuyers.

What can I expect in a masterplanned community like Sage?

You’re not just building a new home, you’re moving into a brand-new community.

Masterplanned developments like Sage benefit from new infrastructure and amenities designed especially for its residents. Sage will boast an 8,100sqm parkland, framed by a seven-hectare environmental corridor, set to become a place for families to play and explore and new neighbours to meet and connect.

The park will become a key community hub featuring play equipment, basketball half-court and shade structures. When you need to go outside the community, there is an array of schools, shopping centres, sporting clubs and recreational facilities to be found in Burpengary and the wider Moreton Bay region.

Where can I find out more?

Your new home journey may differ depending on the home design you choose and the details of your building contract. For more information on the various stages and what to expect along the way, download our Building Your First Home guide here.

If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d love to hear from you. Find out more about our Sage community in Burpengary or register your interest here.