Grants and duty relief, checked 25 Oct 2026
As checked on 25 October 2026: under the NSW First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, eligible buyers pay no transfer duty on a new or existing home valued up to $800,000, with a concessional rate between $800,000 and $1 million (contracts exchanged from 1 July 2023). At least one buyer must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and you must move in within 12 months and live there for at least 12 continuous months. Temporary residents are not eligible, and foreign persons may pay surcharge purchaser duty. Source: Revenue NSW.
The $10,000 First Home Owner Grant applies only to new or substantially renovated homes (purchase price up to $600,000, or up to $750,000 for land plus a building contract), not to established homes. The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme lets eligible first home buyers buy with a minimum 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, with no income caps and unlimited places since 1 October 2025. You apply through a participating lender, and price caps apply: the official NSW cap is $1.5 million for Sydney and the listed regional centres (Central Coast, Coffs Harbour-Grafton, Illawarra, Mid North Coast, Richmond-Tweed, and Newcastle and Lake Macquarie) and $800,000 for other areas. Both the purchase price and the lender's valuation must be at or below the cap. Use the government's postcode tool and confirm with a participating lender before you rely on it.
These have eligibility rules that change. Check the current NSW Revenue and Housing Australia information against the home you are considering in Merrylands, and confirm with them before relying on it.
