Start with a working budget, not the maximum
A pre-approval may show a maximum lending amount, but your search budget also needs to leave room for the deposit, legal work, reports, insurance, rates, repairs, moving costs, and a cash buffer. Ask your lender or adviser which property types and loan-to-value limits apply.
Choose your non-negotiables
Write down the area or commute, price ceiling, bedrooms, bathrooms, outdoor space, parking, school or transport needs, sun, accessibility, and the work you are prepared to take on. Separate must-haves from preferences so the search stays usable.
Use filters carefully
Property websites can filter by price, location, bedrooms, land or floor area, and property type. Filters do not tell you whether an apartment has body-corporate risk, whether an addition is consented, whether the property is insurable, or whether the lender will accept it as security.
Property types can change the lending conversation
Apartments, unit titles, leasehold land, unusual construction, tiny homes, properties with unconsented work, and homes with significant weathertightness or natural-hazard questions may require extra evidence or have lender restrictions. Do not assume a low deposit works for every property type.
Before paying for reports
Confirm the asking or agreed price, sale method, settlement date, title type, available documents, insurance pathway, and what your lender still needs. Use the property conditions checklist before signing or committing to an offer.
Evidence categories to organise
- Working budget below the maximum
- Target areas and commute
- Bedrooms, size, and property type
- Must-haves and deal-breakers
- Deposit and buying-cost buffer
- Lender property restrictions
- Insurance pathway
- Title, LIM, and building-report plan
This guide is general information only. MoreGage does not provide regulated financial advice, a lending assessment, approval, or an offer.