First HomeMortgage Experts
We work for you, not the bank.
Your free first home buyer's
Roadmap
You know you want to buy. The hardest part is knowing how. So we made it simple: the clear, plain-English path from your first call to picking up the keys.
- What you can actually borrow
- What banks really look for
- The 6 steps from first call to keys
First HomeMortgage Experts
How much can you actually borrow?
It's the first question almost everyone asks us, and all the mortgage and home-buying jargon makes it feel impossible to answer yourself. It isn't. What you can borrow comes down to two limits:
What your income allows
How much a bank will lend you based on what you earn and what you already owe.
What your deposit allows
How much you can borrow based on the deposit you can pull together.
One of these two will always stop you first. Working out which one is your limit is the whole point, because it tells you exactly what to work towards: grow your income and tidy your debts, or build your deposit. That's the very first thing we figure out with you.
Want to know which limit is yours? That's a 15-minute chat.
Find out where you stand →First HomeMortgage Experts
What your income really lets you borrow
What you can borrow isn't just "your salary times some number". Banks look at everything coming in and everything already going out, and the result is usually more movable than people think. If income is your limit, there are real levers to pull.
Different banks count these differently. Some take all of your overtime, some take none. Picking the right lender for your income mix can change your number a lot.
Two things catch people out. First, your existing commitments: car loans, Afterpay, personal loans, and even the limits on your credit cards (not the balances, the limits) all reduce what a bank will lend you. Second, banks don't test your repayments at today's rate. They test whether you could still pay if rates were noticeably higher. That buffer is why your number can feel lower than the online calculators promised.
We work out your real borrowing power across lenders, not just your own bank's answer, and show you which levers actually lift it: which debts to clear first, which card limits to cut, and which bank treats your kind of income best.
Want your real number, not a calculator's guess?
Book your free discovery call →First HomeMortgage Experts
What your deposit really lets you borrow
For most first-home buyers, the deposit is the limit they worry about most. As a rule, you need a minimum of 10% of the purchase price, unless you qualify for the 5% First Home Loan (which has criteria we explain below). The good news: your deposit usually isn't just the money sitting in your savings account. When you add up everything you can actually use, a lot of people are closer than they assumed.
*You can use all of your KiwiSaver except the last $1,000, once you've been contributing for at least three years.
You've probably seen it: "buy your first home with just a 5% deposit!" It's real, and for some people it's brilliant. But it isn't the magic wand it's made out to be. It comes with house price caps, income caps, and rules about the condition of the property, how much deferred maintenance or renovation it can have. Sometimes it's a perfect fit. Sometimes it doesn't pan out. The trick is knowing which before you fall in love with a place, and that's exactly the kind of finer detail we work through with you.
We add up every source you can actually use, tell you which ones you genuinely qualify for, and handle the paperwork that comes with them. No hype, just the real numbers for your situation. Often this is the moment buying goes from "someday" to "this year."
Want to know how big your deposit really is? Let's add it up.
Book your free discovery call →First HomeMortgage Experts
What banks are really looking for
When a bank looks at your application, they're really sorting you into one of two buckets. Knowing which one you're in is half the battle.
Squeaky clean
Your income, spending and accounts all stack up neatly, and the bank can say yes without a second thought.
Needs a good explanation
Life isn't always tidy. If something needs context, the bank needs to understand why you're still a safe bet to lend to.
We go through your bank statements with you and get you ready to apply. We make sure anything that needs explaining actually gets explained, so the bank has the confidence to give you the money. That's how a "maybe" becomes a yes, and often a faster one.
Let's get your application looking its best before the bank ever sees it.
Book your free discovery call →First HomeMortgage Experts
Six clear steps, from your first call to moving in
You know where you stand. Here's the path from here to the keys.
Free Discovery Call
A quick 15-minute chat, some honest feedback, and we both check we're a good fit.
Your Strategy Session
A 30 to 45-minute video call to map out your goals, what you can borrow, the right bank for you, and your next steps.
Getting Pre-Approved
We gather your documents and get you pre-approved, so you know your budget before you start looking.
House Hunting
We back you up as you search: what to ask at open homes, what to offer, and how to make a conditional offer that protects you.
When You Find a Place
We line up your lawyer, sort the valuation and building report, and get the bank's sign-off on the property.
Loan Structure & Settlement
We structure your loan to suit you, then see you through to settlement and the keys.
First HomeMortgage Experts
You've seen the map. Let's walk it together.
This guide gets you oriented. The real value is a plan built around your income, your deposit and your goals, and that starts with a 15-minute chat.
