The Great Start Grant is a Queensland Government initiative to help first home owners to get their new first home sooner.

Recipients get $15,000 towards buying or building a new house, unit or townhouse (valued at less than $750,000), which can help them enter what sometimes feels like an inaccessible market.

The grant allows you to buy off the plan or choose to build yourself.

There can be advantages to building a new home or buying off the plan, instead of buying an established property.

These include:

Fewer repairs

Those gorgeous period homes can come at a cost. Even if they’re in good shape, maintaining them will cost money, and they’re closer to their use by date than a brand new property with the latest in durable materials available.

Customisation

Buying off the plan or building anew lets you put your personal stamp on your new home.

You might be buying a template, but you usually have the ability to customise your space and layout, and sometimes even materials. If you’re building from scratch, it’s the ultimate exercise in customisation!

Smarter and greener

While it’s definitely possible to retrofit established properties for sustainability and energy efficiency, it can be expensive, particularly if the home is quite old.

A new property can include the latest in smart home or sustainable technologies, helping keep your household bills down once you’ve moved in, and maybe adding some convenience along the way.

If you’re thinking of buying or building a new home, the Great Start Grant could get you started, and get you into that first home sooner.

The Great Start Grant is administered under the First Home Owner Grant Act 2000