In short: A permanent resident buying a first home in Queensland pays no transfer duty on a new home or vacant land at any price, and no duty on an established home up to $700,000 (concession to $800,000). The First Home Guarantee cap is $1,000,000 in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and $700,000 elsewhere, with a 5% deposit and no LMI.
Key takeaways
- PR holders can buy established homes freely; the foreign-person ban on established dwellings (extended to 30 June 2029) does not apply to them.
- Since 1 May 2025 a Queensland first home buyer pays no transfer duty on a new home or vacant land to build on, regardless of price.
- Established homes are duty-free for first home buyers to $700,000, with a concession to $800,000.
- The Queensland First Home Owner Grant has been $30,000 for new homes under contracts to 30 June 2026. Check the current amount before you rely on it.
- The Guarantee cap is $1,000,000 in the south-east's three cities and $700,000 across the rest of the state.
Queensland has become the third pole of Nepali settlement after Sydney and Melbourne, helped by nursing, aged care, hospitality and construction work and by regional nominations in Toowoomba, Cairns and Townsville. Its first home buyer rules are unusually generous on new homes. This guide explains what applies once PR is granted, with a worked example and the lender detail that matters.
Queensland's first home buyer rules at a glance
| Scheme | Rule at the time of writing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First Home Guarantee | 5% deposit, no LMI, no income cap; cap $1,000,000 Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast; $700,000 rest of QLD | Citizens and PRs; owner-occupiers; no property owned in Australia in the last 10 years |
| Transfer duty, new home or vacant land | Nil at any price for first home buyers (from 1 May 2025) | Must move in and live there |
| Transfer duty, established home | Exempt to $700,000; concession to $800,000 | First home concession; residence conditions apply |
| First Home Owner Grant | Has been $30,000 for new homes (contracts to 30 June 2026); confirm the current figure | New homes only |
| Foreign acquirer duty | 8% surcharge | Foreign persons only; PRs exempt |
| Established-dwelling ban | Foreign persons blocked until at least 30 June 2029 | Not applicable to PRs or spouses of citizens and PRs |
Check figures with the Queensland Revenue Office and the Guarantee with Housing Australia.
Worked example: a $700,000 established house in Brisbane's south
A Nepali family with a nurse and a warehouse supervisor as borrowers, PR granted this year, buys an established four-bedroom house in Brisbane's southern suburbs for $700,000 under the First Home Guarantee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | $700,000 |
| Deposit (5%) | $35,000 |
| Loan | $665,000 |
| Transfer duty | $0 (first home concession, established home at $700,000) |
| LMI | $0 (Guarantee) |
| Conveyancing, building and pest, registration | Roughly $3,000 to $5,000 |
| Monthly repayment, for illustration at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years | About $3,987 |
Now compare a new house-and-land package at $750,000 in a Logan or Ipswich growth estate. Duty is nil at any price on a new home, the grant (whatever the current amount is at the time you sign) can form part of the deposit with many lenders, and the Guarantee still applies because the total is under $1,000,000. The trade-off is a construction loan: the build is funded in stages, you pay interest on drawn amounts only, and you are usually still renting during the build. Our house-and-land package and construction loan pages explain the mechanics.
The established house lets you move in now and stop paying rent; the new build can cost less upfront and comes with a warranty. Run both through the upfront costs calculator.
Where Nepali families settle in Queensland
Brisbane's Nepali community is spread across the south (around the Sunnybank, Runcorn, Calamvale and Kuraby corridor, where South Asian grocers and momo restaurants cluster), the inner north near the hospitals and universities, and the newer estates in Logan and Ipswich. The Gold Coast has a working community in hospitality and health, and the Sunshine Coast is growing more slowly. Toowoomba, Cairns and Townsville attract 491 visa holders under regional nomination and have their own small community groups.
Hindu temples and Buddhist centres around Brisbane host Dashain, Tihar, Teej and Buddha Jayanti, and Nepali community associations run cultural nights, sports events and language classes for children. See our Brisbane mortgage broker and Queensland pages for area-by-area notes.
Lender and document notes for new PR holders in Queensland
Queensland has a few lender-specific wrinkles beyond the standard PR checklist.
- Status. Passport and PR grant notice; the lender runs a VEVO check. Once you hold PR, mainstream lenders assess you at the same LVR and rates as a citizen.
- Employment. Nursing and aged-care shift income with penalties and overtime is common in the community. Lenders differ on how much of it they count; some take 100% with two years' history, others 80%. Casual hospitality income generally needs 6 to 12 months.
- Deposit. 5% genuine savings held for three months. In Queensland the grant on a new home can be counted toward your contribution by several lenders, but genuine savings rules still apply to the rest.
- Source of funds. Do not plan to bring deposit money out of Nepal. Nepal Rastra Bank prohibits capital transfers for buying property abroad and a lender must see a lawful, documented source. Australian savings, gifts from family in Australia and NRN-compliant funds are accepted; take legal advice on anything else.
- Postcode and property type. Inner-city Brisbane apartments, small units and some regional and mining-linked towns carry lender restrictions (lower maximum LVR, exclusion from LMI or Guarantee lending with some lenders). This is a Queensland-specific reason to have a broker check the postcode before you sign.
- Flood and insurance. In flood-prone parts of Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan the building insurance premium can be high enough to affect serviceability. Get a quote before the contract.
- Buffer. All lenders test at your rate plus 3 percentage points, and family remittances visible in statements are treated as living expenses.
The general process is in our first home buyer loans page and the paperwork in the documents checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Is the $30,000 Queensland grant still available?
The $30,000 grant applied to new-home contracts signed by 30 June 2026. Whether it has been extended, reduced or returned to its previous level depends on the state budget after that date, so check the Queensland Revenue Office page before you build it into your deposit plan. Your broker and builder can both confirm the current figure.
Can I buy an established home in Queensland on a 491 visa before PR?
No. Temporary residents, including 491 holders, are foreign persons under the established-dwelling ban that now runs to at least 30 June 2029. You can buy a new home or vacant land with FIRB approval and pay the 8% foreign acquirer duty. Once your 191 permanent visa is granted, both restrictions end. Our guide to buying as a temporary resident covers the detail.
Does the Guarantee work with a house-and-land package?
Yes, provided the combined land and build price is under the cap ($1,000,000 in the south-east cities, $700,000 elsewhere) and the lender is on the Housing Australia panel. The 5% deposit is calculated on the total. The build contract and the land contract both need to be in place when the Guarantee place is reserved.
Which is better in Queensland, new or established?
For duty, new wins at every price. For speed of moving in, established wins. For the grant, only new qualifies. Families with children in school often prefer established homes in the southern suburbs near existing community; those with time and a stable double income often choose a new build in Logan or Ipswich. There is no universal answer, only your numbers.
Talk to GNT Finance
GNT Finance is licensed to arrange loans anywhere in Australia and serves Queensland families by phone, video and e-signature, in English, Nepali or Hindi. We check postcode rules, grant eligibility and Guarantee caps before you commit. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703. Our service is at no cost to you for home loans in most cases. See our Australia-wide, Sydney and Victoria pages if you are comparing states.
This is general information, not migration, legal, tax or credit advice. Migration rules change often — confirm with a registered migration agent (MARA) or the Department of Home Affairs. Grant, duty and Guarantee figures are as at the time of writing; confirm them with the Queensland Revenue Office and Housing Australia.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.