In short: GNT Finance is a Melbourne-based mortgage broker serving Perth from Yanchep to Mandurah by phone, video and e-signature. We compare lenders for first home buyers, FIFO households and investors, and apply WA's rules: an $850,000 First Home Guarantee cap, no duty for first home buyers to $600,000 and a $10,000 grant for new homes. Nepali-speaking service is available. No cost to you in most cases.
Perth spent most of the 2010s as the cheapest mainland capital, and it is not any more. A tight rental market, strong resources employment and migration have pushed prices up across the metropolitan area, but the state's first home buyer concessions still work below the median and the guarantee cap gives room above it.
Perth housing: what you are buying
Perth is long and thin, strung along the coast and the freeway, and its housing follows that shape:
- Northern corridor: Joondalup, Wanneroo, Butler, Alkimos and Yanchep, with 1990s to new-build family homes on the Mitchell Freeway and the Yanchep rail line.
- North-east: Ellenbrook, Aveley and the Swan Valley fringe, popular with first home buyers since the Ellenbrook rail line opened.
- South-east: Armadale, Byford and the Serpentine-Jarrahdale growth area, with house-and-land packages and larger blocks.
- South-west: Rockingham, Baldivis and Mandurah, where naval base and industrial employment meet the coast.
- Inner and western suburbs: Subiaco, Mount Lawley, Victoria Park and the coast from Cottesloe to Scarborough, with character homes and apartments.
- Perth CBD and East Perth: apartments, where lender policy tightens on small units and high-density towers.
Single-storey brick-and-tile on a large block is Perth's standard house, and lenders treat it as standard security. Policy questions arise with CBD apartments, Swan Valley and Hills acreage, and any property tied to mining employment.
Schemes that matter in Perth
| Scheme | Rule (at the time of writing) |
|---|---|
| First Home Guarantee cap | $850,000 for the Perth capital city area |
| First home owner rate of duty | No duty to $600,000; concessional rate to $800,000. Same thresholds statewide since 7 May 2026 |
| First Home Owner Grant | $10,000 for a new home |
| Help to Buy | Federal shared equity; income caps $100,000 single, $160,000 couple |
Whether Mandurah and the Peel region sit inside the Perth boundary for the guarantee depends on Housing Australia's postcode list, so we check the specific address. Read the Western Australia page for the full state picture and our First Home Guarantee guide for eligibility.
Worked example: a first home buyer in Baldivis
Say you buy a $600,000 established four-bedroom home in Baldivis as your first home.
- Transfer duty: nil. Since 7 May 2026 the first home owner rate charges no duty up to $600,000, and this purchase sits right on that threshold. Before that change the same purchase attracted concessional duty, so an older calculation will overstate your costs. The stamp duty calculator gives the current figure.
- Deposit under the First Home Guarantee: 5%, or $30,000. No LMI.
- Loan: $570,000. For illustration, at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years the repayment is about $3,417 a month.
Between $600,001 and $800,000 a concessional rate of $16.15 per $100 above $600,000 applies, and above $800,000 the standard WA scale applies. The upfront costs calculator adds conveyancing, inspections and moving costs.
FIFO and resources income
A large share of Perth households have at least one FIFO or DIDO income. Lenders accept base salary readily but differ on site allowances, overtime, bonuses and how much history they want. One lender may count 80% of allowances while another counts them in full, which can move borrowing capacity by tens of thousands of dollars. We compare your payslips against each lender's policy before applying. The borrowing power calculator gives a starting figure, and our how to improve borrowing power guide explains what shifts it.
Who else we help in Perth
- Melbourne investors attracted by yield and lower entry prices, funding the deposit from equity in their existing home. See investment property loans.
- Relocating families arriving from the east coast or overseas on permanent residency. See home loans for new migrants.
- The Nepali community across Perth's north and south-east, with the full process available in Nepali.
How we work with Perth clients
The time difference is the only practical wrinkle, and we schedule calls around it. Otherwise everything is remote: discovery call, secure document upload, lender comparison, electronic identity verification and e-signed loan documents, with your Perth settlement agent handling settlement.
Nearby areas
Mandurah and the Peel region, Bunbury and the South West, and the whole of Western Australia, including the Pilbara and Goldfields. See also Australia-wide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the First Home Guarantee cap in Perth?
$850,000 for the Perth capital city area at the time of writing, with $600,000 for the rest of WA. Since October 2025 there is no income test and unlimited places. You must be a citizen or permanent resident, 18 or over, buy as an owner-occupier and not have owned property in Australia in the last 10 years. Check housingaustralia.gov.au for the current figures.
How much duty does a Perth first home buyer pay?
None up to $600,000 under WA's first home owner rate, then a concessional rate up to $800,000, at the time of writing. These thresholds took effect for transactions entered into on or after 7 May 2026 and now apply statewide, replacing the earlier $500,000 exemption and the separate metropolitan and regional concession ceilings. Above $800,000 the standard scale applies. You must live in the home as your principal residence. Confirm the current thresholds with RevenueWA and use our calculator for the figure at your price.
Do lenders accept FIFO allowances as income?
Most do, but with different rules on how much they count and how long a history they want. Regular site and travel allowances from an established employer are generally accepted in full or at a discount; irregular overtime and bonuses are usually averaged over two years. We match your payslips to the lender whose policy treats them most generously.
Can I get a loan on a Perth CBD apartment?
Yes, subject to the building. Small studios, high-density towers and buildings where a lender already has heavy exposure can attract lower maximum LVRs or minimum floor-area rules. Larger apartments and low-rise buildings are standard. We check the specific building against lender policy before you make an offer.
Talk to GNT Finance
Buying your first home in Ellenbrook, upgrading in Joondalup, investing in Perth from Melbourne or refinancing a FIFO household loan? We compare lenders, apply the WA rules and manage the application by phone and video. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703.
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.