THE FHB MAZE

A Broker's Strategic Guide to the 2025 Schemes

Annual Industry Contribution

$4.1B+

Help to Buy Places (p.a.)

10,000

The complexity of government housing policy is your greatest opportunity. This guide provides the clarity to transform you from loan facilitator to indispensable strategic advisor, fulfilling your Best Interests Duty.

The Core Client Choice: Two Pathways to Ownership

Shared Equity

Faster market entry and lower repayments, but with a government co-owner who shares in future capital gains. Priority: Housing Security.

Full Ownership

A higher entry barrier, but the client retains 100% of all capital gains and full autonomy. Priority: Wealth Maximisation.

Help to Buy Scheme

The Shared Equity Pathway

Key Mechanics:

  • Min. 2% Deposit required
  • Govt. contributes up to 40% (new) or 30% (existing)
  • No LMI payable

Pros & Cons:

✔ Very low deposit & smaller mortgage

✖ Must share capital gains with government

First Home Guarantee

The Full Ownership Pathway

Key Mechanics:

  • Min. 5% Deposit required
  • Govt. provides up to 15% guarantee to lender
  • No LMI payable

Pros & Cons:

✔ Full ownership & 100% of capital gains

✖ Higher deposit needed than Help to Buy

Schemes Compared: The Key Numbers

A visual breakdown of the critical differences for a single applicant in Sydney.

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Myth Buster: The $10B Housing Fund

Client Question: "What about the 100,000 new homes for first home buyers?"
Your Expert Answer: "That's a great question. That fund is a long-term plan to build 30,000 new **social and affordable RENTAL homes**. Let's focus on the two schemes that can help you BUY a home right now."

Your Strategic Role Visualized

From advisor to success story: fulfilling your Best Interests Duty.

Understand Client's Life Goals & Risk Profile
Explain Ownership vs. Equity Trade-offs
Prepare Application for Speed & Success