OD #23 - What To Do Before You Buy Your First Property

You can save a deposit, scroll listings every weekend, and still be wildly unprepared to buy property. We get into the part nobody posts on Instagram: the planning that happens before you look at a single listing, and how that prep decides whether your first home purchase or investment property becomes a stepping stone or a decade-long regret.We start with the real first question: what are you actually trying to achieve? A first home buyer optimizing for lifestyle, commute, and schools should make different choices than an investor optimizing for rental yield, vacancy rates, infrastructure, and long-term growth. We also unpack why mixing “dream home” emotions with investment logic is a common way people overpay for a property that underperforms.From there, we break down the true cost of buying a property beyond the deposit, including stamp duty, potential LMI, conveyancing, building and pest inspections, loan fees, and the cash buffer you need after settlement. We then hit the sneaky borrowing capacity issues that trip people up: lenders assessing credit cards by limit (not balance), the impact of buy now pay later, how car finance and personal loans can shrink what you can borrow, and what three to six months of bank statements say about your spending.We close with the smartest timing for speaking to a mortgage broker, what pre-approval really means, and the structural decisions that are cheap to get right early but expensive to change later. If you want a practical property buying checklist that helps you move with confidence, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more first-time buyers can avoid the costly mistakes.Did you like this episode?Support the show🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on Instagram @zekeguenthrothofficial @oscardonproperty and @assetroad for daily insights, property breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes updates. Explore more at www.assetroad.com.auTop 10 Finance Podcasts in Australia on Feedspots ranking- https://podcast.feedspot.com/australian_personal_finance_podcasts/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not constitute personal financial advice. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. Asset Road Pty Ltd recommends you seek independent financial, legal, taxation or other advice as required. All investments carry risk. Past performance is not indicative of future results.