A first home buyer checklist keeps a stressful process honest. Buying in Perth involves lenders, inspectors, agents and a settlement agent, all at once. In other words, the buyers who stay organised get better outcomes.
Most first buyers lose money on timing, not price. They rush a deposit, skip an inspection, or miss a grant deadline. This checklist prevents all three.
Work through it in order.
First Home Buyer Checklist: The Money Stage
Start with the boring numbers. First, check your credit file for errors before any lender does. Second, build a genuine deposit, because lenders price risk from that number. Third, get a pre approval in writing, not a verbal estimate.
Grants and schemes change often, so verify your eligibility at the source. As a result, you should treat this checklist as a map, not legal advice. Check the current WA first owner schemes on wa.gov.au before you rely on any figure.
The Search Stage
Define your non negotiables in writing. For example, commute time often matters more than a fourth bedroom. Therefore, test the trip to work from any suburb you shortlist.
Attend auctions before you bid, so the process feels familiar. Meanwhile, keep a simple spreadsheet of every home you inspect. Because of that, comparisons stay factual rather than emotional.
The Offer and Contract Stage
- Order a building and pest inspection, always, even for new builds.
- Ask for finance and inspection clauses that protect you.
- Confirm the deposit amount and due dates in writing.
- Engage a settlement agent early, not at the last minute.
Cooling off rules in WA differ from the eastern states. In fact, offers and acceptances here work on structured timelines. However, get professional advice before signing anything you do not understand.
The Settlement Stage
Between contract and settlement, the paperwork feels endless. Lenders order valuations, insurers need details, and agents chase signatures. Overall, keep every document in one folder, digital or paper.
Do a final inspection before settlement day. As a result, you catch damage that happened after the contract. Then, on the day, the keys are the easy part.
After You Move In
Your team matters as much as your budget. A good broker, a thorough inspector and a responsive settlement agent each pay for themselves. As a result, choose them like employees, not suppliers.
Update your address, insurance and utility accounts in week one. In addition, keep the inspection reports, because they guide future maintenance. Ultimately, the buyers who finish organised start owning, not scrambling. Ask Smart Realty for this checklist as a printable version, and a free rental appraisal if you later rent a room or move on.
Planning a move? Start with Buying at Auction Perth.