Your 2026 Australian Homebuyer Checklist

Every January, we speak to buyers who are motivated, financially capable, and genuinely ready to move forward yet still feel unsure about how the buying process actually unfolds.

Not because they haven’t done their homework, but because the homework itself (accessible property advice) is often delivered in fragments. Without context, and without personalisation for your goals and needs. When you’re looking to purchase one of the biggest investments of your life, it can help to have a checklist to keep things under control.

Topics in this article:

• • Your 2026 Australian Homebuyer Checklist
    • • 1. Run your cash flow first
    • • 2. Understand all upfront costs beyond your deposit
    • • 3. Investigate your solicitor and building inspector early
    • • 4. Start attending inspections to learn the market
    • • 5. Track sold prices, not advertised prices
    • • 6. Speak with local agents
    • • 7. Accept that buying takes time
    • • 8. Expect to miss out (but learn from it)
    • • 9. Treat building and pest inspections as non-negotiable
    • • 10. Understand when costs are actually paid
    • • 11. Make strategic (not emotional) compromises

As featured in Homely. Read the full article here.