ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT BUYING A HOUSE IN AUSTRALIA, IS IT POSSIBLE TO SETTLE?

Currently, many people who want to live in Australia for a long time should think about the option of settling in Australia to buy a house. Therefore, buying a house in Australia is a question that many people are interested in. Besides, house prices in Australia increased by 7.6% year on year. So what is the secret to buying a home in Australia easily? The article will help you answer!

Answer questions about buying a house in Australia, can I settle down?

The Australian Department of Immigration answers the question of whether buying a house in Australia can be settled

According to the Australian Department of Immigration, buying a home in Australia will not meet all the requirements to apply for a visa to live in this country. Because to settle down, you also need to meet other conditions as prescribed.

In general, buying a house is not the deciding factor for the whole settlement of Australia. But this is an important factor to help you increase the success rate when applying for a visa. You can find out more information about the  latest Australian settlement policies 2023.

Benefits of owning property in Australia

When you own property in Australia, you will receive many benefits such as:

• Owning real estate will give you more priority in the application process. This is the core foundation to help you settle down and live in a foreign land.
• You will have certain advantages in proving personal assets when applying for an investment visa or applying for a student visa for your children.
• Buying a house and real estate in Australia is a premise for you to move to Australia as a permanent resident. You will even have the opportunity to become an Australian citizen when you meet the conditions for Australian citizenship .

To learn more about the importance of buying a house, real estate for Australian settlement, you should contact VEM for advice.

Regulations on foreign ownership of real estate in Australia

Regulations on buying houses for foreigners

In December 2015, Australia worried that many foreign home buyers would push up property prices. This will make it difficult for first time home buyers in Australia. As a result, the Australian Government has enacted new laws to restrict foreign property investments.

The following are Australia’s regulations on buying a home for foreigners:

• Non-resident foreigners who want to buy a home in Australia need to get approval from the Foreign Investment Regulatory Authority (FIRB).
• If you are not an Australian citizen, you will not be able to buy a pre-built home in Australia unless you want to build a new home.
• If you meet the conditions for personal property, the application for a house or investment by a foreigner will be approved more easily and there are no attached conditions.
• Applications for the purchase of vacant land by foreigners will be approved when certain conditions are fully met. Typically, these conditions will relate to the timeframe in which construction begins.

Notes you need to know about tax when investing in real estate in Australia

Before investing in real estate, you need to understand tax regulations such as:

• If you are not an Australian permanent resident/citizen, you must pay an average of 7% registration tax to be able to buy, invest or own a property.
• If you have a tourist visa, you can only buy a newly built home in Australia when you meet the property requirements.
• If the sale of real estate is profitable, you may have to pay income tax. Progressive tax rates range from 19% to 45% depending on taxable income.

In addition to tax rates, there are many other issues you need to take care of to be able to invest in Australia. Please refer to the article on investment tips for immigration to Australia .

What you need to determine before buying a house to settle in Australia

Before deciding to buy a home in Australia , you should determine what your purpose of buying is, to live in or to rent out. If your purpose is to settle down, the question of buying a house in Australia has been answered at the beginning of the article.

If you want to buy a house in Australia to live in , you should choose small, quiet cities with fresh air. Perth and Adelaide will be two cities worth your consideration.

Besides, you can choose big cities like Sydney, Melbourne if you want a bustling and most comfortable life in Australia. You can learn more about life in these two cities through the article about Melbourne  and Sydney .

But if you buy an Australian house for rent , you should choose places with great rental demand such as near schools or tourist areas.

In addition, depending on your economic conditions, interests and needs, you can choose to buy a house in Australia as a house or an apartment (apartment).

Benefits of buying a home in Australia

Is the benefit that you are most interested in is buying a house in Australia to be settled ? As mentioned in the first part, buying a home in Australia will help you better demonstrate your desire to work and settle in Australia.

In addition to this, buying a home in Australia also gives you and your family many other benefits such as:

• Owning real estate will help you more convenient in proving finance when applying for a visa.
• If you rent out houses and real estate, you will have certain advantages when applying for an Australian visa under the 188 investment visa.
• The Australian property market is always balanced and constantly growing. So your return on investment will always be sustainable and full of potential.
• In Australia, usually after 7 years the median house price will double whether in a big or small city. Therefore, buying a house to settle in Australia or doing business in real estate will help you have long-term financial stability in the future.
• If you use your house as a corporate office, you will save a great deal of money for renting space.

Why you should invest in rental properties in Australia

Investing in rental housing in Australia will give you a secure return in the long run. House prices in Australia have always increased sharply in recent years due to the rental demand of busy young people. In particular, new immigrants will not be able to buy a house to settle in Australia , so renting a house is inevitable.

According to statistics at the end of 2018, Australian house prices when renting rose 1.7 per cent in Sydney and Canberra, 0.4 per cent in Hobart and 4.3 per cent in Melbourne.

When you want to come to Australia to study abroad, owning a rental house also helps you prove that you have secure financial resources for the study abroad process. In addition, you should refer to the article on conditions to study in Australia 2023 .

Conditions for buying a house in Australia

To buy a house to settle in Australia , you need to meet some mandatory requirements of the Australian Government such as:

• Only people who are permanent residents or Australian citizens are allowed to buy and name a home here. However, if you are not one of these two subjects, you can still buy a home in Australia by applying to the FIRB – Foreign Investment Review Board. As a customer of VEM, you will be supported with these procedures.
• You are only allowed to buy a house to live in instead of investing or doing business. This regulation applies to houses that have been built for a long time or have been inhabited.
• Before your application is accepted, you will need to commit to paying the fee in full. Fees will vary depending on the price of the home you buy.
• Investors must directly buy new houses that can be used for investment.
• Australian homebuyers must pay an additional transfer fee and this can vary from state to state. It is worth noting that foreigners buying houses in Australia will pay much higher fees to transfer names than Australian citizens.

Some experiences of buying and settling in Australia

Buying a house in Australia has a great influence on the chances of settling down as well as the future life of each person. So you need to pay attention to a few issues to be able to buy a home in Australia quickly and with the best quality:

• You should open a bank account in Australia first to assist with payments and ensure your home purchase is in compliance with the law.
• You need to thoroughly check everything in the house when it is handed over to make sure that the interior of the house is still in good condition. This will help you avoid costly repairs later on as well as the house not being as originally agreed.
• You need to contact the FIRB for a permit before you buy an Australian home to be able to legally buy a home.
• Research property prices around the area where you plan to buy a home to live in Australia to understand market prices.
• You should consider the traffic situation around the house you intend to buy to anticipate problems with traffic jams, flooding, etc.
• You need to consider the home purchase contract carefully, or you can ask a lawyer to buy an Australian home legally and ensure your rights.

The process of buying a house in Australia for foreigners

Foreigners buying a home in Australia need to follow a separate process required by the Government:

• Step 1: Find the right home

First, you need to find the type of home that suits your needs and abilities. Buying a house in Australia will usually have 2 types of houses and apartments (apartment).

• Step 2: Deposit

After choosing a house, you need to make a deposit for the seller to hold the place for you. Normally, the deposit cost will be from 5,000AUD (about 89,000,000VND).

• Step 3: Apply for a FIRB License

Foreigners who want to legally buy an Australian home need a permit from the FIRB (Foreign Investment Approval Board).

Currently, the fee to apply for this permit is AUD 5,700 (approximately VND 100,000,000) for properties valued at less than AUD 1,000,000 (VND 17,800,000,000) and AUD 11,500 (VND 205,000,000) for properties over AUD 1,000,000.

You can ask an attorney to assist you in applying for this permit. One thing to note is that each permit can only be used for one house. You will not be reimbursed for your permit fees if you change your mind about buying a home.

• Step 4: Sign the contract

After receiving the FIRB license, you will sign a house purchase contract and pay 10% of the contract value in advance (minus the deposit).

• Step 5: Borrow money to buy a house (if needed)

If you do not have the financial conditions, you can get a bank loan to buy a house in Australia. Foreigners can usually borrow up to 70% of the value of the property.

• Step 6: Payment

For existing apartments or houses, a deposit of 10% is required. Then will pay the remaining 90% to get the house. In addition, you also have to pay additional registration tax and a few other costs.

For buying land and building a house, you need to initially deposit 10% of the land value, and 5% for building a house. To receive land title you need to pay the remaining 90% of the land and related costs.

About 95% of the house construction contract value will be paid in turn according to the construction progress.

Amount needed to buy a house in Australia

Housing prices in Australia will vary depending on the area and the amenities in each home.

If you want to live right in the center of Sydney, the price of a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house will range from 3 to 5,000,000 AUD (53,000,000,000 to 88,000,000,000 VND).

You can also choose the suburbs of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane for less than 1,000,000AUD (17,000,000,000VND) for a 3-bedroom house. The house is still surrounded by full facilities such as schools, cafes, hospitals, …

If economic conditions do not allow, you can choose areas far from the city in Queensland, South Australia or Western Australia. House prices in Australia will only range from 400,000 to 500,000 AUD (7,000,000,000 to 9,000,000,000 VND) for a 3-bedroom apartment in these states.

You can view the information of the states in Australia  to make it easier to visualize the position of the states in this country.

To make it more convenient to consider housing prices, you can refer to some reputable websites to buy houses in Australia such as: property.com.au , Gumtree or realestate.com.au , …

To know more about the costs in the process of buying and selling real estate in Australia, you can see the section on the home buying process .

Method of real estate investment, buying a house in Australia

Real estate investment is the most important condition that you need to meet to apply for  a 188B investment visa . This is a potential investment path because the Australian property market is always in balance.

However, Australian law is quite complex. For real estate investment, buying a house in Australia to be guaranteed by law, you can look to VEM. We will guide you in detail and support you through the process of buying a house, investing in real estate.

When is the right time to buy a house to settle in Australia?

Vietnam’s economy in recent years is changing positively with the trend of global integration. The new economic policy has created favorable conditions for international investment, especially in the Australian market. In which, most investors are interested in the field of real estate.

To know when is the right time to buy an Australian settlement , you can go to VEM. Mr. Phong Cao (head of VEM) – a member of the Australian Immigration Institute will be the one to directly advise and guide you.