Figuring out if you can afford a home comes down to 3 key things:

1. Your income – how much you earn before tax.

2. Your expenses and debts – how much you’re already paying (e.g. food, utilities, phone and transport, plus any other loans, credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later goods).

3. Your deposit – the money you’ve saved toward a house (including your Kiwisaver).

If you want help calculating what you can afford and what repayments look like, feel free to get in touch. Most people are surprised to find they’re closer than they think.

Banks often require a 20% deposit, which means:

• For a $600,000 house, that’s $120,000

• For a $500,000 house, that’s $100,000

• For a $400,000 house, that’s $80,000

But the exact deposit needed depends on your income, credit score, and the lender. No need to guess — I can run the numbers with you, and see what options are out there.

If you’ve got less than a 20% deposit, you still have options. Some banks will accept a 10% deposit, or even 5% in certain situations. These low-deposit loans do come with a few trade-offs — like stricter lending criteria and something called a “low equity premium” (essentially an extra fee to protect the lender).

The exact deposit you’ll need depends on a few factors:

• ☑️ Your income and existing debts

• ☑️ How strong your overall application is

• ☑️ Whether you’re buying an existing home or building new

• ☑️ Your chosen bank’s lending rules (these vary)

This is where I can help. I work with multiple lenders and can help you find one that fits your situation — even if you don’t have a full 20% saved yet.

This depends on your income, debt, and deposit — but here’s a rough idea:

• A couple earning $120,000 combined may be able to borrow around $700,000–800,000

• A single person earning $80,000 might borrow about $450,000–550,000

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer — and online calculators can miss key details. I can give you a crystal-clear breakdown of your borrowing power based on real numbers from real lenders. No guesswork.