First Home Buyers, you're in the right place.

Filling in our online application gives us enough information to have a good chat about what you're wanting to achieve, and focus on the stuff that's important to you. In a nutshell, we'll meet with you to discuss next steps, answer any questions and once you're ready, we'll submit an application for pre-approval to the bank on your behalf.

Once you're pre-approved, you'll be in a strong position to hit up all the open homes your heart desires! We'll be just a phone call or email away to answer any questions you have, or to put any properties you're interested in under the microscope and give our thoughts on it. We can also help with all the due diligence like arranging building inspections and valuations, and looking over the LIM report.

Eventually when you find the one, we'll walk you through the process of purchasing. Then we arrange your finance, negotiate a sweet deal with the bank and structure your mortgage in a way that works for you.

A mortgage is a long-term debt and we're with you for the long-haul. We'll remind you when your mortgage comes up for renewal and continue to make sure you're getting the best rates on offer.

If you're a first home buyer you can withdraw KiwiSaver contributions made by you and your employer to use as a deposit towards your new home if you meet these conditions:

• have been a KiwiSaver scheme member for at least three years;
• be planning to live in the house for at least six months, and
• be buying your first home.

Have a read of this article for everything you need to know about using your KiwiSaver.

It normally takes less than three days to arrange finance but it pays to get organised ahead of time. Every now and then, the banks can be a bit slow, especially if the mortgage is over 80% of the property’s value. So, if you are borrowing over 80%, allow for 5-7 working days to get an approval. Bottom line is, the earlier you talk to us and get things rolling the easier it’ll be for all.

You normally agree to pay the deposit once the sale goes unconditional. Occasionally real estate agents ask for the deposit upfront but this isn’t all that common.

Although it is best to pay the deposit on the day you go unconditional, this is often not possible because of the amount of paperwork required to get temporary facilities in place. If this is the case, you can go unconditional and just let the agent know that the deposit will be paid within 48 hours.

Always check with your solicitor – you have three working days from being served notice (by the vendor’s solicitor) to pay the deposit. This means you have at least three working days from going unconditional to pay it. That’s enough time to search through a few couches – or set up alternative arrangements.

Remember: The KiwiSaver rules changed recently to allow the early release of funds to be used as a deposit. This needs to be managed through your solicitor and is worth getting underway as early as possible.

We've put together an A-Z of what every potential first home buyer needs to know.

The ideal amount is 20% of the value of the property, but the reality is it can be possible to buy with as little as 10%. In some cases, if you're in a strong financial position, we can work with as little as 5% deposit using Launchpad, our very own first home loan designed to help high income earners into home ownership faster.

Squirrel have developed a unique lending product called Launchpad that allows some buyers with high income to purchase their first home with as little as 5% deposit. To see if you meet the criteria, head to the Launchpad page.

If you're struggling to save, check out our high interest on-call account to grow those savings faster!