To help improve housing affordability in NSW, the NSW Government  implemented a package to assist first home buyers getting into the market.

This package offers first home buyers stamp duty exemptions and reductions as well as grants for those building or buying new homes.

First home buyers will be eligible for:

• No payment of stamp duty for homes valued up to $650,000
• Reduction in stamp duty for homes between $650,000 and $800,000
• $10,000 grant for those building new homes up to $750,000 or purchasing new homes up to $600,000
• No insurance duty on lenders’ mortgage insurance

First home buyers will not pay stamp duty on vacant land up to $350,000 and concessions for vacant land from $350,000 to $450,000.

The package is also committed to boosting the supply of homes and speeding up the development application and approval process.

Foreign investors will adversely pay higher duties and land taxes while investors will no longer be able to defer stamp duty payments on off the plan purchases.

These grants and changes took effect from 1^st July 2017 and have already saved first home buyers over $1 billion dollars, or around $15,000 each*.

Conditions and eligibility criteria apply. To find out more go to https://www.nsw.gov.au/improving-nsw/projects-and-initiatives/first-home-buyers/ or visit the Department of State Revenue

_{*According to this news article}