Building Your First Home in Queensland: The Complete Guide

Updated October 2026.

If you’re building your first home in Queensland and asking “where do we even start?”, start with the money, because the numbers are better than most people expect. At the time of writing (October 2026):

• $30,000 First Home Owner Grant for an eligible new home, where the home and land together are valued at less than $750,000 (Queensland Revenue Office).
• No transfer duty (stamp duty) for eligible first home buyers on a new home, or on vacant land you build your first home on, for contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, with no value cap (Queensland Revenue Office).
• A 5% deposit with no lenders mortgage insurance through the Australian Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme (firsthomebuyers.gov.au).

This guide walks through the grants first, then each step of building your first home, from deposit to handover, and how Emerald Developments makes it simpler. Got a quick question? Our building FAQs cover the most common ones.

First home grants and stamp duty in Queensland (October 2026)

The $30,000 First Home Owner Grant

The Queensland Government pays $30,000 towards a new home for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023. The home and land must be valued at less than $750,000, including the land and any changes to the contract. At least one applicant must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, aged 18 or over, and you must move in within one year and live there for six months straight. The full rules are on the Queensland Revenue Office eligibility page.

No stamp duty on a new first home

Stamp duty is called transfer duty in Queensland. For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, eligible first home buyers pay no transfer duty on a new home, and there is no value cap (first home (new home) concession). Buying a block to build on? The first home vacant land concession also means no duty on the residential land, as long as you build your first home on it and move in within two years of settlement. That deadline cannot be extended, which is one more reason to choose a builder with clear build times.

The 5% Deposit Scheme

The Australian Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme (formerly the Home Guarantee Scheme) lets first home buyers borrow with a 5% deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. In Queensland the property price cap is $1,000,000 in the capital city and regional centres, and $700,000 elsewhere (property price caps). Use the scheme’s postcode search to confirm which cap applies to your block.

How much deposit do you need to build your first home?

Start with a budget, so you know what you can spend before you fall in love with a design. Your deposit depends on the home and on your lender, but 5% is the usual minimum. On a $595,000 home, that’s $29,750. A bigger deposit makes it easier to get a loan approved, and with 20% you avoid lenders mortgage insurance even without the scheme.

Our advice: talk to a mortgage broker early. They can tell you what you can borrow, and whether the grant and the 5% Deposit Scheme fit your situation. Remember to leave room for the extras a builder doesn’t usually include, such as a pool, driveway, fencing and landscaping.

Step 1: Choose land, or a house and land package

A house and land package pairs a block with a home design that suits it, so the hard part of finding land that fits your home is already done. It also makes the numbers clearer from the start, because you can see the land and the build together. See our current house and land packages across Moreton Bay and Brisbane’s north.

Step 2: Choose your home design

Now for the exciting part. Do you want a single storey or a highset home? Open plan or a separate media room? Walking through a display home is the quickest way to find out what you actually like, because a room you stand in tells you more than a floor plan ever will. Then browse our home designs, and if none is quite right, our team can customise one to make it yours.

Step 3: Sign your building contract

Your building contract sets out the home, the price, the timeframe and how you pay. At this stage you’ll also sign your loan documents with your lender or broker, and a solicitor or conveyancer will settle the land if you’re buying a block.

Step 4: Pre-construction, 8 to 12 weeks (the work before the work)

Before anyone digs a hole, there’s a lot to organise: colour selections, soil testing and engineering, estate covenant approval, working drawings, building approval and insurance. At Emerald Developments this takes 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the project. The things that slow it down are requests for extra pricing, plan changes, waiting on outside providers and finance documents, so settling your decisions before you sign keeps it on track.

Step 5: The build, 17 to 24 weeks on average

On site, our lowset homes average 17 to 19 weeks, and highset and acreage homes 22 to 24 weeks. You don’t pay the whole price up front: you pay in stages as the build reaches each one (deposit, base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion). Your contract sets the amount for each stage, and your lender pays it as the stage is reached. Read more in our guide to how long it takes to build a house in Queensland.

Step 6: Inspection and handover

When the build is finished, you’ll walk through the home with us at a Practical Completion Inspection, so anything that needs attention is picked up before you move in. Handover is about three weeks after that. All up, from the start of pre-construction to handover is usually about six and a half to nine months.

Building your first home with Emerald Developments

Emerald Developments builds custom homes, house and land packages and knockdown rebuilds across South East Queensland, from Brisbane’s north to Palmview. Our Casa Del Sol display home won Display Home $550,000 to $700,000 at the 2025 HIA Queensland Housing Awards, and we hold a 4.8-star Google rating.

Once your build starts, your Site Supervisor focuses on getting your home through to handover as efficiently as possible, and our office team sends you weekly updates with photos, so you always know where your first home is up to. Design Your Lifestyle, then watch it come together.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the First Home Owner Grant in Queensland?

$30,000 for an eligible new home on a contract signed on or after 20 November 2023, where the home and land are valued at less than $750,000 (Queensland Revenue Office, October 2026).

Do first home buyers pay stamp duty on a new home in Queensland?

No. For contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, eligible first home buyers pay no transfer duty on a new home or on vacant land they build their first home on, with no value cap (Queensland Revenue Office).

How much deposit do I need to build my first home?

Usually at least 5%. Through the Australian Government’s 5% Deposit Scheme you can build with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, under the price cap for your area.

How long does it take to build your first home?

With Emerald, pre-construction takes 8 to 12 weeks, lowset homes average 17 to 19 weeks on site, and handover is about three weeks after completion, so about six and a half to nine months all up.

More answers are on our building FAQs page. If you’re weighing up your first home, our team can walk you through the designs and put you in touch with our recommended broker for the numbers. Book a consultation or visit one of our display homes.

This guide is general information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check the government pages linked above and speak with a licensed mortgage broker or financial adviser about your own situation.