What is the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS)?

Australia’s Sunshine State has always been famous for its warm climate, stunning beaches, and laid-back charm. A favourite destination for holiday-makers, these days it’s not just the getaway to Noosa or snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef that’s got people from other states talking — it’s that Queensland is now one of the country’s hottest property markets too.

As 2020 forced a reappraisal of what’s important in our lives, a noticeable migration began—from the busy and crowded inner suburbs to towns and neighbourhoods where the pace of life feels, well, a little slower.

Last year was a tough one for property investors with international migration halted, the economy in freefall, and general uncertainty. It was a perfect storm of bad news. But in 2021, there are signs that the weather is improving as investor confidence rebounds.

When life gives you lemons, the saying goes, you make lemonade. With its lockdowns and lost opportunities, 2020 was undeniably a lemon — but for many first homebuyers, government stimulus and a short pause in a booming property market meant that first toehold on the home ownership ladder was made all the sweeter.