The deposit decision
When does waiting for 20% actually pay you back?
A larger deposit lowers the loan and weekly cost. But it also keeps more of your cash tied up before settlement. The useful question is how long that trade takes to turn.
Run your own property numbersWhat the number means
The 20% deposit wins—but not immediately.
In this example, moving from the eligible 5% pathway to a 20% deposit requires about $135,000 more at settlement and reduces the estimated ownership cost by about $184 a week. Dividing the extra cash by that weekly saving produces a simple break-even of approximately 14.1 years.
This is a cash comparison, not personal advice. It does not value what the additional deposit could earn elsewhere and assumes you can fund either option. Eligibility, borrowing capacity, lender approval, rates and costs can change the result.
Compare your scenario in BidReady