🏡 First Home Buyer Readiness Calculator

🏡 Discover Your Real Position

Most first-home buyers are guessing. You deserve to know your real numbers.

Enter your details below to discover:

✓ Your maximum potential borrowing amount
✓ Your maximum potential purchase price
✓ Your home readiness score based on your target purchase price
✓ Your next best step

This is Step 1 of The Home Ready Method — and it takes just 30 seconds.

No judgment. No pressure. Just clarity.

Your details

Fill in the highlighted boxes. The score is based on the property price you would like to buy at — not just your theoretical maximum.

Highlighted gold boxes are the fields to complete.

1 Target property

Property price you would like to buy at

This is used to calculate your target loan, target LVR, deposit gap, and readiness score.

2 Applicants

Applicant 1 age

Applicant 2 age

Leave as 0 if no second applicant.

Number of dependants

3 Annual gross income

Applicant 1 salary/wages

Applicant 2 salary/wages

Applicant 1 business/self-employed income

Applicant 2 business/self-employed income

Applicant 1 overtime/allowances/commission

Applicant 2 overtime/allowances/commission

Boarder income / flatmate income - annual amount used for assessment

4 KiwiSaver

Applicant 1 employee KiwiSaver rate

Applicant 2 employee KiwiSaver rate

Applicant 1 self-employed KiwiSaver per month

Applicant 2 self-employed KiwiSaver per month

5 Monthly living expenses

Food and groceries

Utilities: power, gas, internet, phone

Transport / vehicle running costs

Clothing

Childcare costs

Tithing / giving

Support for family members

Personal insurance

Car insurance

Contents insurance

Private school / education

Proposed council rates

Proposed home insurance

Other regular monthly expenses

6 Debts

Credit card limit

Assessed at 3% of the card limit as a monthly expense.

Car loan balance

Car loan monthly payment

Personal loan balance

Personal loan monthly payment

7 Deposit

Applicant 1 deposit available

Applicant 2 deposit available

Joint / gifted / other deposit funds

Important: This calculator is an estimate only and is not a loan approval or financial advice. Lender policy, tax codes, student loans, child support, credit history, income evidence, property type, deposit source, and changing interest rates can materially affect your result. Please speak with a mortgage adviser before making an offer on a property.

Target readiness score

0/100

Calculating...

Your estimate

Target purchase price
$0
Your score is measured against this target.

Maximum potential borrowing

Based on monthly surplus, assessment rate, and age-adjusted loan term.

Estimated maximum purchase price

Includes your total deposit and applies the 5% minimum deposit rule.

Target loan needed

Target LVR

Total usable deposit

Minimum 5% deposit required

Monthly surplus after mortgage

Based on the mortgage payment for your target purchase price.

Monthly surplus before mortgage

Age-adjusted loan term

0 yrs

Your next best step

Enter your details to see your next step.

What Happens Next?

You've just completed Step 1 of The Home Ready Method — and that's the hardest part.

Most first-home buyers never get this far. You're already ahead.

Here's what to do with your results:

✓ See where you actually stand — No more guessing, just real numbers
✓ Understand your purchase price gap — If you have one, you'll see exactly how to close it
✓ Get your personalized next step — Based on your specific situation

Ready to move to Step 2?

Chat with Lucy, our AI First Home Buyer Assistant, to learn more about buying your first home in New Zealand.

No email required. No judgment. No pressure. Just clarity.

Or book a free 30-minute clarity call with Andre to confirm your numbers and map out your complete roadmap — Step 2 of The Home Ready Method.

Chat with Lucy, Your AI First Home Buyer Assistant Book Your FREE 30-Minute Clarity Call

How your readiness score is calculated

Target affordability: the biggest part of your score. It checks whether your maximum potential borrowing can cover the loan needed for your target property price.
Monthly servicing: whether your income and expenses leave enough room for the target mortgage payment plus the required surplus.
Deposit position: whether your deposit is at least 5% of your target price, with stronger scores at 10% and 20%.
Debt and expense pressure: credit card limits, loans, dependants, and living costs reduce the score.

As applicant age increases, the available loan term may reduce. This can reduce maximum borrowing and therefore reduce the target readiness score.

Calculation assumptions

Assessment rate: 6.95%
Maximum loan term: 30 years
Loan term capped so the oldest applicant is not older than 75 at the end of the term.
Minimum deposit rule: 5% of the purchase price.
Credit card limits assessed at 3% per month.
Required surplus: $100 per month if LVR is 80% or lower; $400 per month if LVR is above 80%.

The Home Ready Method Roadmap

You've just completed Step 1: Discover Your Position ✅

Here's what the rest of the journey looks like:

Step 2: Build Your Plan

This is what we're going to do next.

Create your personalized roadmap
Set clear milestones
Identify your fastest path to ready

Step 3: Optimize Your Strategy

This is where you speed things up.

KiwiSaver optimization
First Home Loan eligibility
Debt reduction strategies
Savings acceleration

Step 4: Track Your Progress

This is where you stay on track.

Regular check-ins
Milestone celebrations
Adjustments as needed
Accountability and support

Step 5: Get Your Keys

This is where Andre takes over.

Mortgage application
Property buying support
Optimal loan structure
Settlement and beyond

You're not alone in this. The Home Ready Method gives you a clear roadmap from where you are now to getting your keys.

🏡 Discover Your Real Position

Your details

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