First Home Buyers, you're in the right place.
Stressing about buying your first home? You're not alone. We've helped thousands of kiwi into their first homes and we can help you too. In fact, there's never been a better time to be a first home buyer.
We'll arm you with all the info you need, help you steer clear of the traps and sort you out with the best possible deal from the bank.
How much can I borrow for a house?
Tell us a little about your financial situation and we'll work out how much you could borrow towards purchasing a home.
We're here to guide you through the process
We've put together a handy First Home Buyers Guide with answers to questions you probably haven't come up with yet.
- If a low deposit is your biggest hurdle, don't worry, we've also got a guide to getting a mortgage with a low deposit to help you figure out your options.
- We've built our entire business around making sure the house buying process runs as smoothly as possible for you, from saving for a deposit to getting the best mortgage rates - leaving you to get on with the fun stuff, like planning your first BBQ.
- Heard about Launchpad, the home loan for first home buyers with high income and low deposit? See if you qualify here.
We know house buying inside out and arrange a whopping $2.6 billion of home loans every year, helping tons of kiwis in the process.
So what does a Squirrel mortgage broker do?
We do a lot more than negotiate a good deal with the bank. Here's a snapshot of what we'll do for you:
- Help you figure out how much you can afford to borrow
- Work out where to buy your first home
- Access property reports on potential homes
- Help arrange inspections and valuations
- Look over your LIM, Sale and Purchase agreement and building inspection reports (those things are loaded with jargon which we can translate for you)
- Get you a great deal from the bank and the best structure for your mortgage
- We're just an email or phone call away if you get stuck with something. No question is a stupid question in our books.
If you're still unsure about why a mortgage broker is the way to go, find out more about what we do here.
Don't know where to begin? Book a chat with us.
Sometimes it's easier to just chat through everything with someone who knows the answers. Luckily, we can help. Choose a time in our diary and one of our team will give you a call. Easy!
Some tips before you get started
We've been around the block a few times, here's our advice to get you prepped:
We've been around the block a few times, here's our advice to get you prepped:
Get your ducks in a row so you can jump on the right deal
If you’ve got all the legal and financial stuff sorted early you’ll get in first on the great properties. Almost makes you feel sorry for everyone else. Almost. Tip: we can help you with this.
Don't settle for any old mortgage
A mortgage is a huge sum of money, which means squeezing what feels like loose change out of your bank can save you thousands of bucks in the long run. Seriously. Get your mortgage right and it's the easiest money you'll make.
The banks will do anything to make you choose them
Don’t fall for their free-tv-cash-back-free-groceries-for-a-year trickery – get the right mortgage, and you’ll be able to buy your own TV. Our advisers aren't incentivised to put one provider's loan over another including our own, so their only motivation is to make you better off.
Want more tips? Get our guide to buying your first home
We've popped together tons of information and our top tips to help you get onto the property ladder. It's all in one easy-to-read PDF guide, which you can get sent straight to your email inbox.
We have access to all the banks
Ready to get the ball rolling?
Our online application is designed to help us get to know you faster, so we can focus our time on the stuff that's most important to you.
Hear from JB (founder of Squirrel) about what NOT to do.
(ft Jack, the dog).
JB goes over the ten mistakes most common to first home buyers and how you can avoid them.
Do the research before you start looking at houses
How much can I borrow?
It's usually the first thing to figure out, so you have a realistic idea of what house you're going for, what area and what kind of houses are in your price range. Our handy dandy calculator will help figure this out for you.
How to use your KiwiSaver
Most first home buyers will use their KiwiSaver as part of the deposit. But how does it work and how do you get it out? Here's everything you need to know.
Getting your deposit together
The bigger your house deposit the better. 20% is the goal but before you lose hope, there are options. On top of KiwiSaver, there are solutions to help you make up that 20%. And if your savings need a boost, we've got products to help grow your money faster too.
Mortgage rates aren't everything
When it comes to hundreds of thousands of dollars, a fraction of a percent change in interest or repayments can save you a packet. Having said that, chasing short-term savings doesn't always work for everyone. We can help you make the right choice.
Get schooled on everything property
We have tons of blogs just for you, young home buyer. Arm yourself with all the knowledge you can so you've got the edge above your competition.
NZ property market update - June 2025
With interest rates just a fraction from the bottom, things on the home front (particularly in the South Island) are starting to look up. But overseas, there's a whole raft of factors playing out causing uncertainty and volatility over the future of longer-term interest rates. Here's the latest on interest rates, house prices, and the domestic and global economy.
Flatmates wanted: Everything you need to know about the new flatmate rules for first home buyers
Getting a flatmate in can be a really smart move for a first home buyer—both giving you extra cash in the back to help cover your mortgage repayments, and significantly increasing your borrowing power. And new rule changes across a number of major NZ lenders just made the process a whole lot easier. Here's what you need to know.
How saving with Squirrel could get you into your first home faster
If you've been working hard to get to that 20% house deposit, you'll want to make sure your savings are working as hard as possible, to get you into your first home even faster.
FAQs
When it comes to buying a house, there are so many things to think about. We've answered a few questions you may have on your mind.
Don’t just take our word for it
CJ
New Zealand
Dealing with Brad was excellent; he has provided great advice, he is a clear communicator, and has saved us money. We are already working on another refinance with Brad. Cheers Brad/Squirrel!
Richard C
New Zealand
Responsiveness and knowledgeable!
Dan Clark
New Zealand
Awesome service from Kat McInnes. Nothing was a problem and Kat handled everything very efficiently and always friendly!
Troy
New Zealand
My partner and I were looking to purchase our first home, we had no idea what we were doing and the amount of information we were accessing seemed very overwhelming. We made some enquiries about brokers, made an website and were put in touch with Basil. He simplified the process right down for us, was available every step of the way and after a number of false starts, we moved into our new home yesterday. Couldn't recommend these guys more. Especially Basil, who I am now referring to anyone who I know is looking to start their home ownership journey.