B
- Buyers advocate
- Another name for a buyers agent. Consumer Affairs Victoria uses both terms for the same role.
- Buyers agent
- A licensed estate agent who acts for the buyer, not the seller, and is paid by the buyer. Also called a buyers advocate. Learn more →
C
- Capital gains tax (CGT)
- Tax on the profit when you sell an asset, such as an investment property, for more than its cost base. Learn more →
- Capital growth
- The rise in a property's value over time, separate from the rent it earns. Learn more →
- Cashflow
- The rent a property earns minus all its costs, including loan interest. Positive cashflow means the rent covers the costs. Learn more →
- Comparative market analysis (CMA)
- An estimate of a property's value based on recent sales of similar properties nearby.
- Conveyancing
- The legal work that transfers a property from seller to buyer, done by a conveyancer or solicitor. Learn more →
- Cooling-off period
- A short period after signing a contract when a buyer may be able to withdraw, usually for a cost. Rules and exceptions, such as auctions, vary by state.
- Cost base indexation
- Adjusting a property's purchase cost for inflation, so capital gains tax applies to the real gain. It replaces the 50% CGT discount for gains from 1 July 2027. Learn more →
D
- Depreciation
- A tax deduction for the decline in value of a building and its fittings. Rules differ for new and previously used assets.
- Due diligence
- The checks done before buying: price, title, zoning, risks, building condition and the numbers. Learn more →
E
- Equity
- The part of a property you own outright: its value minus what you owe on it. Learn more →
G
- Gross rental yield
- A year's rent as a percentage of the property price, before costs. Learn more →
L
- Land tax
- A yearly state tax on the value of land you own, usually not charged on your own home. Thresholds differ by state.
- Lenders mortgage insurance (LMI)
- Insurance that protects the lender, often charged when you borrow a high share of the property's value. Learn more →
- Limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA)
- A loan an SMSF uses to buy an asset. Since 10 August 2026 new LRBAs over real property must be for business real property. Learn more →
- Loan to value ratio (LVR)
- The amount you borrow as a percentage of the property's value. Learn more →
N
- Negative gearing
- When a property's costs are more than its rent, giving a loss. From 1 July 2027 the rules depend on when you bought and whether it is a new build. Learn more →
- Net rental yield
- A year's rent minus the property's yearly costs, as a percentage of the price. Learn more →
O
- Off-market property
- A property sold without public advertising, often through agent networks.
- Offset account
- A transaction account linked to a home loan; its balance reduces the loan amount that interest is charged on.
P
- Pre-approval
- A lender's conditional indication of how much it may lend. It is not final approval. Learn more →
- Pre-market property
- A property offered to buyers before it is advertised publicly.
R
- Rentvesting
- Renting the home you live in while owning an investment property elsewhere. Learn more →
S
- Settlement
- The day ownership transfers and the balance of the price is paid.
- Stamp duty
- A state tax on buying property, also called transfer duty. Each state sets its own rates. Learn more →
- Strata
- Shared ownership of a building, such as apartments or townhouses, run by an owners corporation that charges levies.
V
- Vacancy rate
- The share of rental properties in an area that are empty and available to rent.
