<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Applications for first </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/home-loans" rel="" target="_blank" title="home buyer loans"><span>home buyer loans</span></a><span> rose by nearly seven per cent in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="_blank" title="Australia"><span>Australia</span></a><span>, the sharpest rise since 2023, according to new data.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A new five per cent deposit scheme and the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/federal-politics" rel="" target="_blank" title="federal government's"><span>federal government's</span></a><span> Help to Buy scheme saw nearly 32,000 first home buyer loans in the December quarter, the largest rise since 2023, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This also saw their value increase by 15.5 per cent.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>BREAKING NEWS: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/angus-taylor-quits-sussan-ley-leadership-challenge-countdown-begins/ebf401ed-3a38-49b4-9cb3-38af38c8b8b7" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Liberal leadership spill confirmed ahead of urgent partyroom meeting</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Head of finance stats at the ABS, Dr Mish Tan, said buyers in one state were driving the changes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The size of the average first home buyer loan rose by a record 8.5 per cent to $607,624 this quarter and was largely driven by first home buyers in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/new-south-wales" rel="" target="_blank" title="NSW"><span>NSW</span></a><span>," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/government" rel="" target="_blank" title="Australian Government"><span>Australian Government</span></a><span> 5% Deposit Scheme has increased the eligibility criteria for first home buyers and we are seeing the early effects of this in our data."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australia-first-home-buyer-loans/1fd19b39-e67f-42c2-b7d6-791c3e91e614" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/parking-fine-south-maroubra-beach-car-park-exclusive/4419ab40-a5b5-42c0-9253-aaf08e201eec" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Phil parked between two white lines but still copped a $140 fine</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>First home buyer loans in New South Wales grew by nearly 11 per cent, with </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/western-australia" rel="" target="" title="Western Australia"><span>Western Australia</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/queensland" rel="" target="_blank" title="Queensland"><span>Queensland</span></a><span> also having rises of 9.8 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The only state that saw falls in this area was </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/tasmania" rel="" target="_blank" title="Tasmania"><span>Tasmania</span></a><span>, with first home buyer loan applications dropping by 1.9 per cent.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There were also over 60,000 new investment loans approved in the same time frame, a rise of 5.5 per cent compared to the last quarter and a 23.6 per cent rise compared to the same time period last year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The total value of these loans was $43 billion, a rise of $3.2 billion.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></strong></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><p><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here 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