Residential properties a foreign person can buy
Types of residential property that a foreign person can buy in Australia include:
- a new or near-new dwelling
- an established dwelling to live in as your main residence where you are a temporary resident
- an established dwelling for redevelopment
- an off-the-plan property
- vacant residential land
- an established dwelling for a foreign company used to house its Australian based employees.
If you intend to buy a non-residential asset (including, commercial real estate, agricultural land, registrable water interest, business interest, mining production), see Steps to invest in Australian non-residential assets.
Types of dwellings
New or near-new dwelling is a dwelling that:
- will be, is being, or has been, built on residential land
- is part of a residential development
- was previously sold by the developer, but the transaction ultimately failed to settle
- has not been previously occupied for more than 12 months in total.
An established dwelling is an existing dwelling on residential land and is not a new dwelling as described above.
Vacant land is:
Land that has no substantive permanent building on it that:
- can be lawfully occupied by persons, goods, or livestock
- generally, has not previously had an established dwelling on it.
You can find more information about how to apply and the conditions for applying for different types of properties.