Three routes are common. You sell first and buy with the proceeds, you use a bridging loan to buy before selling, or you keep the current home as an investment and buy the next one using its equity.

The third option appeals in Logan more than in most markets, because rental demand across the LGA is structural rather than seasonal and the numbers often stack. It requires servicing both loans, so borrowing capacity rather than equity is usually the constraint.

Families moving from Woodridge, Kingston or Marsden into Daisy Hill, Shailer Park or Cornubia are the most common upsizing path we see, and the price gap between those two tiers is what dictates which route works.

We model all three against your actual position before you list or make an offer. See the bridging loans page or call 1800 774 756.

Usually not, if you have owned for a few years. Equity from the sale typically covers the deposit on the next purchase, and the real constraint is servicing the larger loan rather than finding the deposit.

Where a fresh deposit does come into it is keeping the existing home as an investment. In that case you draw a deposit from its equity as a separate split, which keeps the investment-related interest cleanly identifiable for your accountant. Getting that structure wrong at the start creates a mixed-purpose loan that is awkward and costly to unpick later.

Transfer duty applies on the new purchase at standard rates, since first home concessions no longer apply, and that is often the largest single cost people forget to budget.

Estimate it with our stamp duty calculator.

Borrowing capacity is reassessed from scratch, and a lot changes between your first purchase and your second. A second child, a move to one income, childcare fees, a car loan and a higher rate buffer all pull the number down at the same time as you want it to go up.

The spread between lenders is wide here. Treatment of childcare costs, overtime, bonuses and existing rental income differs enough that two lenders can land six figures apart on identical figures.

Logan households often carry shift-based or variable income, which widens that spread further and makes lender choice the deciding factor rather than a detail.

Run a rough figure with the borrowing power calculator, then let us check it against specific lender policies before you commit to anything.

Sometimes, and it is worth testing before you sell. Keeping the property means you retain an asset in a market with consistent tenant demand, and rental income supports servicing on the new loan at most lenders.

The obstacles are servicing and structure. You need capacity for both loans after the lender applies its buffer, and the existing loan should be restructured properly so interest on the investment portion stays deductible. Doing this after the fact is far harder than doing it upfront.

Consider the property honestly too. A home that suited you as owners is not automatically a good rental, and lenders discount appraised rent by a margin in any case.

See the investment loans page, or read our guide to the best suburbs for investors in Logan.