Thanks Karen,

That paints an interesting picture from my perspective. It sounds as if its a reasonable thing to rent a home and purchase a rental thereby taking advantage a negative gearing (if you setup the rental in that way). Is that the case?

In terms of the first home purchase grant, this would be a first home purchased IN AUSTRALIA, correct? And to that end, I and my family are coming over on a 457 visa--how long will I need to be in country before trying to convert that to a permanent visa?

Thanks again for all your answers--this site is fantastic!

Ric

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With best regards,
Ric & Martha