The best way to buy a home is through a mortgage, but there are plenty of options for those who don’t want to deal with the mortgage lender.

We look at the basics and explore how to get a mortgage.

Read moreA survey of 4,000 home buyers revealed the average first-time buyer expected to pay $1,000 less in rent, $400 less in mortgage repayments and $900 less in the first 10 years of owning a property than a buyer without a mortgage did.

The survey, carried out by mortgage broker Equitable and the Australian Institute of Housing Research, also found that first-timers with mortgage payments of $400 or more were more likely to stay in their home.

The survey also found the average buyer expected a $500 discount in property taxes when they applied for a mortgage compared to a non-mortgageer.

However, most buyers said they would be better off paying a fixed rate, rather than paying a rate that fluctuates based on how much they earn.

“This is because it’s not about the house price but about the income of the person paying the mortgage,” Equitable chief executive John Quigley said.

“The mortgage is the cost of the property, not the income.

It’s the cost to borrow the money and the income to repay the loan.”

The survey was carried out between July and September last year.

It found there were 8.7 million Australians who owned a home at some point in the past 12 months.

Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of those surveyed said they were in a home with a fixed-rate mortgage, while just over one in 10 said they had a variable rate mortgage.

A fixed rate mortgage is a monthly payment based on income, with the interest paid at a fixed amount each month.

Some of the top reasons for being in a fixed loan include: paying off debt, buying property, starting a business and getting a house to start with.

You may be eligible for a low-interest rate loan from the Reserve Bank, which is paid to borrowers at the rate of 1.5 per cent on a fixed repayment of $1 million.

Another option for a variable-rate loan is to borrow money through a variable mortgage company like Home Capital.

These are usually lower-interest rates and have a longer term than fixed-rates loans.

If you’re looking for a new home, you may want to consider a property with a shorter term.

Renting a property on a longer-term basis is the way to go.

There are some savings for a first-home buyer, however, if they are willing to take on a deposit of $500 or more and pay down their home mortgage debt in a number of years.

Here are some tips to get you started: Get a mortgage from a property lender.

Check with your mortgage provider to make sure the rate you are looking at is the right one for you.

Choose a rate based on the size of your household.

Apply for a property that is affordable.

Talk to your mortgage broker to understand the costs and benefits of various options.

Make sure you can afford to pay off your mortgage early.

Be prepared to pay more if the rate is more than your monthly income.

Find out about interest rates from Equitable.

Contact Equitable if you need help.

This is an article from The Conversation, a nonprofit media company that covers issues related to media and society.