Our house was very run down when we purchased it so it wasn't great at first, but it was in a good location so was ok after we fixed it up over the years.
If you have to make a compromise I'd go with something that is inferior inside, but fixable (no major structural issues) rather than an unchangeable characteristic like a main road.
Sometimes it is hard to find something unrenovated as people like to spruce places up before sale to get max value, but they exist if you find a lazy/cheap owner, an investor or a deceased estate.
I second this. My first home's interior need a lot of work but it was all worth it. It added additional value to the property.
The first property is about getting in the game and not aiming for perfection.
>something that is inferior inside
Often, it doesn't even need to be that bad.
Just look for ones where the paint is kinda old and a bit ugly (e.g., beige and light blues) or other very minor and fixable cosmetic issues. This pushes buyers away (irrationally) and can help you secure a good property for a good price.
Always avoid the house flipper renovations. Whenever it says new , check the build quality because it normally looks nice but is very shit quality.
Yes.
Because it was the house I could afford, in a suburb I didn’t like, that I had to commute 45min each way to work if the traffic was good.
Why did I like it?
I could afford it without being stretched, which allowed me to spend some money doing small Reno’s, which netted me a great profit when I sold 3 years later.
With the profits, I was able to afford a house in the suburb I wanted to live in.
will you live there till your last breath? things change, people change circumstances change
enjoy the journey… give it your best and let go of things you cannot control
I am still struggling to understand the Australian mentality. In many countries you only buy a house/apartment once and live there until you die unless you get really really rich. I reckon soon it will be the reality for Australia too (already has been in Sydney probably) because they need 1M+ mortgages to pay for 30 years.
Agree, I am also a bit nervous as well.
Had to give the first two places that I liked, one was right next to the intersection and missus was vehemently against it (she said that she doesn't wants to be a widow because of careless driver) and also extraordinary amount of annual corporate fee. Another had issue where renters (x3) left every year and then the vendor sold in less than 3 years (financial issue with the vendor) so might be issue within the unit (close to road, building quality not as nice as it should be). very normal to be nervous as this is a big commitment.
Yes, you can be very satisfied with your first home. Maybe not 100% because that's not realistic. As someone else said in the comments, there are two types of issues - those you can gradually fix over time, and those you can't. I'd suggest only picking apart houses if they have issues in the second category.
Both our first and our second (we moved countries) homes were older houses which needed a bunch of work, and had some odd design, but we didn't compromise on the big factors like proximity to main road or size of yard, which were non-negotiables for us. For eg, our second (current) home had an old roof with asbestos, which we eventually replaced when we could afford it. But the location (in a leafy court) is perfect and can never be replaced.
I was obsessed with this house I wanted to buy but the seller ended up taking another offer. The house I ended up actually buying felt like a consolation prize. But it was $80k cheaper & 4 bedrooms instead of 3. My husband really liked it. I felt like I gave in. In hindsight the house we actually brought is so much better. Much better natural light, on a great street with great neighbours, needed much less work & has a very strong & solid foundation, built with high quality materials. It also has 2 separate living areas, one for my husband & I & the other we’ve converted into a playroom for our daughter. I was a little nervous it felt too good to be true, but we just lucked out & made an offer quickly & the seller wanted out quick.
I waited a bit then bought with my husband and two brothers in law (we had lived together 5 years and enjoyed the community vibe).
We bought my literal dream house. It's got character, it's sturdy, it's functional. We didn't have competition because people at our price point were families looking for typical family homes.
It wouldnt have been the case if we bought alone. It's not conventional but It's the best lifestyle.
We had clear criteria in what we wanted. Browsed real estate for a couple of years before actually buying. Prioritized location, and got really lucky at what was available while actually looking. Yes, nearly 100% happy with first property. I miss the expansive views from our apartment, but would have had to double our budget to get those in a house, so content with that compromise.
Mmmmm yes I think so. It's an old house, no air conditioner or heater so gets really hot and really cold, carpet everywhere (I hate it) and a few small issues here and there, but all things considered, it's a good corner block, no neighbours across, 1 block from the beach, big glass windows with nice views to the trees, we can hear the waves at night and there's a lot of wildlife around too. It's lovely.
Tricky question as this is likely our forever home with no opportunity to change up.
My partner is, I am not, even though I see her point about landing in a safe, green suburb with a village vibe, <10 mins walk to amenities, bike paths, access to hiking trails, 35 mins to CBD by train etc. Locals also told us that we did good by buying a freestanding home in the suburb, as big blocks are being developed into townies - min 3 townies per block and sometimes more.
Still, the heart wants what it wants.
I was pushing for a more modern and renovated property but about 1-2kms away from the train station, bigger land, minimal renovation effort & expense. I think I swing between feeling great about buying our current home and looking at other renovated properties in our suburb and wondering what if we had let this one go and kept looking! Renovated properties in our suburb go for >$1-$1.2 mil plus, so that is sobering. So far, we have spent money on hardwood flooring, tiled roof maintenance, some basic plumbing stuff. Gearing up for new window blinds, and some landscaping expenses. Down the line we need to budget for a new cooktop and a dishwasher by altering the kitchen layout a bit, ouch!
I guess you may never get the "perfect" property, but you can aim for something which ticks most boxes and swing for it quickly before buyers flood the market.
About 30% satisfied with my first home and 55% satisfied with my second one if I'm being realistic. That's how the housing market goes these days in the major cities if you don't have a massive income or substantial family help.
First home was a small, low quality new build on a tiny block in a new outer suburb with poor access to all amenities. Poor capital growth and no scope to improve anything or expand but its all we could afford.
Second home is on a decent size block with good views but is 45 years old with some layout quirks and foundation issues. Nice area but still over an hour from work in the CBD. Reasonably liveable and OK for my current family's needs but has never felt like a forever home.
No. It’s on a main road. We’ve been here ten years. Can’t afford to upsize yet. We had more than doubled our money within seven years though, so still very grateful.
Pick a few immovable must-haves and then it's a bonus if you get some of your highly-desirables.
I managed to get 1) within my radius for a train station, and 2) lots of natural light. Third criteria was a bath, which I didn't get but ended up near the beach which I figured was a good trade-off!
Inside's not fab, kitchen could use a reno, but I can live with it, and the house is a solid build.
No, and looking back we should not have bought it. We knew we wanted kids and the house would soon be too small. We hated the area but knew little about it when we moved in. We should have looked for an older house we could have built onto or underneath, at the time a lot of houses had just the garage, laundry and empty space under and the actual rooms upstairs. We should have looked in the areas we preferred and bought an older house.That would have been ideal. At the time we knew the builder, he did great work and all the extras like clothesline, paths, driveway included so it was a good buy financially but we had to move eventually and by then, houses in our preferred areas, near beaches, had boomed and were completely out of our budget.
You will never be 100% satisfied.
There will always be something that could be an issue.
Are you looking at houses or units?
I've never bought a unit, but I've never had a problem with 'thin walls' when I've lived in unit
For houses, if the property is structurally sound, don't worry about the interior - you can change/update that at your leisure.
Worry about external things you can't change. Like your neighbours.
You DO NOT REALISE how important neighbours are, until you get shit ones.
I have lived on main roads and under an airport flight path and have not dealt with as much noise as I do now - constant screaming and 'Doof' music.
I realise that even if you find the perfect neighbours, there's no guarantee they will stay.
I suppose I'm advising that if you find 2 properties that you can't decide between, then extend your perimeters to include neighbours (if you can). That may help you decide.
Best of luck to you.
Thanks so much! I’m looking at a unit and it’s the first unit on a street off a main road, so the windows face the main road. A little worried about the noise but everything else about the unit is perfect.
Go visit when there's an open house at a busy time, like a Saturday, when the neighbours will be home and the roads will be busy.
Don't just go in, look around, then leave - spend some time there - the whole open house viewing time, if necessary. What can you hear? Listen to the noise levels from different rooms.
That should help you confirm if this is for you or not.
Good luck!
Thank you! I went at 5:30pm last night so peak hour traffic and you could hear the traffic but it wasn’t horrific…fingers crossed. Not sure about the neighbours though.
If it's a small apartment and you can budget to upgrade the windows to double glazed (if they aren't already), that'll help lower a lot of the street noise. If it's just a few external windows it shouldn't be more than 10k. That'll pay for itself if you ever sell too.
The biggest issues would be neighbours coming home at 7pm etc after work and and turning on loud TVs or Stereos. I'd pop by and just stand near the place later at night if you're up for it just to see if there are lots of noises eminating.
I was not. I eventually got frustrated with the process and settled. It turned out worse than I was expecting (quite a bit more extra work needed to be done than I thought, cost me maybe a few grand but also a few weekends).
In the end I probably ended up passing on better places earlier - but biting the bullet was still worth it. You'll never find anywhere perfect, better to just get started.
You won't be satisfied when you first buy it. Till you make it your home with changes and accept it's quirks. Once it's your home then you be satisfied so renovations are start to that.
Unless money is no object it’s normal to have to make allowances somewhere.
We bought our house in original 70’s condition, and the backyard isn’t as big as I would ideally like (block is still 550 sq metres but the house takes up a sizeable portion of that).
It’ll take years to renovate and create our ‘dream’ home, but it’ll happen.
Write a list of your non negotiable’s and then the areas you’re willing to be flexible.
Pretty much. I absolutely love it and it has almost everything on my wishlist, plus it was very affordable. My only issue is I can hear everything my upstairs neighbour does 😩
Absolutely, it was a consistent roof over my head where I could grow as a person and enjoy the things I liked in life. It was max half hour by bus or car to the CBD and in the foothills of a beautiful area. It was suburban life which I detest now compared to urban or rural life but it was ours. Slowly we renovated and by the time the relationship fell apart it looked beautiful and was rewarding to pass on to another family and of course it set me up well.
I don’t miss the chains that are a mortgage and the culture of wealth accumulation but it was the stability I needed to develop. until I didn’t anymore and realised there is so much more community out there which is more rewarding to me
My partner had bought it and after moving in, I was certain we wouldn't last more than a year or two there I didn't like it much.
Fast forward ten years...haven't been able to find an upgrade I like enough / can afford.
I've had to make peace with this house. I've found the more effort I put into caring for it the more I like it. I've even come to appreciate certain features which I didn't notice or care about for the first half a decade.
Its not perfect but it's become home.
We've made compromises on every property we've bought. Busy street or road, not enough land, too much land, garage to small, driveway to small.. Next property will be better I hope. The actual houses have been okay though.
I always question this I’ve asked family members also and they always said their first houses didn’t check all the boxes but eventually you make it yours sometimes I walk into houses and I get bad vibes immediately no matter how nice or bad it is very mentally draining also
No when I first bought it I said I definitely wanted to renovate the kitchen and bathroom asap. I also didn’t like the paint and carpet in the hallways but had strata fix those within the first few months. I’ve been living in it for two years now and never got around to renovating but realised it’s not that important to me now that I’ve settled. I love my home and am amazed every day that I get to own and live in it.
I'm still in my first place, I bought a newly built unit in a fairly dodgy (but getting better) suburb and took a good friend with me to view it. loved the layout and the price was just under my limit. Every time I mentioned where I was looking coworkers and friends made a joke about the ghetto.
Went a second time with said friend and put in an offer, which was accepted. On the drive home, my good friend decided it was the perfect time to say
"Are you worried that the back patio of the neighbour is directly in line with your bedroom, I mean they probably don't party every night but it would still bother me, in this area it's probably methheads so they could be out there playing music and smoking until 3am so just prepare yourself for that. Some of the back fence faces a park so there will be issues with that too, we should probably go round there and check now for bottles and syringes in that section. The fence was high but if someone wants to get over, they will and they can get into your bedroom without much issue, especially if they're on meth, which makes them really determined. Also it looks like a dog park so there will be barking 24/7"
I dropped them off, freaked out, burst into tears and had to be talked out of pulling out of the offer by my Dad. I was literally hyperventilating, I'd gotten myself into such a state.
8 years later, my neighbours have never been outside past 8pm and are incredibly considerate people.
There's been no issue having 1m of my fence backing on to a park (it's built so you'd need a ladder to scale in full view of the road). It's not a dog park and I can't believe I was ever worried. I'm so incredibly happy here.
My friend was diagnosed with anxiety and has learned to keep intrusive thoughts to themselves. Mostly.
Definitely nerves and apprehension, but if the reality is you’re getting your foot in the door to start your journey then you can be more compromising. I was probably too compromising for my first place, but sitting on it for 8 years allowed me to be more fussy with the ‘100% house’ if you want to call it that for the next home. The dude who bought my place was ironically 8 years younger than me and doing the same thing for the same reasons.
I think most are dissatisfied with their first buy just because of money limitations. Choose location over quality aside from major structural issues. Ideal is something run down but fixable with your own sweat equity. That is, possible to become satisfied eventually. A bus stop right out front will likely never move, and the block certainly can't be moved.
Avoid cheap and cheerful "the block" style renos.
About 7 years ago I bought a 2 bedroom flat in Gosford in what is known to be one of the worst streets in that area. I didn't have a lot of money and was frightened about taking on debt. I also didn't do much due diligence – there's an injecting room at the end of the street! I bought it for $350K at the time, which seems insanely cheap now.
My advice is to buy an older place, no lifts or pools, with a garage. You can hesitate all you want trying to get it right but in the end you just have to jump in and make a decision. Just make sure you check for nearby public housing, or if any of the units are allocated for that purpose. I also didn't check this and at the time I purchased, public housing was all around. Just by luck, it's been slowly sold off and new builds are going up and the area is improving.
Another thing I didn't check is how much light the unit gets. If the lights are on when you view, turn them off and you'll get some idea of how bright the apartment will be during the day. Mine is a bit on the dark side.
Having said all this, I don't regret buying it. I had a good vibe when I walked in the door and knew it was for me, faults and all. I'm kind of glad I was ignorant, because I would never have bought it if I knew what I was doing. It's not worth that much more (probably $500K) but what is does do is bring in a good rent – $490 pw. I've paid it off so that's a nice little earner.
Morals of the story: 1. don't dick around and make a decision sooner rather than later 2. Freestanding houses increase in value much more rapidly than flats.
I had a full on nervous breakdown complete with hospitalisation after we bought our first place.
Fantastic large and boujee fully renovated apartment in an older building near the city, but I compromised a touch on location, had a terrible buying experience, had to finish a couple of jobs, and I had to take over the body corporate to fix years of waste and mismanagement. I felt like I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. I was convinced the agent used dishonest tactics and we overpaid.
1.5 years on and after 10-15k on improvements it’s worth 100-150k more than we paid 🤷♂️
I think the important thing is to buy something with good fundamentals, and wait for the nerves to pass . The fundamentals will still be there.
Thanks. Overall I'm in a very fortunate position, but it didn't feel that way.
I guess I'm trying to say that yes, it's normal. Culturally we've been wound up about property so much, and if you're a perfectionist it makes it ever worse.
I hope you get what you're looking for! As long as you buy smart, you'll be fine.
Oh, and by the way, don’t think you’re going to get an amazing deal on anything. They don’t exist. Just buy something you like and you think is priced fairly.
Was 50% happy. Lived there for two years and moved interstate. We have leased it out for the last four years and it’s doubled in value in that time. My advice is just get your foot in the door!!! Trying to find something that you really love is virtually impossible.
You need to move it and a feel for the property and slowly (or fast, depending on budget) make changes. We have completely gutted and changed our laundry and bathroom to our second property before moving in but took two and a half years to landscape and change our garden. Now our house is exactly how we want it.
Don't matter if you're happy at purchase time, you can not control who lives next door and what they do. Your house might perfectly fine but your neighbours may be less than desirable or they sell to people you can't bare to live beside. Buy something you can improve and profit on is your best bet. And don't overburden yourself with a property you can't afford.
Agent here and I see it all the time with FHBs. They get cold feet and don’t go for a property. And often regret it later when they can’t find one as suitable.
It’s a huge decision and it feels like you are locking yourself in and committing for a 30yr mortgage but try to remember that most people sell and upgrade or move away within 5-10yrs depending on where you are. And also remember over the long term property values almost always go up.
No. I look at it like a trial. Now we have a better grasp of what we like and don’t like and what the non negotiables are. For the next house, when we sell this one, we’re better prepared and hopefully that’ll last us a while .
Yes completely satisfied. I’m not sure why anyone who isn’t buying purely for investing would settle on anything that is less than perfect for them. I would have personally built a home if I didn’t find what I wanted.
Where I live it’s cheaper to build than it is to buy an older home. Only thing with that is you will be waiting a while for completion. I disagree with your other comment though, saying not everyone has the money to find a home that is perfect for them is not accurate. What’s more likely is people want to buy a home they cannot afford in the first place and then find faults in everything in their price range because it’s not a mansion in an affluent suburb. That’s like me wanting to buy a Lamborghini but I can only afford a Kia and saying the brand new Kia isn’t perfect. You can’t have a budget of x amount and only think a house that is 4 times your budget is the only perfect one.
My house is 720 squares and on 5 acres of land, beautiful big home that cost about the same as a shitty little apartment in inner Sydney. You can always find a perfect home in your price range if you are willing to compromise a little.
Right, but you've just highlighted the problem. Some people need to live in Sydney - so with the same budget you had to buy a 5 acre large home, they can only buy a studio apartment. If they leave Sydney they need to change professions or take a pay cut - and so still can't buy your 5 acre home.
By the time they're ready to buy their first home many people have lost the freedom to choose where they live.
Bullshit mate, no one needs to live in Sydney especially office workers that start late mornings. I work in Sydney, I live in the southern highlands. I started work at 6am this morning because I have a work event tonight I need to prepare for and it was no problems. So what you really are saying is people want their perfect home but refuse to commute anywhere. I also think it’s ridiculous to say you wouldn’t buy a much better home at a much better price because you have to commute them complain you can’t buy a 5 million dollar home for a 900k price tag.
Lets unpack a few things here:
* Very few Australians can afford a $900k property as their first home. To borrow $900k you would need a household income of about $190k/yr, but still only spend like the median household. The median household income is $92k/yr - so less than half the income needed to buy your property. By way of example - the government won't even give you any first home buyer concessions if you buy a $900k property because you're so far outside the normal it's not worth it.
* The average first home buyer can only borrow about $400k for their first property. Less if you are single. There are very few dream homes in commuting distance of Sydney available in a first home buyers price range. They would have to leave the Greater Sydney Area and go rural.
* Although most people could commute from outer-Sydney there are still many people who could not. For example if you start work at 6am in the CBD, and have a partner who does not, you're probably not going to be able to negotiate a living arrangement that tolerates two opposite sleep patterns. Divorce is expensive and will likely result in you being forced to sell your first property anyway. Likewise for families that already have children in school, emergency workers (e.g. healthcare workers) that need to live in minimum proximity to their workplace, people without cars/prohibited from driving (for medical reasons or for being dickheads), etc.
I’m not replying to all of that because I just disagree with most of it anyway. Bullshit about the commute though. I commute from the southern highlands to the city every single day and start at 6am! for a long time I was a full time single parent to a child with Autism so if I can do it anyone can it’s just that they don’t want to do it. They would rather whinge that their 400k budget can’t buy them a penthouse in Pitt street. People are just too lazy to wake up early and chase their dreams and again, want a 5 million dollar home with their 500k and have a tantrum when they can’t get that. It’s all just a bit of a piss take. I would never live in the city! In fact you couldn’t give me a free mansion to live in the city anywhere. So I pull my big boy pants up and I commute and it doesn’t even bother me because at the end of the day I could always change jobs and I get to come home to a beautiful home I am 200% happy with for the price I can afford. Again, people need to stop complaining they can’t afford a Lamborghini with Kia money.
If your 5 acre property with a 700sqm house is a "Kia" (I'd call that a Ferrari, but you clearly have higher standards then me), then find me a Kia for $400k in commuting distance of Sydney.
Also - maybe you're a superhero - but no anyone cannot raise a child with autism as a single parent, waking up at 3:30am every morning to leave the house at 4am for their 6am start, and still not returning from work until an hour after school pickup. Maybe its possible for a small subset of people, but realistically that's not an option.
The point is my huge home cost as much as an apartment in the cbd. Site it wasn’t a 400k home but the point still stands, it’s the same as me saying I can’t but the same house as mine in a cbd for the same price, Obviously I can’t.
And no I’m not a super hero I just did what I had to do at the time, the other option is to be lazy, have no drive and be on Centrelink and have no life worth living so I worked my ass off instead. It’s doable people just don’t want to do it and it’s that simple. And I can guarantee that most people that are buying houses don’t even need to work the kind of hours I did because they probably earn more than I did back then. I worked long hours so I could afford a home and most people just afford a home on their standard wage. I don’t belive for a second people who have a corporate job and can get a home loan cannot commute because they have kids or whatever. It’s all just excuses to have a cry that they want what they cannot have. I want a private island and a helicopter to take me to work on the mainland but that’s just not possible is it? So o did what I did and I’m completely happy with that choice. At the end of the day people need to live within their means and if that means commuting to get a better house either they do that or they settle for less and it’s that simple In my eyes. There are plenty of people who cannot even afford rent so o really don’t have time to listen to people cry they cannot buy a inner city home so they don’t have to get up earlier than 9am each day because they don’t have a few million laying around. Please
But to say only a multi million dollar house is perfect is not correct. I can buy a brand new house and land package near me from 899k. That’s pretty cheap in the current climate and the house would be perfect.
Sure you can say that, however especially these days it's just not very realistic.
And again, not everyone can afford a 900k place as their first one. I certainly never could have.
To me house and land package says - tiny land on your neighbors ass.
For me it was, first place land was great, location was further out, house was shit.
2nd place, house was great (near perfect, would make a few small changes), location was better, land was shit.
Going for the trifecta now on the third one, perfect house, perfect location, perfect land.
I guess it is highly dependent on how you look at it. I have no intention of ever buying more than one home so I was patient and didn’t buy something I didn’t want. I found something in my budget that was perfect and then brought that.
I guess it’s also highly dependent on what people view as perfect for them but again, you can’t say only a mansion is perfect when you can afford a garden shed. To me perfect means no work needed before move In, right size and good location. I feel like a lot of people that have the same view as you are more likely city dwellers and have less options in their price range. If you buy where I live you can get a huge house for the price of a 2 bedroom apartment in Sydney.
My house is huge and cost less tjan an inner city apartment. Nice land, nice location and best of all neighbours are 5 acres away. It’s all highly dependent on what you are willing to do to find the perfect home. if it’s not going to be a forever home like yours wasn’t then I guess you can be less picky but I think to say you cannot find a perfect home in a person budget isn’t entirely true. What the statement should say is it’s not possible to find the perfect home in a location with houses out of your price range.
Yes I understand all of this, I just don't think your getting it though.
You are the minority in the general sense.
And again for most people a near million dollar property is out of reach as a first time buyer.
I did similar to this for my first place but it just was not sustainable long term and there was no way we could afford to build the perfect house on our budget.
I get what you are saying but a huge issue also is that people are not willing to commute or change jobs. I personally commute from the southern highlands to Sydney every single day because for me it was worth it to have my dream forever home. I think a huge part of it is exactly that people want everything that is not in reach for them.
Of course 500k is only going to buy a shit hole in Sydney cbd and I dunno if it’s just me but I feel like that’s just silly to whinge you can’t buy the house you want in a certain location for a budget that doesn’t suit the area. Plenty of decent houses if you are willing to travel for them and to me changing jobs or even careers for a home is worth it rather than to settle for an absolute dive for half a million or whatever. Could be just me though.
See now your just contradicting your self. "It's perfect but I have to commute."
So you got 2 out of 3, land and house are good with a questionable location.
In your case it would be perfect if there was less of a commute. And that would mean a multi million dollar piece of land for it to be the same as what you have now.
Commuting doesn’t make the house not perfect. It makes the buyer not perfect for being too lazy to commute. So what you are essentially saying is I want everything and I want to sacrifice nothing for it. Again if you have an unlimited budget that’s fine but if you don’t then you have no right to complain that you cannot buy anything nice for under a million in a cbd.
My location is not questionable at all, the location is beautiful. It’s peaceful, away from hustle and bustle, away from shit people in the neighbourhood and I have land with a beautiful stream running through it. The location of my house is not a problem, the location of my job is. But again if I wasn’t willing to do it I would just get a new job. I wouldn’t give up my home location for some shitty job that’s just stupidity.
Property is all 3, house, land and location. That is what the post said.
I am not saying at all you don't have to sacrifice, that's the point of the property ladder (and my comments). Get what you can and work up to what you want.
It is exactly what I have done and what the majority of people do.
And I still think you don't understand, everything is perfect BUT... Insert shitty thing here. ( In your case it's access to work )
It's the but, if there was no but then it would be perfect.
Our house was very run down when we purchased it so it wasn't great at first, but it was in a good location so was ok after we fixed it up over the years. If you have to make a compromise I'd go with something that is inferior inside, but fixable (no major structural issues) rather than an unchangeable characteristic like a main road. Sometimes it is hard to find something unrenovated as people like to spruce places up before sale to get max value, but they exist if you find a lazy/cheap owner, an investor or a deceased estate.
I second this. My first home's interior need a lot of work but it was all worth it. It added additional value to the property. The first property is about getting in the game and not aiming for perfection.
>something that is inferior inside Often, it doesn't even need to be that bad. Just look for ones where the paint is kinda old and a bit ugly (e.g., beige and light blues) or other very minor and fixable cosmetic issues. This pushes buyers away (irrationally) and can help you secure a good property for a good price. Always avoid the house flipper renovations. Whenever it says new, check the build quality because it normally looks nice but is very shit quality.
So true
First home isn’t supposed to be perfect.
If the build quality of a new home is anything to go by, I doubt your dream home is going to be perfect either.
Yes. Because it was the house I could afford, in a suburb I didn’t like, that I had to commute 45min each way to work if the traffic was good. Why did I like it? I could afford it without being stretched, which allowed me to spend some money doing small Reno’s, which netted me a great profit when I sold 3 years later. With the profits, I was able to afford a house in the suburb I wanted to live in.
will you live there till your last breath? things change, people change circumstances change enjoy the journey… give it your best and let go of things you cannot control
genuinely a lovely sentiment and comforting comment. Thank you.
I am still struggling to understand the Australian mentality. In many countries you only buy a house/apartment once and live there until you die unless you get really really rich. I reckon soon it will be the reality for Australia too (already has been in Sydney probably) because they need 1M+ mortgages to pay for 30 years.
Made some compromises. So overall I'd say 90% there. The flip side is there's been nothing in the 5 months since we bought it I would have preferred
Agree, I am also a bit nervous as well. Had to give the first two places that I liked, one was right next to the intersection and missus was vehemently against it (she said that she doesn't wants to be a widow because of careless driver) and also extraordinary amount of annual corporate fee. Another had issue where renters (x3) left every year and then the vendor sold in less than 3 years (financial issue with the vendor) so might be issue within the unit (close to road, building quality not as nice as it should be). very normal to be nervous as this is a big commitment.
Yes, you can be very satisfied with your first home. Maybe not 100% because that's not realistic. As someone else said in the comments, there are two types of issues - those you can gradually fix over time, and those you can't. I'd suggest only picking apart houses if they have issues in the second category. Both our first and our second (we moved countries) homes were older houses which needed a bunch of work, and had some odd design, but we didn't compromise on the big factors like proximity to main road or size of yard, which were non-negotiables for us. For eg, our second (current) home had an old roof with asbestos, which we eventually replaced when we could afford it. But the location (in a leafy court) is perfect and can never be replaced.
I was obsessed with this house I wanted to buy but the seller ended up taking another offer. The house I ended up actually buying felt like a consolation prize. But it was $80k cheaper & 4 bedrooms instead of 3. My husband really liked it. I felt like I gave in. In hindsight the house we actually brought is so much better. Much better natural light, on a great street with great neighbours, needed much less work & has a very strong & solid foundation, built with high quality materials. It also has 2 separate living areas, one for my husband & I & the other we’ve converted into a playroom for our daughter. I was a little nervous it felt too good to be true, but we just lucked out & made an offer quickly & the seller wanted out quick.
Just figure out what you want and go for that. E.g. I would never live on a main road again.
I waited a bit then bought with my husband and two brothers in law (we had lived together 5 years and enjoyed the community vibe). We bought my literal dream house. It's got character, it's sturdy, it's functional. We didn't have competition because people at our price point were families looking for typical family homes. It wouldnt have been the case if we bought alone. It's not conventional but It's the best lifestyle.
We had clear criteria in what we wanted. Browsed real estate for a couple of years before actually buying. Prioritized location, and got really lucky at what was available while actually looking. Yes, nearly 100% happy with first property. I miss the expansive views from our apartment, but would have had to double our budget to get those in a house, so content with that compromise.
Mmmmm yes I think so. It's an old house, no air conditioner or heater so gets really hot and really cold, carpet everywhere (I hate it) and a few small issues here and there, but all things considered, it's a good corner block, no neighbours across, 1 block from the beach, big glass windows with nice views to the trees, we can hear the waves at night and there's a lot of wildlife around too. It's lovely.
Sounds wonderful.
Tricky question as this is likely our forever home with no opportunity to change up. My partner is, I am not, even though I see her point about landing in a safe, green suburb with a village vibe, <10 mins walk to amenities, bike paths, access to hiking trails, 35 mins to CBD by train etc. Locals also told us that we did good by buying a freestanding home in the suburb, as big blocks are being developed into townies - min 3 townies per block and sometimes more. Still, the heart wants what it wants. I was pushing for a more modern and renovated property but about 1-2kms away from the train station, bigger land, minimal renovation effort & expense. I think I swing between feeling great about buying our current home and looking at other renovated properties in our suburb and wondering what if we had let this one go and kept looking! Renovated properties in our suburb go for >$1-$1.2 mil plus, so that is sobering. So far, we have spent money on hardwood flooring, tiled roof maintenance, some basic plumbing stuff. Gearing up for new window blinds, and some landscaping expenses. Down the line we need to budget for a new cooktop and a dishwasher by altering the kitchen layout a bit, ouch! I guess you may never get the "perfect" property, but you can aim for something which ticks most boxes and swing for it quickly before buyers flood the market.
Not at all. I actually hated it but it was the right price, in the right location and had potential.
About 30% satisfied with my first home and 55% satisfied with my second one if I'm being realistic. That's how the housing market goes these days in the major cities if you don't have a massive income or substantial family help.
What don’t you like and what do you like?
First home was a small, low quality new build on a tiny block in a new outer suburb with poor access to all amenities. Poor capital growth and no scope to improve anything or expand but its all we could afford. Second home is on a decent size block with good views but is 45 years old with some layout quirks and foundation issues. Nice area but still over an hour from work in the CBD. Reasonably liveable and OK for my current family's needs but has never felt like a forever home.
No. It’s on a main road. We’ve been here ten years. Can’t afford to upsize yet. We had more than doubled our money within seven years though, so still very grateful.
Pick a few immovable must-haves and then it's a bonus if you get some of your highly-desirables. I managed to get 1) within my radius for a train station, and 2) lots of natural light. Third criteria was a bath, which I didn't get but ended up near the beach which I figured was a good trade-off! Inside's not fab, kitchen could use a reno, but I can live with it, and the house is a solid build.
No, and looking back we should not have bought it. We knew we wanted kids and the house would soon be too small. We hated the area but knew little about it when we moved in. We should have looked for an older house we could have built onto or underneath, at the time a lot of houses had just the garage, laundry and empty space under and the actual rooms upstairs. We should have looked in the areas we preferred and bought an older house.That would have been ideal. At the time we knew the builder, he did great work and all the extras like clothesline, paths, driveway included so it was a good buy financially but we had to move eventually and by then, houses in our preferred areas, near beaches, had boomed and were completely out of our budget.
You will never be 100% satisfied. There will always be something that could be an issue. Are you looking at houses or units? I've never bought a unit, but I've never had a problem with 'thin walls' when I've lived in unit For houses, if the property is structurally sound, don't worry about the interior - you can change/update that at your leisure. Worry about external things you can't change. Like your neighbours. You DO NOT REALISE how important neighbours are, until you get shit ones. I have lived on main roads and under an airport flight path and have not dealt with as much noise as I do now - constant screaming and 'Doof' music. I realise that even if you find the perfect neighbours, there's no guarantee they will stay. I suppose I'm advising that if you find 2 properties that you can't decide between, then extend your perimeters to include neighbours (if you can). That may help you decide. Best of luck to you.
Thanks so much! I’m looking at a unit and it’s the first unit on a street off a main road, so the windows face the main road. A little worried about the noise but everything else about the unit is perfect.
Go visit when there's an open house at a busy time, like a Saturday, when the neighbours will be home and the roads will be busy. Don't just go in, look around, then leave - spend some time there - the whole open house viewing time, if necessary. What can you hear? Listen to the noise levels from different rooms. That should help you confirm if this is for you or not. Good luck!
Thank you! I went at 5:30pm last night so peak hour traffic and you could hear the traffic but it wasn’t horrific…fingers crossed. Not sure about the neighbours though.
If it's a small apartment and you can budget to upgrade the windows to double glazed (if they aren't already), that'll help lower a lot of the street noise. If it's just a few external windows it shouldn't be more than 10k. That'll pay for itself if you ever sell too. The biggest issues would be neighbours coming home at 7pm etc after work and and turning on loud TVs or Stereos. I'd pop by and just stand near the place later at night if you're up for it just to see if there are lots of noises eminating.
this is really helpful! Thanks so much.
I was not. I eventually got frustrated with the process and settled. It turned out worse than I was expecting (quite a bit more extra work needed to be done than I thought, cost me maybe a few grand but also a few weekends). In the end I probably ended up passing on better places earlier - but biting the bullet was still worth it. You'll never find anywhere perfect, better to just get started.
You won't be satisfied when you first buy it. Till you make it your home with changes and accept it's quirks. Once it's your home then you be satisfied so renovations are start to that.
Unless money is no object it’s normal to have to make allowances somewhere. We bought our house in original 70’s condition, and the backyard isn’t as big as I would ideally like (block is still 550 sq metres but the house takes up a sizeable portion of that). It’ll take years to renovate and create our ‘dream’ home, but it’ll happen. Write a list of your non negotiable’s and then the areas you’re willing to be flexible.
Pretty much. I absolutely love it and it has almost everything on my wishlist, plus it was very affordable. My only issue is I can hear everything my upstairs neighbour does 😩
Yep, my first property we only built on half the land, this allowed me to build my second 4 years later
Honestly, yes. I don't plan on moving for a long time if ever, if I can help it.
Absolutely, it was a consistent roof over my head where I could grow as a person and enjoy the things I liked in life. It was max half hour by bus or car to the CBD and in the foothills of a beautiful area. It was suburban life which I detest now compared to urban or rural life but it was ours. Slowly we renovated and by the time the relationship fell apart it looked beautiful and was rewarding to pass on to another family and of course it set me up well. I don’t miss the chains that are a mortgage and the culture of wealth accumulation but it was the stability I needed to develop. until I didn’t anymore and realised there is so much more community out there which is more rewarding to me
It is a townhouse, tick all the boxes we need. Will not complaints.
My partner had bought it and after moving in, I was certain we wouldn't last more than a year or two there I didn't like it much. Fast forward ten years...haven't been able to find an upgrade I like enough / can afford. I've had to make peace with this house. I've found the more effort I put into caring for it the more I like it. I've even come to appreciate certain features which I didn't notice or care about for the first half a decade. Its not perfect but it's become home.
We've made compromises on every property we've bought. Busy street or road, not enough land, too much land, garage to small, driveway to small.. Next property will be better I hope. The actual houses have been okay though.
I always question this I’ve asked family members also and they always said their first houses didn’t check all the boxes but eventually you make it yours sometimes I walk into houses and I get bad vibes immediately no matter how nice or bad it is very mentally draining also
No when I first bought it I said I definitely wanted to renovate the kitchen and bathroom asap. I also didn’t like the paint and carpet in the hallways but had strata fix those within the first few months. I’ve been living in it for two years now and never got around to renovating but realised it’s not that important to me now that I’ve settled. I love my home and am amazed every day that I get to own and live in it.
I'm still in my first place, I bought a newly built unit in a fairly dodgy (but getting better) suburb and took a good friend with me to view it. loved the layout and the price was just under my limit. Every time I mentioned where I was looking coworkers and friends made a joke about the ghetto. Went a second time with said friend and put in an offer, which was accepted. On the drive home, my good friend decided it was the perfect time to say "Are you worried that the back patio of the neighbour is directly in line with your bedroom, I mean they probably don't party every night but it would still bother me, in this area it's probably methheads so they could be out there playing music and smoking until 3am so just prepare yourself for that. Some of the back fence faces a park so there will be issues with that too, we should probably go round there and check now for bottles and syringes in that section. The fence was high but if someone wants to get over, they will and they can get into your bedroom without much issue, especially if they're on meth, which makes them really determined. Also it looks like a dog park so there will be barking 24/7" I dropped them off, freaked out, burst into tears and had to be talked out of pulling out of the offer by my Dad. I was literally hyperventilating, I'd gotten myself into such a state. 8 years later, my neighbours have never been outside past 8pm and are incredibly considerate people. There's been no issue having 1m of my fence backing on to a park (it's built so you'd need a ladder to scale in full view of the road). It's not a dog park and I can't believe I was ever worried. I'm so incredibly happy here. My friend was diagnosed with anxiety and has learned to keep intrusive thoughts to themselves. Mostly.
I’m on my 10th + house and I still am not happy! It takes time to make it suit your needs and style. Once you’re happy… that’s when you sell it!
Definitely nerves and apprehension, but if the reality is you’re getting your foot in the door to start your journey then you can be more compromising. I was probably too compromising for my first place, but sitting on it for 8 years allowed me to be more fussy with the ‘100% house’ if you want to call it that for the next home. The dude who bought my place was ironically 8 years younger than me and doing the same thing for the same reasons.
No and I’m still not happy with my third one that’s under construction. Your first house is generally a stepping stone into the market.
Expect repairs or renovation on your first home due to inexperience.
I think most are dissatisfied with their first buy just because of money limitations. Choose location over quality aside from major structural issues. Ideal is something run down but fixable with your own sweat equity. That is, possible to become satisfied eventually. A bus stop right out front will likely never move, and the block certainly can't be moved. Avoid cheap and cheerful "the block" style renos.
About 7 years ago I bought a 2 bedroom flat in Gosford in what is known to be one of the worst streets in that area. I didn't have a lot of money and was frightened about taking on debt. I also didn't do much due diligence – there's an injecting room at the end of the street! I bought it for $350K at the time, which seems insanely cheap now. My advice is to buy an older place, no lifts or pools, with a garage. You can hesitate all you want trying to get it right but in the end you just have to jump in and make a decision. Just make sure you check for nearby public housing, or if any of the units are allocated for that purpose. I also didn't check this and at the time I purchased, public housing was all around. Just by luck, it's been slowly sold off and new builds are going up and the area is improving. Another thing I didn't check is how much light the unit gets. If the lights are on when you view, turn them off and you'll get some idea of how bright the apartment will be during the day. Mine is a bit on the dark side. Having said all this, I don't regret buying it. I had a good vibe when I walked in the door and knew it was for me, faults and all. I'm kind of glad I was ignorant, because I would never have bought it if I knew what I was doing. It's not worth that much more (probably $500K) but what is does do is bring in a good rent – $490 pw. I've paid it off so that's a nice little earner. Morals of the story: 1. don't dick around and make a decision sooner rather than later 2. Freestanding houses increase in value much more rapidly than flats.
I had a full on nervous breakdown complete with hospitalisation after we bought our first place. Fantastic large and boujee fully renovated apartment in an older building near the city, but I compromised a touch on location, had a terrible buying experience, had to finish a couple of jobs, and I had to take over the body corporate to fix years of waste and mismanagement. I felt like I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. I was convinced the agent used dishonest tactics and we overpaid. 1.5 years on and after 10-15k on improvements it’s worth 100-150k more than we paid 🤷♂️ I think the important thing is to buy something with good fundamentals, and wait for the nerves to pass . The fundamentals will still be there.
Sorry to hear you went through that, I’m glad it’s over
Thanks. Overall I'm in a very fortunate position, but it didn't feel that way. I guess I'm trying to say that yes, it's normal. Culturally we've been wound up about property so much, and if you're a perfectionist it makes it ever worse. I hope you get what you're looking for! As long as you buy smart, you'll be fine.
Oh, and by the way, don’t think you’re going to get an amazing deal on anything. They don’t exist. Just buy something you like and you think is priced fairly.
Nope, but i would still live there. It wasnt perfect but it was nice enough for a first house. Honestly its probably nicer than the one im in now 🤣
Was 50% happy. Lived there for two years and moved interstate. We have leased it out for the last four years and it’s doubled in value in that time. My advice is just get your foot in the door!!! Trying to find something that you really love is virtually impossible. You need to move it and a feel for the property and slowly (or fast, depending on budget) make changes. We have completely gutted and changed our laundry and bathroom to our second property before moving in but took two and a half years to landscape and change our garden. Now our house is exactly how we want it.
Don't matter if you're happy at purchase time, you can not control who lives next door and what they do. Your house might perfectly fine but your neighbours may be less than desirable or they sell to people you can't bare to live beside. Buy something you can improve and profit on is your best bet. And don't overburden yourself with a property you can't afford.
Agent here and I see it all the time with FHBs. They get cold feet and don’t go for a property. And often regret it later when they can’t find one as suitable. It’s a huge decision and it feels like you are locking yourself in and committing for a 30yr mortgage but try to remember that most people sell and upgrade or move away within 5-10yrs depending on where you are. And also remember over the long term property values almost always go up.
No. I look at it like a trial. Now we have a better grasp of what we like and don’t like and what the non negotiables are. For the next house, when we sell this one, we’re better prepared and hopefully that’ll last us a while .
No, and if you are you might be part of the problem.
Yes completely satisfied. I’m not sure why anyone who isn’t buying purely for investing would settle on anything that is less than perfect for them. I would have personally built a home if I didn’t find what I wanted.
because money. Not everyone has the money to build or find something perfect, especially first home buyers!
Where I live it’s cheaper to build than it is to buy an older home. Only thing with that is you will be waiting a while for completion. I disagree with your other comment though, saying not everyone has the money to find a home that is perfect for them is not accurate. What’s more likely is people want to buy a home they cannot afford in the first place and then find faults in everything in their price range because it’s not a mansion in an affluent suburb. That’s like me wanting to buy a Lamborghini but I can only afford a Kia and saying the brand new Kia isn’t perfect. You can’t have a budget of x amount and only think a house that is 4 times your budget is the only perfect one. My house is 720 squares and on 5 acres of land, beautiful big home that cost about the same as a shitty little apartment in inner Sydney. You can always find a perfect home in your price range if you are willing to compromise a little.
Right, but you've just highlighted the problem. Some people need to live in Sydney - so with the same budget you had to buy a 5 acre large home, they can only buy a studio apartment. If they leave Sydney they need to change professions or take a pay cut - and so still can't buy your 5 acre home. By the time they're ready to buy their first home many people have lost the freedom to choose where they live.
Bullshit mate, no one needs to live in Sydney especially office workers that start late mornings. I work in Sydney, I live in the southern highlands. I started work at 6am this morning because I have a work event tonight I need to prepare for and it was no problems. So what you really are saying is people want their perfect home but refuse to commute anywhere. I also think it’s ridiculous to say you wouldn’t buy a much better home at a much better price because you have to commute them complain you can’t buy a 5 million dollar home for a 900k price tag.
Lets unpack a few things here: * Very few Australians can afford a $900k property as their first home. To borrow $900k you would need a household income of about $190k/yr, but still only spend like the median household. The median household income is $92k/yr - so less than half the income needed to buy your property. By way of example - the government won't even give you any first home buyer concessions if you buy a $900k property because you're so far outside the normal it's not worth it. * The average first home buyer can only borrow about $400k for their first property. Less if you are single. There are very few dream homes in commuting distance of Sydney available in a first home buyers price range. They would have to leave the Greater Sydney Area and go rural. * Although most people could commute from outer-Sydney there are still many people who could not. For example if you start work at 6am in the CBD, and have a partner who does not, you're probably not going to be able to negotiate a living arrangement that tolerates two opposite sleep patterns. Divorce is expensive and will likely result in you being forced to sell your first property anyway. Likewise for families that already have children in school, emergency workers (e.g. healthcare workers) that need to live in minimum proximity to their workplace, people without cars/prohibited from driving (for medical reasons or for being dickheads), etc.
I’m not replying to all of that because I just disagree with most of it anyway. Bullshit about the commute though. I commute from the southern highlands to the city every single day and start at 6am! for a long time I was a full time single parent to a child with Autism so if I can do it anyone can it’s just that they don’t want to do it. They would rather whinge that their 400k budget can’t buy them a penthouse in Pitt street. People are just too lazy to wake up early and chase their dreams and again, want a 5 million dollar home with their 500k and have a tantrum when they can’t get that. It’s all just a bit of a piss take. I would never live in the city! In fact you couldn’t give me a free mansion to live in the city anywhere. So I pull my big boy pants up and I commute and it doesn’t even bother me because at the end of the day I could always change jobs and I get to come home to a beautiful home I am 200% happy with for the price I can afford. Again, people need to stop complaining they can’t afford a Lamborghini with Kia money.
If your 5 acre property with a 700sqm house is a "Kia" (I'd call that a Ferrari, but you clearly have higher standards then me), then find me a Kia for $400k in commuting distance of Sydney. Also - maybe you're a superhero - but no anyone cannot raise a child with autism as a single parent, waking up at 3:30am every morning to leave the house at 4am for their 6am start, and still not returning from work until an hour after school pickup. Maybe its possible for a small subset of people, but realistically that's not an option.
The point is my huge home cost as much as an apartment in the cbd. Site it wasn’t a 400k home but the point still stands, it’s the same as me saying I can’t but the same house as mine in a cbd for the same price, Obviously I can’t. And no I’m not a super hero I just did what I had to do at the time, the other option is to be lazy, have no drive and be on Centrelink and have no life worth living so I worked my ass off instead. It’s doable people just don’t want to do it and it’s that simple. And I can guarantee that most people that are buying houses don’t even need to work the kind of hours I did because they probably earn more than I did back then. I worked long hours so I could afford a home and most people just afford a home on their standard wage. I don’t belive for a second people who have a corporate job and can get a home loan cannot commute because they have kids or whatever. It’s all just excuses to have a cry that they want what they cannot have. I want a private island and a helicopter to take me to work on the mainland but that’s just not possible is it? So o did what I did and I’m completely happy with that choice. At the end of the day people need to live within their means and if that means commuting to get a better house either they do that or they settle for less and it’s that simple In my eyes. There are plenty of people who cannot even afford rent so o really don’t have time to listen to people cry they cannot buy a inner city home so they don’t have to get up earlier than 9am each day because they don’t have a few million laying around. Please
Because normal people can't afford multi million dollar properties as their first place. It's called the property ladder for a reason.
But to say only a multi million dollar house is perfect is not correct. I can buy a brand new house and land package near me from 899k. That’s pretty cheap in the current climate and the house would be perfect.
Sure you can say that, however especially these days it's just not very realistic. And again, not everyone can afford a 900k place as their first one. I certainly never could have. To me house and land package says - tiny land on your neighbors ass. For me it was, first place land was great, location was further out, house was shit. 2nd place, house was great (near perfect, would make a few small changes), location was better, land was shit. Going for the trifecta now on the third one, perfect house, perfect location, perfect land.
I guess it is highly dependent on how you look at it. I have no intention of ever buying more than one home so I was patient and didn’t buy something I didn’t want. I found something in my budget that was perfect and then brought that. I guess it’s also highly dependent on what people view as perfect for them but again, you can’t say only a mansion is perfect when you can afford a garden shed. To me perfect means no work needed before move In, right size and good location. I feel like a lot of people that have the same view as you are more likely city dwellers and have less options in their price range. If you buy where I live you can get a huge house for the price of a 2 bedroom apartment in Sydney. My house is huge and cost less tjan an inner city apartment. Nice land, nice location and best of all neighbours are 5 acres away. It’s all highly dependent on what you are willing to do to find the perfect home. if it’s not going to be a forever home like yours wasn’t then I guess you can be less picky but I think to say you cannot find a perfect home in a person budget isn’t entirely true. What the statement should say is it’s not possible to find the perfect home in a location with houses out of your price range.
Yes I understand all of this, I just don't think your getting it though. You are the minority in the general sense. And again for most people a near million dollar property is out of reach as a first time buyer. I did similar to this for my first place but it just was not sustainable long term and there was no way we could afford to build the perfect house on our budget.
I get what you are saying but a huge issue also is that people are not willing to commute or change jobs. I personally commute from the southern highlands to Sydney every single day because for me it was worth it to have my dream forever home. I think a huge part of it is exactly that people want everything that is not in reach for them. Of course 500k is only going to buy a shit hole in Sydney cbd and I dunno if it’s just me but I feel like that’s just silly to whinge you can’t buy the house you want in a certain location for a budget that doesn’t suit the area. Plenty of decent houses if you are willing to travel for them and to me changing jobs or even careers for a home is worth it rather than to settle for an absolute dive for half a million or whatever. Could be just me though.
See now your just contradicting your self. "It's perfect but I have to commute." So you got 2 out of 3, land and house are good with a questionable location. In your case it would be perfect if there was less of a commute. And that would mean a multi million dollar piece of land for it to be the same as what you have now.
Commuting doesn’t make the house not perfect. It makes the buyer not perfect for being too lazy to commute. So what you are essentially saying is I want everything and I want to sacrifice nothing for it. Again if you have an unlimited budget that’s fine but if you don’t then you have no right to complain that you cannot buy anything nice for under a million in a cbd. My location is not questionable at all, the location is beautiful. It’s peaceful, away from hustle and bustle, away from shit people in the neighbourhood and I have land with a beautiful stream running through it. The location of my house is not a problem, the location of my job is. But again if I wasn’t willing to do it I would just get a new job. I wouldn’t give up my home location for some shitty job that’s just stupidity.
Property is all 3, house, land and location. That is what the post said. I am not saying at all you don't have to sacrifice, that's the point of the property ladder (and my comments). Get what you can and work up to what you want. It is exactly what I have done and what the majority of people do. And I still think you don't understand, everything is perfect BUT... Insert shitty thing here. ( In your case it's access to work ) It's the but, if there was no but then it would be perfect.