A place to call home

For one young couple, love at first sight came in the form of a cozy, two bedroom house on a 1,000 square metre block in Aberdeen.

Boasting open plan living, a beautiful verandah out the front and surrounded by trees and gardens, Jess and Harry now have a place to call their own in the small town where they both grew up. 

A helping hand

While the young couple both made sacrifices to save a 5% deposit, it was the First Home Guarantee that really gave them a leg up on the property ladder.

“The First Home Guarantee was our ticket into the housing market,” Jess said.

“We were renting at the time we were saving for a house, so we already had bills and expenses we needed to pay.

New to Newcastle Permanent, Jess said the home loan application process was easy.

“We had heard great things about Newcastle Permanent and their home loans, so we did our research and for us it was the best choice,” Jess said.

“Everything went through quickly and we were able to do everything online, so with our busy work and life schedules we were still able to get everything organised.

“It still feels super surreal but we couldn’t be happier. It’s already starting to feel like home and we can’t wait to turn it into something of our own.”

The process

With the whole process from their offer being accepted to formal approval and inspections only taking one month, Jess said they got lucky with their house hunting journey.

“The house we bought was the first house we looked at and we both fell in love with it, however it was too expensive for us at the time,” Jess said.

“No other houses were coming up for sale and if they did, they were way out of our price range.

“We waited a few months and I was checking and saw that the price had dropped.

“With talks of interest rates rising we weren’t sure what to do, but we decided to just go for it.

“We got lucky and our offer was quickly accepted. With no-one living in the home, we were able to negotiate a short settlement period and have already moved in.”

Expert advice

Starting out with just a phone call, Jess and Harry had an appointment with lending specialist Addie-Leigh a couple of days later to begin the loan application process.

“Addie-Leigh was such a great help the entire time, Jess said.

“She kept us up to date and was always just a phone call away for us to ask questions and get help.”

Addie-Leigh said making the process smooth for customers is her main goal.

“I like to keep my customers updated throughout the whole process. First home buyers have never been through it before and they need some guidance along the way,” Addie-Leigh said.

“It can be challenging for young couples to enter the market, but these types of Government initiatives can open up so many opportunities for first home buyers.

“Being able to help customers like Jess and Harry achieve their life goals is so rewarding.”