Life made easy, with Windermere’s prestigious masterplanned community.
We live in a time of instantaneous information at our fingertips. However, purchasing your first home isn’t as easy as asking Siri to display the perfect home of your dream. This journey could quite possibly be one of the most exciting and fulfilling decisions that you ever make! Why not make it a smart move, with Windermere!
There are so many things to consider, from finance to builders and everything in between. Purchasing a home forces you to dig deep to map out how you want your future to look in 5 – 10 years. We know it can be stressful sifting through all the information out there, so we asked our team on the front line to narrow it down for us. Just what do first home buyers want? And more importantly, what do they need to know before signing on the dotted line.
Managing Expectations
If only our Instagram feed were the only one showing us a polished world of big, luxurious spaces, beautiful architectural designs, and lavish interiors!
When you start doing your shopping for a new home, you will no doubt pop into your fair share of display homes. It’s easy to get carried away with the double story, marble filled dream but the truth is, you probably don’t want to overcapitalize on your first home. The average time Australians hold onto their home is 7-12 years, and while that may seem like a long time, you’ll be going through this process again in no time and you may find yourself regretting the unnecessary lavishness of impulse purchases.
Now, on to finances…
It’s far too easy to accumulate a couple of dark spots on your credit report, we’ve all done it. Even if you have managed to avoid that, there is Zip Pay, Afterpay, credit cards for those overseas holidays… and now the bank wants to punish you for living your best life. The bottom line is, you’re going to need pristine bank records for at least three months and genuine savings to show for your deposit. It is possible to use your parents’ equity for a deposit, but that’s a story for another day. Heading into the property market, it is always a great idea to reach out to a mortgage broker. At Windermere, we even have finance professionals available on site. Having a pre-approval in hand will help you to stick to your budget and not fall for the candy at check-out, so to speak.
and the Finer Details..
Mortgage brokers can also go through the finer details of your budget and work out how much you can comfortably afford to repay in terms of a monthly mortgage. They should also discuss tips for getting a deposit together, all the insurances, grants, and upfront costs involved and put a plan in place to help you achieve your property goals.
The days of buying a family home and paying it off for 20 years are long gone. If you want to build real wealth before retirement, you have to own a few properties. Either to sell off later down the track, or for the rental income. One thing to remember is that property is a long term game! There will be dips and peaks in the market, which we need to prepare our budgets for. Don’t be put off though, they mean nothing unless you’re selling. Property prices have climbed steadily since the dawn of shelter. Your humble first home could double in value a few times before you’re ready to move on from it.
Your first home may not be your forever home, but ideally, you will be able to hold onto it to rent out when you upgrade, so you still want a property that is going to work for you in the interim, which leads us to our next point:
What is important?
Amenities
We are all about lifestyle these days. I suggest finding a land estate with everything you need on your doorstep and more. We are very spoilt for choice here in Melbourne and at Windermere we tick all the boxes. From nearby transport, schools, shopping centers, to big open spaces, parks and nature reserves.. All these things will save you time and improve your daily quality of life.
Sustainability
Sustainability is an important point, not only for the environment but for your pocket too. We can draw energy from the sun, and some estates even have built-in sustainability initiatives. Ask the team at Windermere about their purple tap project for example; each house has a dedicated outside tap for watering the garden, cleaning the car, etc.!
Location
The western growth corridor accounted for more than 41% of sales across all the growth corridors. With major infrastructure upgrades and development underway, people are noticing the value and capitalizing on low land prices and developer incentives available. Not a bad time to be a first home buyer at all.
One day, you will look back and these will be the “good old days”. Start the Conversation today 1300 008 555
Masterplan
Sometimes you just have to jump on in and begin the conversation. Having a chat with our friendly staff on-site can do just that. Come have a coffee on us and discover the extensive benefits of investing in a masterplanned community. They’re at the suite on-site at 275 Greens Road, Mambourin. Seven days a week from 11 am – 5 pm.
