November 17, 2016 by John Costa
Cassandra Lendell, 29 studied the arts, travelled the world, picked up the odd job here and there then settled into her current job working at an advertising firm. Cassandra has been in her current role for 18 months.
She has just purchased her first home.
This is her story.
I always wanted my own little home and I decided to go for it. My workmates told me I should buy now as the prices would just go higher in value. I heard that there were concessions for first home buyers as well. I had to figure out how much I needed as a deposit, where I wanted to live and what was important to me in a home.
One of my friends recommended a Mortgage Broker.
I called John from Mortgage Choice who was happy to meet me and go through the costs that were associated and the concessions available. He also took me through the whole process which was an eye opener. From then I felt at ease that this was achievable.
My mum was a little nervous about the idea of me buying my own home, but she now sees it as a good investment for my future. She didn’t pay anything towards it but I know she would have. The interest rates are really low at the moment. I could wait a couple more years but I didn’t want to risk it. My monthly repayments are around $1,250.00. I could get a flatmate if I wanted but I’ll be fine for the moment.
I got a pre-approval.
I wanted to be sure that I would be approved for finance so I organised a pre-approval with John. It didn’t cost anything so why not! I went to some open for inspections but nothing felt right. In the end it took me about six weeks before I saw one that I liked and I couldn’t hide my excitement. I probably should have kept my poker face on because I ended up paying the full asking price. I moved in 60 days later.
I got my roommate in the end, Brutus the Bulldog. He keeps me entertained and is great company.
Initially I was worried about the safety aspect but my little unit is one of four and it is very quiet. I made friends with my neighbour which makes me feel safer.
At the start a lot of my friends thought I was crazy for buying my home. They thought I should travel more and live it up first but now they love coming over for a coffee and a chat and can see the value in what I’ve done.
I was always independent and wanted to do it my way and I’m glad I did it.
