Newlyweds discover the perfect place for their forever home

Over this highly unusual period there has been a lot of commentary about the value of housing and whether now is a good time to buy. Some even forecast that the pandemic would bring property searches to a halt. Research from Domain analysing views per listing, however, shows that Victorians have remained keenly interested in new homes, especially in locations outside the inner suburbs.

In the metropolitan north west (the area that accommodates Mickleham), for example, views per listing from February to July in 2020 are higher than they were in 2019.

We decided to talk to some of the people who have bought land during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown and find out why they’ve stayed certain about their home-buying dream.

Partners Jeremy and Belinda began exploring the market for a first home in 2019, but knew their search wouldn’t get serious until after they were married. In early 2020, the couple returned from their honeymoon ready to find their dream property and confronted a totally unexpected obstacle: coronavirus.

Whilst confronted with this unexpected challenge, it certainly didn’t deter them.

“I think it would have been easier if we were outside restrictions, where we could actually see display homes and check out land [but] COVID-19 has not put any doubt in our mind,” Jeremy tells us.

“We both had saved up a deposit for our house previously [and] as we both have steady jobs, we have been able to continually work through [the period]. When we started looking at a new build we realised we were eligible for both the First Home Owner Grant and Federal Government’s HomeBuilder Grant, which meant our ideal house and land package was slightly under our budget.”

Their financial position and government incentives gave them confidence to continue seeking a place to call their own, and Jeremy says that confidence was boosted by the property professionals they came in contact with during their home hunt.

“We were lucky to deal with some really great people. Stevie at Botanical was great and made the process super easy. We also were able to deal with some very helpful builders that were very transparent and made choosing a house not so strenuous.”

Stevie Chau is Satterley’s Sales Professional responsible for the Botanical community in Mickleham. Jeremy and Belinda met her shortly after coming to the conclusion that established homes in the northern suburbs where they wanted to remain – they currently live in Broadmeadows and Roxburgh Park respectively – were out of their price range.

“We looked at estates in Mickleham as these were offering decent valued land and were close to the suburbs we wanted to stay near. We also looked at other estates, but were much happier with Botanical as we [liked] what they offered and what was projected to be established in that estate.”

After some advice and guidance from Stevie, Jeremy and Belinda chose a block that they felt suited them perfectly and plan to start building their four-bedroom Orbit Home in November.

“We are looking forward to finally getting out of lockdown and moving to a place that we can call ours.

“We would eventually like to start a family and as this is going to be our forever house, we can’t wait to build a life in Botanical.”

Recently married and future Botanical residents, Jeremy and Belinda.