Our New Home

After months of searching and a handful of emotional ups and downs than I care to count, we finally secured a home. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know the house hunting journey has been… a saga.

If you haven’t read the first part, here it is: House Hunting Heartbreak

By this point, we had viewed over 30 houses. I could probably give directions to half the suburbs with my eyes closed!

Here’s how the next three went:

House 4 – Richmond Heights, The Cottage

This one looked like it came straight out of a cosy-daydream Pinterest board.It had a cottage-like charm, a lovely front yard, a pergola, and yes--a pizza oven!! John and I fell in love immediately. We made an offer during its first week on the market. Unfortunately, we were competing against another buyer, and although our offer was close, we lost. Another disappointment to add to the list, but we kept going.

House 5 – Hilltop, The One We Let Go

This house was beautiful. Around 130 sqm, huge windows, sunlight everywhere, lake views, and right across a playground. We competed with another offer here as well — and this time, we won.

For two days, we thought this was it.

However, things changed after the building inspection arrived. The report raised several concerns: foundation issues, uneven flooring in parts of the house, retaining walls needing upgrades, and a recommendation to consult a structural engineer due to the slope of the land. After considering the risks and the potential repair costs, we made the difficult decision to withdraw. We were so tired of starting again, but we also didn’t want to buy a house that would swallow us financially and emotionally. It was disappointing, especially after briefly thinking things were finally turning around. 

House 6 – Richmond Heights, The One

A 110 sqm property on an 833 sqm section, with a ranch-style layout and a wraparound porch. It has three bedrooms, a separate bath, two toilets, a garage, and a carport. High ceilings and exposed beams in the living and dining room!

This house had significant interest — six offers were submitted! We sent ours in right at the deadline. The agent was expected to call around 3:00 PM with the result. By 4:00 PM, we still hadn’t heard anything, and the stress of the entire journey caught up to me. 

I cried — the tired kind of cry. I called my husband saying, 'We probably didn’t get it. They would have called by now.'

Finally, at around 5:00 PM, the phone rang.

We won!

Even now while writing this, it still feels surreal. After all the setbacks, disappointment, and countless almost, the journey ended with the right home finding its way to us.

It took longer than we thought. It stretched us more than we expected. But in the end, it led us exactly where we were meant to be.

We finally got a house.

And it feels like the right one.