The peace of mind of your forever home.

Over the long weekend, we spent much time in our backyard, gardening, looking for creatures, trampolining, and I had one of those quiet moments when you notice the feeling of being completely settled.

‍

We upgraded to this place in May 2022—literally the weekend before the first rate rise. Even as a mortgage broker, nobody saw 4.35% coming from 0.1%. The timing couldn't have been worse.

‍

The last few years have been brutal in terms of cash flow. Higher rates hit everyone, but when you've just stretched to buy your forever home, every payment feels like a test of whether you made the right call.

‍

But what we've learned is the difference between buying a property and finding your family's "forever" home.

‍

There was and is always this uncertainty when renting or living in a property, somewhat temporarily. Should we invest in the local friendships? Which school should we commit to? Do we renovate or live with the dated kitchen because we might move anyway?

‍

That constant "we will need to move" background noise is exhausting in ways you don't fully appreciate until it stops. 

‍

But once you make it happen, take on the pain of change to find your true forever home, the worry about what's next fades almost immediately. 

‍

You now focus on life's day-to-day rather than holding back in fear of investing your time in the wrong places. 

‍

You notice you focus on building deep friendships for yourself and the kids because you're not going anywhere. You invest more in your neighbourhood, street, community, and your garden if you're like me. 

‍

Even during the worst cash flow months of 2023 and 2024, while it was painful, we never doubted we'd made the right choice. Sure, we could have made more money if we had timed an investment boom or tried to time the bottom of the market, but what we know is that quality assets in top locations are hard to buy no matter what time you try. 

‍

While many properties struggled, few have been listed like ours, and because of that, our property has held its value in the face of the rate storm.

‍

For those still working toward their first home, I know it feels impossibly far away sometimes. But that feeling of being truly settled, of knowing this is your base for whatever comes next, is worth every sacrifice to get there.

‍

For those considering an upgrade but worried about timing, how to make it happen, and if it's worth it, remember that we bought at the worst possible moment and still came out of it. There's never a good time, but there is a bad time, usually when the need to upgrade is at its greatest. 

‍

On the other side of the move is a life you can start living.

‍