It started when my beloved husband decided that we’d been talking property for a while but doing nothing about it. Spurred to action, we went for a few house inspections, kids in tow, with the idea of buying an investment property.
Looking around it was quite evident that property prices had increased substantially in our area, and while our current house was good enough, in a few years we would probably want a bigger house but be unable to buy one. So there!
Somewhere in between all of that, the search for an investment property disappeared and one for land to build a new house began. Mooroolbark was out, and land was so hard to find in Croydon, an established suburb. There was Bennison Park Estate, almost too good to be true, but the good blocks were already snapped up.
Then came the golf course converted to a lovely new estate called The Range. We looked at it a long time ago and decided it was far too expensive. We’d have to pay more for the land than we did for our house. Ha! Would we ever do that? To cut a long story short we did, and so it began.
It been up and down ever since, building is far tougher than I ever expected it to be. Broken promises from the first builders and a tough battle to get our money back – with a little help from a good lawyer.
The kids have been so excited; luckily it hasn’t worn off for them. For me, I think once we are actually on site then I can start to think ahead, right now it’s a block on a beautiful estate where the grass gets longer day by day.
And now we have signed up with Porter Davis to build one of their houses from the Lifestyle range with a few modifications, scheduled for a July site start. So far it has been pretty good, initial deposit paid, tender signed yesterday – 10 May 2010, colour selection scheduled for 24 May 2010 and contract signing on 27 May 2010. At this stage it looks like the house may just be ready by January 2011.
When my older boy was a wee un, I used to sing ‘Home on the Range’ every night as a lullaby, little knowing that one day that may just come true…..
