I have a crush. She is sweet, warm, open and inviting and with her, I feel right at home. The first time we met, I dreamt about her. I awoke, and the thought of her lingered with me throughout my day. She is not exactly what I expected but she is a lovely surprise. The lady in question is a gorgeous three bedroom villa, with terracotta tiles, lots of windows and a little breakfast nook that opens onto a pebbled area via glass double doors. She doesn’t tick all of the boxes that my girlfriend and I had put down on paper but it doesn’t matter. She has that undeniable X factor. The question now is: will she set up home with us?
My beau and I finally decided on a suburb that suits both of us: Yokine. Like most resolutions, it came after communication. Extensive communication, including heated debates, pouty silences and sly means of persuasion. To start with, we weren’t exactly open about what we desired, but we surely made it obvious! In the end though, we had to face up to the fact that our dreams may not always match up and accept, even encourage, the other person to go after what they wanted.
First, we had to confess what it was each of us was respectively looking for in a new abode. For her, it was good investment potential, something close to her work and not too far away from her loved ones, either. Being the aesthetic creature that I am, I went for the visually appealing houses that I had an emotional connection to when I walked in the door. We both agreed to find a place that doesn’t require a lot of work, renovation-wise, and that is near life. By that, we mean, not too suburban, close to a few cafes or restaurants, close to the beach and less than a $50 taxi ride home from the city – exactly the desires of the myriad people in the 20 to 30 age bracket looking for their own home sweet home!
For this reason, the government built up land and home packages all over the place, which include brand new stainless steel appliances and landscaped gardens. This is great, as long as you don’t want to live too close to the city or the beach, or be able to find your humble abode – as every new home crops up a in a suburb that is so new it can’t be found in your freshly bought UBD. I have to admit I was seduced, especially by the thought of a brand new kitchen , but being the first wannabe chef to cook in my own kitchen wasn’t enough to lure me out of the city.
So, I gave up my dream of living in a just-built abode and she gave up her desire for a modernly paved courtyard. Alas, a new place in the city is out of our price range. I still need a bath though! (Oh, ha ha!) We love open plan kitchen/ lounges too. The other thing we need is three bedrooms – or, as it is set to become, a master bedroom and two studies. We have two very distinct working modes – I need absolute silence and she needs as much noise as possible.
Which brings me back to my crush; when we gave up on finding perfection, she just fell into our laps and we promptly fell in love. The government recently doubled the first home buyers grant to $14, 000 too! Now, we are about to put an offer so lets hope the same good fortune follows. Wish us luck! Please?
Maya Muir
