Ever since she was a little girl, Catherine Burke knew she wanted to build a home. In fact, she never considered buying an established home after watching her parents build their dream house. And in 2019, Cat received the keys to her very first home that was built by… Move Homes.
It might sound like a fairy tale, but it was far from one. The finance plan she was proceeding with had to change causing Cat to double the amount of deposit required. The application process took over a year with the home starting construction 13 months after the deposit was paid. But every cloud has a silver lining. Not only is Cat incredibly happy in her new home, but she understands the home buying journey in such an in-depth way that only a home buyer can. And more importantly, she wants to give her clients the information she wished she had through her build process.
“Finance should be number 1 on your agenda. When you think you are 6-12 months away from being ‘ready’ to buy your home, I suggest you speak to someone about your financial situation. It may take you quite some time to gather your deposit or make sure your bank statements don’t show too many expenses!”
12 months after moving in, Cat still hasn’t put up all her wall art. But she continues to add more clothes to her custom walk-in robe and bought a new puppy called Nala who loves the new home (especially digging up the backyard reticulation!).
Favourite quote: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
Something people may not know about me: I have a degree in Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resource Management and Finance.
Advice for home buyers: You don’t have to include everything in your first build. Things like overhead cupboards, air-conditioning and fitted wardrobes can be done after you have moved in and saved a bit more money.
