Case study: From Hughes to Garran, search for family backyard perfectly timed

Woden residents Geoff and Kylie Shaw timed their move from Hughes to Garran perfectly. 

The lawyer and doctor had lived in their three-bedroom townhouse since 2010. Now with two boys, Oliver, 4, and Daniel, 2, they decided it was time to move to a home with a large backyard.

“The main reason for transitioning was additional room and space,” Mr Shaw says. “Coming into spring and summer our two young boys have loved the extra space.”

The move was well timed not only for the boys – the house sold  when prices were starting to climb. They bought the townhouse in 2010, when the market was robust, and Mr Shaw says there hadn’t been much growth since then, but  the market was beginning to find its feet again.

“When we sold we had the impression that the market had picked up over the last six months,” Mr Shaw says.

The family decided to stay in the area because it was close to good schools, shopping centres and offered convenient access to Kingston, the inner south and the city.

The home the Shaws bought in Garran is of an older style on a larger block, which they plan to renovate.