How a wily 15-minute wait secured an Aussie couple their dream home

Australia’s property market remains out of reach for millions across the country, with first-home buyers and investors flocking to areas outside capital city fringes.

The influx – a hangover from the 2020 global pandemic – is again gaining momentum following the Albanese government’s proposed tax changes to the property sector.

It has left many first-home buyers scrambling to bypass intense competition. Ashlee and her partner, Tyson, are among them.

Ashlee had been intently keeping watch on her next-door neighbour’s house for 12 months – ever since the occupants upped and left one day, never to return.

Her high level of vigilance – from her parents’ house next door – was not born out of fear, but rather a wily strategy to help her and Tyson secure a foothold on Australia’s increasingly out-of-reach property ladder. The couple were living with them to save money.

“We’re located in regional Victoria so we know people want to buy in this area. Everyone’s making the move out to regional,” the 30-year-old business owner told nine.com.au.  

“We were like, ‘we have to be on top of everyone else and get in before anyone’.”

Regional markets across Australia remain a hotspot for first-home buyers and investors looking for affordable housing options outside the major metropolitan centres.

However, the shifting political landscape has industry experts watching closely.

Ray White Group head of research Vanessa Rader noted that ongoing debates around housing policy, including negative gearing, could fundamentally alter buyer behaviour.

“The intent is to shift investor demand toward new housing supply, however the reality, particularly outside capital cities, is more complicated,” Rader said.

“These changes do not remove housing pressure, they shift it.”

The phone call

The phone call Ashlee made that fateful day mid-way through last year was to a local real estate agent. 

She had spotted the agent’s car pull up at her neighbour’s abandoned, 160-year-old dilapidated house, before leaving a short time later.

“I waited about 15 minutes … then I called them. “I said, ‘Hey, I’ve just seen your car at this house. Are you selling it?’” she recalled.

As it turned out, the agent was at the four-bedroom house conducting an appraisal for the owners, who were quietly preparing to sell.

“It didn’t even make it to market because we were actually in negotiations with the agent going back and forth for about six months,” she said.

Ashlee’s sharp instincts paid off.

The owner decided against a public auction or open market campaign, ultimately accepting the young couple’s off-market offer. 

“It was honestly the most surreal feeling ever,” she recalled.

“We’re both 30 now, but we didn’t think we’d ever be able to get into the property market.” 

Ashlee declined to comment on the sale price she paid for the property and nine.com.au agreed to withhold the exact location to protect the couple’s privacy.

While the median house price across Australia’s combined capital cities sits at a staggering $1.28 million – with metropolitan Melbourne hovering around the $900,000 mark – regional areas still offer affordable options.

Rader noted there are still regional pockets where median house prices sit well below $600,000 and rental yields range from 6.3 per cent to 10.7 per cent.

“For first home buyers willing to build a life outside the major centres, or for those considering a genuine lifestyle shift, affordable entry prices and strong community infrastructure make a compelling combination,” she said.

“Entry at these price points, with yields that can stand on their own merits, represents a different kind of investment story, one that does not depend on policy settings remaining unchanged.”

The reality of their “dream home”

It’s been three months since the couple settled on their new home. It is a stark reality the couple are eager to tackle, even if those around them do not understand.

“The first thing that people say to us is ‘what the hell were you thinking?’” she laughed.

“They unfortunately left it in a very, very bad shape. They packed their bags and left and moved to another town about mid last year, leaving the house just in ruins.”

For Ashlee however, the property’s deep history outweighs the mess. The property is next to her parents’ house, on a street where her father grew up.

“Tyson’s a carpenter and my dad is as well so we knew that we were going into a restoration. We knew that we would more than likely have to bring it down to the bare bones and start again,” she said.

Since taking ownership, the couple have tackled the “Taj Mahal-sized” infestation of blackberry bushes, discovered the home is built on literal bluestone blocks and has a severe case of rising damp.

She said they hope to move into the home by the end of the year and work on the property in sections. They are documenting their renovation online.