Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, my name is Jaspar! I’m a 20 something year old guy, currently working as a designer / creative for a local manufacturing company. Currently, I’m living on the northern edge of Caroline Springs 5-10 minutes from Modeina. Born and raised in Melbourne, I spent the majority of my childhood in the surrounding suburbs (Deer Park, Burnside, Caroline Springs), so I’m more than familiar with the 3023 postcode!

Why did you start looking for a new home? And how did you decide to buy land to build on?

With property prices increasing rapidly over the past few years, a major priority for me was to not get left behind and make sure I secure something for my future - there was definitely a bit of self-induced pressure for this. Initially, I was looking at the established market, but I really wasn’t satisfied with the properties that were available and within my budget. I did some price comparisons and found that I’d likely be better off purchasing land and building, as long as I trusted the builder, was okay with the build timeline, and the block of land was quality. The first home buyers stamp duty exemption also worked more effectively this way, where as if I had purchased established in the same price bracket I’d be out of pocket a considerable amount.

What do you remember about the first visit?

The information centre was warm and inviting, and the staff on deck (Ali, featured in this newsletter) was very friendly and pretty well informed with all the questions I had! As for the area itself, when I did a drive through, the most memorable thing was the creek view and the walkways adjacent to the creek - just beautiful. The perfect blend of bush and burbs! I also noticed on street parking for the more main-ish roads, this was great so the roads don’t get blocked up with parked cars which is something a bit more subtle but very much appreciated on my end!

Who did you talk to about purchasing the land?

This was my initiative, but I did need some feedback so I spoke to close family and friends about the general land buying/building process to get some other opinions. Some were hesitant mainly regarding potential hidden costs with builders, and the security of building with builders at the moment. When it came down to the land itself, the biggest concern shared was timeline related regarding titling, but the block I was interested in had just been titled so it was a non-issue. For big things like this, I’m already relatively risk averse, so I didn’t need to take any further. So when I had decided to buy land and it came time to purchase that specific block, I just went ahead and did it!

How did you save for a deposit?

The 2020 and 2021 lockdowns helped me out a lot here, haha. I had worked throughout and spent very little money during this period. One minor thing I did was optimise my savings accounts. I checked which banks provided the highest interest rate and I set up automatic in and out payments and transactions to make sure I would receive the bonus interest.

What’s been the timeline, before the purchase and to build on the land?

Before the purchase I spent around 3-4 months doing property market research and actively monitoring what’s listed, and then 2 weeks of research and comparisons for my specific block. I signed the papers in mid February - and in talks with the builder and I’m told it’s likely the build will be fully complete before the end of the year, say around the end of November / December. Hoping that will be the case or even sooner!

What features are you going to include in your new home when it’s built?

For me, flooring is the first thing I notice about a house, so having nice flooring is a must! I’ve been looking at potentially getting engineered hardwood flooring put in for a really premium finish that feels great under the feet. During my time visiting display homes, one feature that’s really grabbed me is raked ceilings in the living room on single story houses -  it makes the house feel more ‘designer’ and premium.

What do you like about the area in and around Modeina?

I think Modeina’s location for a new estate is fantastic, especially in comparison to other new estates coming up. Being surrounded by established suburbs and not being too far out from the city really sets Modeina apart in my opinion. Lastly the estate itself is developed nicely, as some other new estates appear a little ‘undercooked’ in my opinion. You can tell there’s a lot of thought and planning that’s gone into Modeina, and that’s something I appreciate.