Ep 83. From Overwhelmed to Owning: A First Home Buyer’s Real Story
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed at the start of your home‑buying journey, you’re not alone.
In this episode, Ailsa shares the real emotions behind becoming a first‑time buyer - from the fear of not knowing where to live next to the relief of finally holding the keys. We talk through why stability matters more than the market, how easy it is to get stuck in the “you don’t know what you don’t know” phase, why the right guidance protects you from overpaying, what confidence looks like when you understand off‑market, auction and fair value, and most importantly, how clarity and structure turn a daunting process into a successful one.
Speakers in today’s episode:
Michelle May - Michelle May Buyers Agents
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Michelle
okay so the funniest things just happened, Ailsa and I were talking about the process and then there was a knock on the door, Ailsa just talk me through what just happened
Ailsa
I just see my neighbor from across the complex come up to my door and I was like hey and then I said to Michelle give me two seconds and he actually came and gave me some free lime it was so sweet they grow them in his own backyard he's got a whole box he's like take some, I'm like that's so nice thank you I just take a few thanks I don't have that many people living here anyways but they're honestly the sweetest neighbors ever and they look after my dog as well whilst I'm gone and at work
Michelle
Mutually beneficial society that's so good because you live in a small community
Ailsa
Thank you.
Michelle
It's really nice that you found the right community as well. I think that's as important as finding the right unit, apartment, or house. It's really important to find a good complex and obviously you did. I'm so, so happy for you. That's good. Now that it's all done and dusted, what did it feel like actually getting your own keys?
Ailsa
For me and my partner as well, it's just the stability. When we were first told we were getting kicked out of our rental because we moved into a stay, we had no family here. So that fear of where are going to live? Right. I never want to be in that situation again. So that was one of the biggest drivers for me to own my own property. It wasn't like I could just move back home, you know, wait until the property market had died down a bit before coming back out again it was we have to either buy something or rent somewhere and to me buying somewhere just made so much sense right and so when we eventually did get this place and when we got the keys it was just like well we've settled in Sydney, we have our own little place and the best thing so far within the last month is just being able to make those small changes around the house that feels more homely to us because with the rent It's like oh can I put up a nail? Can I not? Can I put up some more art? Do I have to repaint before I move out? Just things like that. Just doesn’t make it my own home. Whereas here I could put some grass down for my dog which she has never had grass in her life being an apartment dog and I just remember the first day we put grass down she played by herself on the grass for a solid hour just by herself. She was rolling around. I was cooking and then I noticed where's my dog? because she never likes to leave my side when I'm at home in the apartment and then I look out of the kitchen window and she's just been playing on her grass and she's so extremely happy and that just made me feel like this sounds really bad but like buying this was so worth it. It's very expensive but a lot of first-time young first-time buyers these days are buying for their dogs.
Michelle
No, that's great.
Well, it's someone part of your household and it's just really important that you're happy, but also your pets are enjoying the environment you live in for sure. That's totally understandable. So now that you are a proud homeowner, what would you say to someone who's just at the start of this whole process? What would you say to them?
For example, is this something you wish you'd known earlier? What is your advice for them?
Ailsa
At the start it is very hard to know what you don't know, right? Just because you're so new to everything. But I think having the right guidance, having someone there who actually does know the property is very, very important and it also helps you, prevents you from falling into those loopholes or prevents you from buying extensively above what the fair value is, which is something that I feel like, I needed a lot of guidance. So having someone there who could help you a professional such as Michelle maybe or if you have family or friends who are well versed in the property market to tell you because when I talk to colleagues who are my age and I go we bought this off market they will go sorry can you just like explain to me what off market is versus auction versus private treaty and like that's so valid because six months ago I was also asking those exact same questions and so using chat GPT to tell me which property are increasing the most, I'd rather talk to a professional who could guide me along the way, do all that due diligence for me, as well as go to auction for me, which I think, because my family and my parents aren't here, is not something that I would have had the confidence to go to auction myself on the day. I think my biggest piece of advice is to go source out those people who could give you some sort of guidance or teach you about the property market. It doesn't have to be a buyer's agent per se, just someone who knows the Sydney market who can help you navigate it.
In my case, I didn't have anyone like that, but luckily because Carolyn, my boyfriend's mum, knew Michelle, we were able to get really great help from you. So at the end of the day, we felt very guided throughout the process and we ended up in a property that we love without having to pay extensively over the fair value which in the long run as you say Michelle you make your money when you buy right so I really think having that guidance is extremely important for first-time buyers.
Michelle
Yes and it’s the clarity through the process. This is where we're gonna start with your briefing and budget, and there's an actual process to doing this right. Sometimes that means being really patient and walking away from the wrong thing and sometimes you have to move extremely fast in order to do that. Thank you so much, Ailsa , for your time. I'm so glad we found you the right place to call home.
Ailsa
That's alright. Likewise, thank you so much. I've really enjoyed working with you as well and you know, we love our new property. Couldn't be happier for our first property.
Michelle
Thank you.
Yay! Well done! Well hey, if you are listening to this, you've been listening to Ailsa and you think, my gosh, that sounds exactly like me. Well that's not a coincidence. It happens all the time and most buyers don't need more opinions. They just need the right clarity and the structure to be able to successfully purchase in the Sydney market, particularly in a market
such as right now, which is really confusing because there's so much happening in the world, there's so much happening in Australia, which renders a lot of buyers unable to make a decision. They're sort of sitting on their hands and not knowing what to do. Now, I know this is why I started this podcast a long time ago, exactly to help you get some clarity and confidence in buying by yourself. But I've also got, as you may know, the Better Home Buying course, which is a step by step process that will walk you through from everything to understanding what your brief and budget buys you, all the way to, like Ailsa , getting the keys.
It's an online program course with live sessions with me. You can ask me all your questions. We can go through everything. There's downloadables and handy modules to talk you through the whole thing. So it might be something you're interested in, but otherwise keep listening to the podcast. Give us a like and a follow. Share it with your friends so they get to find us as well.
Ailsa , thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it and I must come around and look at all the changes that you've made soon.
Ailsa
No, 100%. Thank you for having Michelle and we would love to have you around. Thank you too, bye.
Michelle
Thank you, take care, bye.