Joshua and Zoe Chiswell are ditching the city and moving west in a bid to own their own home.
Skyrocketing house prices and cost-of-living pressures are forcing first homebuyers like Joshua and Zoe Chiswell out of the big smoke.
The couple, who live on the Gold Coast, are ditching the Glitter Strip and moving west in a bid to own their own home.
“When we started looking for a home two years ago, we were faced with skyrocketing house prices and issues getting finance,” said Mr Chiswell, who works as an occupational therapist.
“We soon realised we weren’t going to be able to afford a home where we currently live and work.”
Villawood Properties’ $400m masterplanned residential community Eucalee at Gleneagle.
The couple, who earns under $170,000 combined, paid $304,900 for a 750 sqm block at Villawood Properties’ Gleneagle development Eucalee, near Beaudesert.
They plan to build a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a yard for their border collie.
Ms Chiswell, who works as a registered nurse on the Gold Coast, hopes to secure a job in the region once their home is complete.
“We were initially drawn to Eucalee because we had a little knowledge of Villawood’s other developments and we liked the strong community aspect and the fact their communities are focused on high quality amenities and plenty of green space,” she said.
As well as the first homebuyer grants, the couple took advantage of Villawood’s Care Worker Support Program, where eligible care workers can save $10,000 on a new home at Eucalee.
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Joshua and Zoe Chiswell.
Villawood Properties Queensland general manager Michael Williams said it was important
essential workers were supported to settle in growing communities like Eucalee.
“Recent research shows that Queensland nurses, and teachers among other essential workers
now face up to a 30-year wait to get their foot on the property ladder indicating that wage growth for essential services has unfortunately not kept up with soaring property prices,” said Mr Williams.
“These statistics indicate that essential workers need a leg up to help them secure their own
home and by doing so we are not only settling care workers within a community, but we are also future-proofing a region to ensure it has the services it needs to be a vibrant and connected place to live.”
Eucalee is being developed on an 83ha site in Gleneagle and will include more than 700 lots.
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