‘Worth the wait’: Family’s off-market find after four-year hunt

Catherine and Aaron McArlein with children, Alexander, 5, and Georgia, 3. pic: Lyndon Mechielsen Catherine and Aaron McArlein began hunting for their first home in 2022, right as Brisbane’s property market spun out of control. “It was daunting,” Ms McArlein, 38, said. “We knew we would have to spend more than we were comfortable with … it was just insane how prices were rising.” A financial planner advised them to get into the market as soon as possible, but the professional couple refused to panic and waited to find the perfect family home for their children, Alexander, 5, and Georgia, 3. The couple held off until prices plateaued. Pic: Lyndon Mechielsen “We really didn’t want to pay that much for a house that five years ago was half or three-quarters of the value,” Ms McArlein said. “We could have gone up and out of our comfort zone, but we didn’t want to do that for a house that wasn’t 100 per cent what we wanted. “We could have taken to heart the advice of the financial planner to get in, but in our mind it was worth the wait. We knew there was a point where the market would have to plateau.” Their patience paid off. After four years and five rejected offers, a local real estat...