The smart decisions that helped a young family secure their home and end years of renting. Image: Justin Lloyd.

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Bernard Baird, along with his wife Laura Adams and their two young children Harlow (3) and Jax (7 months), recently purchased a home they “fell in love” with after years of renting.

Given the rising rent prices and the impending birth of their child at the beginning of the year, they decided to start looking for a home of their own.

“We needed more space and started the process shortly after the baby was born,” Baird said.

“After scouring the online listings, we spent a good six or seven weeks going to viewings every Saturday, which was fun for a while… then not so much fun.”

Mr Baird said the number of homes on the market was encouraging.

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“There’s a lot out there, it might not always suit your needs. We live in the Maroubra area and there was stuff there but it was out of our price range. So we came to the conclusion that availability of property wasn’t the issue, it was just about meeting our needs,” he said.

“There were no negative viewings, everyone was nice and helpful… sometimes you didn’t care about the debriefing because you got more information about the property.”

He said expanding their scope of work has made it easier for them to find the right property for them.

“We would have liked to stay in the eastern suburbs, but for that price, the quality wasn’t great. We started to expand west and around Wolli Creek… everything was close by, so it didn’t make much difference.”

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Laura Adams and Bernard Baird recently bought a property with their children that they “fell in love” with. Image: Justin Lloyd.

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After being rejected for a property in Wolli Creek, they decided to jump straight into the next property they wanted.

“My wife and I didn’t know it, but we had both contacted the agent and spoken to the same man… but we fell in love with this property from the first moment.

“Now we are glad that the first one didn’t work out.”

It was critical to ensure their financing was approved, the deposit was in the right account, and the legal issues were resolved so they could make an offer quickly.

Mr Baird’s financing was previously approved by James Algar at Mortgage Choice Dee Why.

Mr Baird tells you how to successfully close the sale. Image: Justin Lloyd.

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“We jumped in right away and submitted an offer, then we applied pressure and then followed up,” Baird said.

He said the key to sales success is thorough research

“Look at the layers, which can be expensive, look at the areas for basic things like parking and proximity to parks, and for my wife, the cafes,” he said.

“It actually works both ways. You might like the property but not the area. You have to go out and do it. The properties don’t come to you. You have to go to the viewings and make the calls.”

He said it was a relief that the search was over and they could now live in their safe home.

“It was a challenging process… but it was also quite fun.”

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