In this series, The Australian Financial Review chats to a recent home buyer about where they bought and why – as well as the practical details, such as how much the property cost, if they got what they wanted, and just how hard (or easy) the process was – to give readers a taste of what the market is like.

Meet Kristen Kubank, 52, a single mother of four and the chief financial officer for ASX-listed renewables firm Sparc Technologies.