‘Disappointing’: First home buyer’s nightmare experience

A young Aussie woman has revealed the disappointing “nightmare” she faced when trying to buy a home.

Katie Norbury had such a nightmare experience buying her first home that even when she put in an offer on a property, she was simply ignored.

Two years ago, Ms Norbury decided she wanted to buy a home. She was looking for a place in Brisbane for under $500,000 and had a 13 per cent deposit.

She planned to use the First Home Buyers Guarantee, a government scheme that allows first-time home buyers to purchase a home with a deposit as low as 5 per cent and without having to pay mortgage insurance.

From the outset, it was tough.

“Saving for a deposit was an absolute nightmare. I didn’t have parental help to save for a deposit, and understanding the available schemes was also a nightmare,” she told news.com.au.

She had an awful experience buying her first home. Picture: TikTok/katiethemortgagebroker

She said she struggled to understand the best way to buy a home. Picture: TikTok/katiethemortgagebroker

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Ms Norbury said she bought her first home with her partner, but her partner had just finished studying, so most of the deposit came from her.

The young couple struggled to navigate the property market because there was so much advice, and knowing what to listen to was complicated.

They were even told it was a bad time to buy because it was just after the pandemic and property had boomed.

Ms Norbury said even just “deciphering” property lingo and learning to research properties made her feel out of her depth.

As a first-time homebuyer, she also found it tough to understand what government schemes would work for her.

To better understand, she listened to podcasts, asked as many questions as possible, and read up online.

At times, though, it felt like an uphill battle.

When you’re looking to buy, there’s always a boomer looking to downsize that can offer more – and likely with cash.

Ms Norbury said she struggled to be taken seriously by real estate agents. Even when she had her pre-approval for a loan and was a serious buyer, she’d turn up to inspections and be ignored.

“I felt dismissed some real estate agents wouldn’t even speak to me or acknowledge me at inspections,” she recalled.

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She put in an offer and was ignored. Picture: iStock

The worst example of this was when she put in an offer on a house within the guide’s price range and heard nothing back.

“I didn’t get any response from the real estate agent, and I looked on realestate.com.au, and I saw it was under offer,” she said.

Ms Norbury was floored by the silence, given her offer was well within the property’s price range.

“It ended up selling for an extra $30,000,” she said.

She later found out that a few people had put in offers, and there had been some back-and-forth, but she hadn’t even been given the opportunity to try to secure the property.

“That was a really disappointing process,” she said.

The couple put in a serious offer and were ignored. Picture: TikTok/katiethemortgagebroker

They ended up buying a home together but it wasn’t easy. Picture: TikTok/katiethemortgagebroker

Despite the setback, Ms Norbury remained dogged in her pursuit of buying because she wanted to prepare for the future.

“I want some comfort in my future and I wanted to be able to retire before I’m 90. Whether we like it or not, property is going to give us that comfort,” she said.

Ms Norbury and her partner ended up buying a place in Brisbane with the help of an “amazing” real estate agent, but the complex process made her want to help other young buyers.

Ms Norbury said they’ve always seen “growth” in the area they bought into, and in just two years, their house is now worth more.

Even though it all worked out it wasn’t easy becoming a homeowner and Ms Norbury chose to leave her marketing career and become a mortgage broker, explaining that all she wants to do now is help others navigating the buying process.