‘Doesn’t mean saving was easy’: Young FIFO couple reveal buying reality

Australia’s housing crisis is so bad that even a young FIFO couple had to fight their way onto the property ladder.

Australia’s housing crisis is so bad that even a young FIFO couple had to fight their way onto the property ladder.

Alysha White, 26, and her partner Brendon, 25, have just built their first home together but it wasn’t an easy achievement.

Ms White works gruelling hours in the mining industry, and her partner, Brendon, is an electrician who works underground.

Right now, Brendon’s still flying in and out, and Ms White is still doing shift work but doesn’t fly out anymore.

Even though FIFO work is notoriously well-paying, the young couple needed to forgo independence and stay at home to save up enough to buy.

“I never wanted to rent so my partner and I worked our asses off to get to where we are. It’s been such a humbling experience for the both of us and has caused so much stress at times, but we honestly had the best build process, and it has been such a great experience,” she told news.com.au.

Alysha never wanted to rent. Picture: Instagram/alyshajwhite

The pair both worked very hard to buy. Picture: Instagram/alyshajwhite

According to PropTrack, prices in Perth rose 20 per cent in a year and nationally prices are up nearly 7 per cent since May 2023.

The couple ended up buying a block of land and building their home on it, but even that wasn’t straightforward.

The 26-year-old said that all the “random costs” associated with building and buying made it hard for them to get ahead.

“You don’t think about as someone who’s never owned a home before like life insurance, house insurance, rates etc. Everything adds up and it’s really not as simple as just paying your mortgage each month,” she told news.com.au.

Ms White said it wasn’t impossible for the couple to save up to buy because they had “decent jobs,” but even earning FIFO wages didn’t make it simple.

“That doesn’t mean saving was easy. We still had to make sacrifices, and some months were harder than others; we worked extra shifts, which meant more time apart or missing out on events,” she said.

“You just have to think about how worth it will be in the end.”

She said buying has been “rewarding.”. Picture: Instagram/alyshajwhite

It wasn't always easy for the couple to save. Picture: Instagram/alyshajwhite

Despite the hardship, Ms White said that, for the most part, buying and building has been worth it, and she’s proud of it.

“Having something to my name, something that we worked hard for. It’s so rewarding seeing the finished product. Plus, being able to buy new furniture and deciding exactly how you want the house has its perks, too,” she explained.

The couple is glad they aren’t renting. Picture: Instagram/alyshajwhite

While getting into the property market has been a positive experience for the couple there’s also been some hard parts.

“I think the hardest thing about building was how humbling everything is after you get your keys. You’d think it would be so exciting, and this is it, this is everything you’ve been waiting for, and although that is true – there is so much more that comes after getting the keys that isn’t just unpacking,” she said.

“There were a couple of things we took out of our build to keep a lower mortgage; we took out paving, so we had to find a concreter; we took out painting, so we had to find a painter; we took out blinds, so we had to buy and install blinds. There were so many costs that came afterwards.”

Even though it has been an expensive venture Ms White definitely thinks they’ve made the right decision.

“Our mortgage is definitely higher than our rent would be, but with the price of rent these days, you can’t even call that the better option or affordable.”