‘Stepping stone’: Mistake 28yo dodged to buy multiple properties before turning 30

The reality behind a happy snap of a Aussie couple buying a home together exposes just how much things have changed.

A 28-year-old Aussie real estate agent who has bought her third property has revealed how she dodged a common mistake millennials often make when trying to enter the property market.

Alyce Lewis is a successful real estate agent on the Central Coast in NSW, where the average house price has soared past $900,000.

Ms Lewis sold over 52 properties in 2024 alone and is really proud to “represent women in sales” in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

She is also making her own real estate dreams come true, having just settled on her third home.

Despite being well verse in the buying process, she said it was still a “daunting” experience making such a big financial decision.

“The hardest part about our recent buying experience is probably taking that initial leap and deciding to go for it,” she told news.com.au.

Real estate agent Alyce Lewis is also making her own real estate dreams come true. Picture: Instagram/AlyceLewis

It took her a few years to able to purchase an investment property. Picture: Instagram/AlyceLewis

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Buying your third home before turning 30 certainly isn’t easy in the middle of a housing crisis, but Ms Lewis said she was able to do it because she learned from the blunders she’d seen other buyers her age make.

“The biggest mistake I see first home buyers make is that they think they need a dream home straight off the bat,” she said.

The savvy agent said it’s a common trap young people fall into and there’s “no way” she’d have bought three properties by now if she’d been chasing that unrealistic dream.

Instead, she got onto the property ladder by buying a small duplex herself, which was all she could afford at the time.

The 28-year-old said it was never her dream place, but it was a solid “stepping stone” that would allow her to become a homeowner.

She also bought into a strata property. Buying into a strata scheme means you’ve purchased your apartment and become part owner of the common property.

Therefore, you usually pay a quarterly fee for the general upkeep of the building, which can get tricky when something major goes wrong as you can be up for thousands of dollars.

“I had it in my head I was not buying into strata, I was hellbent about it, but I walked into this property and had a gut feeling,” she said.

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She believes in a stepping stone approach to real estate. Picture: Instagram/AlyceLewis

She works a seven days a week. Picture: Instagram/AlyceLewis

Ms Lewis is “thankful” she made that decision now because buying that first home meant she could sell it, cash in, and buy a property with her husband.

“That home helped us secure a bigger property later that we could live in,” she said.

“It is just building blocks. Keep an open mind to all options and that is going to put you in the best position.”

The third home she bought is her first investment property, with the couple managing to nab it off-market before an online marketing campaign launched.

“It doesn’t mean you’ll buy it cheaper but there’s less hassle and competition,” she said.

The fact that she’s managed to buy her first investment property has felt like such a huge achievement.

“I work seven days a week and my job is quite demanding, so it’s been a big slog to get here,” she said.

“But, in saying that, it is really nice to know I have somewhat laid a foundation for my future with being able to start investing so hopefully I don’t have to work to this extent forever.”

Ms Lewis pointed out that her buying strategy is a “good example” of using your first property as a stepping stone to help make your real estate dreams come true in the long run.