‘Those four years really counted’: Couple’s drastic move to buy dream home in Sydney

The housing crisis in Australia is out of control and one family’s drastic actions expose how bad it has become.

A family of six slept in one bedroom for four years in a desperate attempt to save money during the cost of living crisis.

Avelima Satiu, 34, and her partner Chris had a combined income of $200,000 but moved in with family to save for a house in southwest Sydney.

Ms Satiu said they moved in with family for one reason: to “save money,” and they managed to save a staggering amount.

“Those four years really counted,” Ms Satiu told news.com.au.

Ms Satiu said living out of one room for four years with her children was one of the biggest mental and physical challenges she’s ever faced.

“My husband and I managed to save $150,000 so we could build and furnish our dream house. We started with no savings and we also didn’t have a guarantor,” she explained.

“We looked at the bigger lifestyle elements of our lives and made big changes so we could make all of this happen.”

She's now sharing how she saved on TikTok. Picture: Supplied

The couple have four children. Picture: Supplied

Australia is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, and Sydney remains the most expensive city in the country.

The median price for a house has now reached $1.6 million.

According to the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average home loan in New South Wales has climbed to $810,739.

For a couple earning a combined $200,000 annually, assuming both individuals are on $100,000 each, this translates to a monthly income of approximately $12,863.

However, with average mortgage repayments on such a loan reaching $5,019 at the average variable interest rate of 6.30 per cent for new owner occupied loans, they would be dedicating roughly 39 per cent of their monthly earnings to their mortgage.

Finder’s Home Loan expert Richard Whitten said that $200,000 combined isn’t a huge income anymore if you’ve got a mortgage in Sydney.

“Property price growth in Sydney has outpaced wage growth for a while now, which means the average Sydney home is unaffordable even for a couple earning $200,000 a year,” he said.

“Two people earning $100,000 each would still be spending more than a third of their income just servicing the monthly loan repayments on a mortgage of $800,000.”

Mr Whitten said that “spending more than 30 per cent of your income” is the definition of mortgage stress.

She also graduated from university while saving. Picture: Supplied

She studied, worked and had three children while living with her in-laws. Picture: Supplied

The couple’s actions while earning $200,000 certainly speak to that; they weren’t living the high life. Instead, they were knuckling down and trying to get ahead.

Ms Satiu works as a content lead for an agency, and her husband works in insurance and as a disability support worker on the weekends.

Even though they both worked hard and were always prepared to hustle, the couple realised if they wanted to buy a home together, they needed family help.

The 34-year-old said one of the triggers for moving in with families was that they constantly found themselves in “rental woes” and at the mercy of landlords.

“We had so many issues and we rented quite a bit before we moved in with my husband’s family. The last straw was just before Covid having the real estate agent tell me that we need to pay $750 from our bond for a small stain in the carpet even after we hired professional cleaners,” she told news.com.au.

“That was really the straw that broke the camel’s back and we vowed we’d wouldn’t rent again.”

She’d also just fallen pregnant with her first daughter, and she didn’t want to raise her in a “state of struggle” so she moved in with her in-laws.

The family now live in their dream home. Picture: Supplied

The couple ended up staying for four years, had three more children within that time frame, and still managed to save $150,000, even with fluctuating salaries and redundancies along the way.

The 34-year-old said cramming her entire family into a one-bedroom, wasn’t easy, even though the kids loved growing up around extended family it was a tight squeeze.

She said their living arrangement made for some of the “hardest and most difficult days” especially during her pregnancies when she was also studying and working full-time.

“I struggled a lot. I was working full time, I was finishing my masters and fell pregnant three times during that period,” she said.

“My kids thought it was the best, though, because they got to run down the hall and see their uncles, aunts and their grandpa who lived with us, which really made the experience that little bit easier.”

Ms Satiu said it was also challenging for the couple to get home loan approval, even though they earn healthy salaries.

“We really struggled getting a home loan approved and after a few tries and with the right mortgage broker we got approval,” she said.

Even with their $150,000, the couple’s monthly mortgage repayments are $5,000, over $1200 a week.

Ms Satiu said that the cost of living is “unreasonably high,” but she grew up in a low-income household, so she’s learned how to live without.

“I don’t have nice nails, we drive cars that are over 10 years old but were bought outright, and we cook with the cheaper offcuts of meat when we need to,” she explained.

“These sacrifices mean that I can put my money elsewhere like my mortgage or experiences for my kids.”

Sydney has become impossible for families. Picture: istock

The whole experience taught her how lucky she is to have a village to support her. She explained that because “we are Samoan,” it is “embedded in our culture,” to help each other and living with family isn’t unusual.

“We had a place that we were welcomed to stay in by my husband’s family and save for our own home. No questions asked,” she said.

“I was born in Australia too, and I know that millennials are the generation who have no village and not everyone is lucky enough to move in with a family that will allow them to save for a home.”

Ms Satiu acknowledged her privileged status, but she also pointed out that life is really hard for young families nowadays.

“My parents bought their home, which has land that is three times our land size, in 2000 for $160,000; our home cost at least five times that amount for one-third of the space,” she said.

“I definitely think it’s harder for young families today.”

The family now lives in their dream home and is elated to have their own space, which has made the experience worth it.

“I don’t think living in one room with your four kids is for the faint hearted. [My husband] really held it down and made sure we stayed focused on the goal,” she said.

“My kids, who would push me every day to stay on course because I refused to let this struggle be for nothing. And my sisters, who would always be there for me to fall onto and who would take my kids, I am so grateful for them.”

Originally published as ‘Those four years really counted’: Couple’s drastic move to buy dream home in Sydney