For years we talked about buying a house on the coast. We love the beach, love the coastal lifestyle and wanted to make that part of our lifestyle. For twenty years, with three kids and their many activities, it has never really been feasible for us to seriously consider until recently as every weekend was already jam packed with activity.
Fast forward to this year, our youngest child is in university and can drive herself wherever she wants/needs to go, the option for travel overseas has narrowed to almost nothing (thanks COVID), and our savings have built up to enough that we won’t really have to rely on a bank for a mortgage for very long.
It’s time…
As we still have to work for a few more years we are looking for a holiday home, with the potential to become our next permanent home. That means there are considerations as to size, travel time, maintenance required to keep in mind. We also both have our own personal wish list.
My wishlist;
- No more than fifteen minutes drive to the beach
- Open plan
- Newer build
- No more than three hours drive from home
- Coastal style (weatherboard, beachy looking)
Mr White’s wishlist;
- Land – up to 10 acres
- A bath in the bathroom
- No more than half an hour drive to the beach
- No more than three hours drive from home
- Brick construction
- Garage
As you can see our lists are not exactly the same, and these are the cut down versions lol. We have been watching the market online for a few years now just trying to get a feel for what it is likely to cost and where the right spot is for us. During the looking phase we are not committed to a particular town, but have been looking in a couple of main areas. The Sapphire Coast, around Merimbula, and just inland from Bega, (trying to find that larger block within a fifteen, twenty minute drive of the beach), and around the Narooma region. One thing we both agree on is that both of these areas have the right kind of coastline for us.