Project New Home: Homes Viewed = 5

The homes inspected total stands at 5 today.

Being a Saturday, Jonathan, Mina and I went off to inspect 2 homes - one in Eastwood and one in Marsfield.

Both properties were being shown at the same time, within the same 40 minute period, so we had a choice as to which to see first. Thankfully, the properties were within a 5 minute driving distance, so we would not need to break land speed records to get from one to the other.

The first home we visited was almost brand spanking new. The building was 3 years old, on top of shops in Eastwood, across the road from Eastwood Police Station, and within a stone's throw to Eastwood Station. The building is also a secure building with only 17 apartments over 4 floors.

We absolutely loved the interior - you could tell it was almost brand new. The layout was great, with a huge open plan living / dining space, wiht a gorgeous covered balcony and a massive kitchen (with a gas stove). The bedrooms were all generously sized, with plenty of storage space. The walk in wardrobe in the master bedroom was huge! Along with an internal laundry and 2 bathrooms (one with a bath), there is also a small balcony off the master bedroom.

This place ticked a lot of the boxes. But there was a draw back - the apartment doesn't have any real kind of outlook at all. By this, I mean it is pretty much surrounded by other buildings, and the only kind of light is coming in from an angle above the windows. Although the interior was gorgeous, there is no view to speak of, and after talking to Jonathan, we are both afraid that we would start to feel totally boxed in after living there for a while.

The second place was in Marsfield, in a huge complex with over 130 townhouses. When we arrived, we went towards the back of the complex, and soon found the townhouse we were inspecting to be right next to the Epping Road side of the complex. The townhouse was split over 3 floors - the ground floor was the entrance and the double lock up garage. The next floor was an awkward split level living and dining area, with a small kitchen and a small courtyard leading off the kitchen. The 3 bedrooms were on the top floor, with a bathroom and an ensuite in the master bedroom. All bedrooms had built in wardrobes.

The apartment was totally unfurnished, and the carpets were quite stained. Besides that, when we were upstairs looking at the bedrooms, pretty much all the windows faced on to or were seriously affected by the noise coming from Epping Road. Mina liked the fact that the townhouse was right next to a small play area, and that the complex had a pool, but after we showed her how busy Epping Road was, and how noisy her bedroom was going to be, she wasn't so keen on the townhouse after all.

We are now going to be taking a break for at least 2 weeks to get married and go on our honeymoon. Hopefully, by the time we get back from our honeymoon, we will be that much closer to our mortgage pre-approval.

The search continues!