So, you’re looking to build your first home in Darwin? First off, a huge congratulations! Deciding not only to own your own home but to build it is a big step… and one you should be excited about taking.
Building offers a number of advantages over buying. You get to design your home quite literally from the ground up, meaning it can reflect both your needs, taste and budget.
Choosing to build can sometimes be a stressful time, particularly for first home buyers who may not have experienced some of the processes in acquiring a new home before.
However, the process doesn’t have to be difficult. By working with a reputable builder, building your own first home can be both exciting and rewarding. Territory Homes has years of experience partnering with first home buyers and is happy to work with you through the process to make sure you get a home you’ll love at the end.
We’ve listed through some of the top things you should consider below.
Finance
Firstly, finance. You’ll have to consider how you’ll fund your build. Getting finance pre-approval for the cost of your new home and land is important and will give you peace of mind that the home you’re planning is one you can afford. We can work with you to secure finance through a number of competitive providers.
The Territory Government is also offering great grants for first home builders, meaning building your first home can cost you less than ever before.
In fact, first home buyers in the Territory now have access to the most generous home ownership incentives in the country, with people who choose to build able to access up to $50,601 to contribute to a new home build. Included in this amount is the Territory Home Owner Discount of up to $18,601 from stamp duty and a $2,000 discount for whitegoods available from the Government.
All in all, that makes for a compelling case to build rather than buy your first home – and means now’s a great time to be doing it.
Location
One of the next key decisions you’ll need to make is where you want your new home to be located.
Through Territory Homes, we can build on your own block of land or work with you to secure land in a number of prestigious new developments in Darwin including Zuccoli Village, Mitchell Creek Green, Zuccoli Aspire, Northcrest, Muirhead and Durack.
These areas offer a range of lifestyle options and give you the opportunity to choose a location you’ll be happy to call home for many years to come – and a home you can easily sell or rent out down the track, if you choose to.
Layout & Design
When thinking about the layout of your home, it’s important to make it feel like yours if you plan to live in it, but also to future-proof it. Life has a way of throwing surprises at us, and sometimes even homes we plan to stay in forever may need to be sold or rented out.
That means it’s worthwhile choosing styles and designs that are unlikely to date quickly, or to put other people off if you do have to sell.
You may have always secretly aspired to owning a home with a black bedroom, but it’s worth factoring in whether that will be appealing to everyone else. The more ‘out-there’ the design choice, the more you limit the amount of people who’ll be willing to live with it. You may even find you tire of quickly, too.
Remember, you can often get dramatic effects by carefully choosing your furnishing and accessories and keeping the walls and flooring neutral in colour. If you’re confused about colours, the Territory Homes team is happy to work with you to help develop a colour scheme you’ll be happy to call home – but won’t limit you down the line.
Layout is another thing that’s worth spending some time considering. Again, it’s generally worth sticking to a conventional, tried-and-tested layout if you think you’ll likely be selling or renting your home out down the line.
Open plan kitchen, dining and living areas are always a favourite, matching well with Territory lifestyle. It’s worth ensuring that you lay your home out in a way that will work for you now – but also over the long-term.
For example, if you’re planning to have children, ensuring your main bedroom is near the other bedrooms is important. If it feels like a lot of information to take in, remember you can come to our team for advice and guidance at any time.
It makes a lot of sense to build rather than buy your own home. It makes even more sense to stop paying rent and start paying off your own investment! If you’re interested in talking further, contact the Territory Homes team today.