Purchasing a property had always been a fool’s hope for Sarah, according to Nine’s recent article.

Click here to read 9Honey’s full article.

From original: 

Sarah Bannon has lived in rental homes her entire life.

“I’ve always lived in rentals all throughout Brisbane,” Bannon, 35, tells 9Honey. Having moved out of home when she was 18, that’s 17 years of leases and inspections.

She never liked renting but didn’t feel she had any other choice.

“You’re just completely governed by certain strict rules and guidelines,” she says.

“There’s not a lot of leeway. You don’t have a lot of say.”

Her most recent rental situation proved more stable. She was there for five years, right on the river in Hamilton.

“I never knew them. They were constantly just repeating the last person’s work,” she said.

Her last year there was without a lease, because they had “forgotten to send it through.

“With inspections, I’ve always had glowing reviews because I’ve always kept my places beautiful and immaculate,” she says.

“I’ve also never really asked for things to be done because it was always a bit of drama getting things fixed and repaired, so I’d end up doing it myself.”

It was when she decide to add Billie to her life that she decided it was time to do something about her housing situation.

“I had been wanting to get a dog for a really long time,” she says.

“I had a pretty frustrating year. I worked quite a lot and I had a lot of stuff going on.”

She bought home Billie when she was a puppy and she would whimper and cry when she went to work, which caused her neighbours to send her the “most horrible letters.”

Bannon began spending $250 a week putting Billie in doggy daycare to prevent the complaints.

“I’d gone from being this perfect five-star tenant to then all of a sudden now that I’ve got a dog I’m like the worst person in the world,” she says.

“I was getting aggressive laminated letters on my door and messages from my real estate that would take things second hand and there was no legitimacy to the story.

“It just got very messy and was just an absolute nightmare, to be honest.”

A year into having Billie with her she was told body corporate hadn’t approved him and he’d have to go.

“But I got approval from the owners nearly 12 months ago, it’s not my responsibility to contact body corporate, that’s what property managers do but they’d never done it.”

Her lease was about to expire in October so she decided to try and find out if there was any chance she could purchase her own home.

At that time she was paying $360 per week in rent.

Bannon contacted Lauren Jones Buyer’s Agent (LJBA) and spoke with buyer’s agent Jessica Giandomenico.

“I just needed to see how feasible it was going to be,” she says.

“And yes, I’m obviously paying double mortgage repayments a week, but I don’t have the stress of dealing with real estate, dealing with shitty neighbours.”

The buyer’s agent did “everything” for her, including finding a mortgage provider.

Bannon was looking for something with a small yard for Billie that was within her price range of $500,000 maximum.

She didn’t have to attend any aggressive auctions or open homes. Instead Bannon attended two private viewings and picked the one she liked.

She moved in just before Christmas 2023.

“It’s amazing. I’m so, I’m so happy. I love it, absolutely love it,” she says.

“Having my own place and just having everything that’s your own. My neighbours are amazing.

“I’ve got animal people either side of the building or next door. They have been amazing.

“So we’ve just kind of looked out for each other and looked out for each other’s dog which has been really nice.”

She wishes she had bought sooner. For those considering making the same move, Bannon advises them to find a good broker.

“It’s what they’re presenting to the banks,” she says.

“I’m an independent business owner so it was obviously a little bit more work for a broker. She got me what I needed in the end.”

It was the fourth bank they approached that offered her the mortgage she needed.

This year Bannon is focused on fixing up her new home, which is located in Brisbane.

“Just aesthetic stuff, so like painting, the garden… the structural element of the property is like perfectly fine. It’s just putting my kind of finesse on things.””