Diana and Alex had a dream of owning a property in the Southern Highlands

Each year the Evalesco family helps clients reach goals to be able to retire with peace of mind, go on holidays and even buy their dream home. With that in mind, we thought it might be nice to share some of these stories with you. Our clients Diana and Alex had a dream of owning a property in the Southern Highlands and we spoke to them on how they reached their goal.

What made you decide on purchasing in the city of Shoalhaven?

We had been dreaming for a few years about some kind of getaway but didn’t think it was possible, nor did we know where to start. Alex is from Switzerland, so he imagined sweeping views of the mountains, and I am from Brisbane, so I imagined being able to wander down to the beach. That made it a bit tricky!

Marshall encouraged us to get away and to spend time in those areas we thought we might like to buy and one day live. So, we started with Milton, and had a few trips there looking around and letting ourselves dream. But it seemed just that little bit too far for a weekender, and as we both work in Sydney our getaway would have to be pretty accessible.

We also had to get our heads around the idea of holiday letting, which at first, we couldn’t really see ourselves doing. We knew Berry, loved the beach near there and loved the hills behind it but didn’t think we could ever afford that area. With Marshall’s comments in mind, we decided to do a weekend there and talk to some agents to see what was around. What we didn’t realise is that agents there also have properties that are off-market, so it was a good idea to talk to them. They introduced us to Kangaroo Valley and we loved it. Then we saw this adorable wooden cottage, put together meticulously by hand with recycled materials and with a rustic personal feel that really felt like us. We thought “yeah, right, in our dreams!” and went home, but we couldn’t forget it. So, we went down to see it again and took along a guy from Holiday Rental Specialists. This is a company that deals exclusively with managing holiday rentals in the Southern Highlands and down to the coast. He saw the potential in the property and gave us some great advice on what to do if we went ahead.

We went home again, still couldn’t forget it, then we rang up Evalesco….

How has reaching this goal changed your lives?

It has given us a new direction and really put our lives more in line with our values. It is an eco-friendly property, with a dam, tank water, and composting sewerage, so it has made us a lot more aware of our environmental impact and changed our habits at home too. It has been a huge learning curve, but that, in turn, has given us a lot of energy and a new perspective.

The community down there is also welcoming and varied, and we have made some wonderful new friends.

How did Evalesco help in achieving this goal?

Evalesco has been simply amazing. We said, “is there any way we could do this?” and they said they would have a look. They were cautious, too, which we really appreciated. Then they worked really hard to make it work for us and took us through every step. We could never have done it without them.

Once we had identified Diana and Alex’s goal, Adviser Marshall Brentnall then spoke with our lending Associate, Kristi Teasel, to ensure that the Beaumont dream home plans worked with their broader family financial plan. The first stage for Kristi was to drive down the cost of their existing loans, which resulted in a fall in their interest rates of 0.65% and some slight changes to their repayment strategy. Marshall said that whilst 0.65% might not sound like a large number, over the life of the loan it meant a saving of $148,584.

What have you been able to do since buying this property?

We have been able to get down there and have put a fair bit of work into it as well as getting some improvements done by professionals. Things like a new balustrade on the deck and land clearing were essential, but other things like a dishwasher, an aircon in the lounge room and cleaning up and replanting the veggie patch were things that were going to add value to our holiday rental prospects, so they were important too. We have also had quality time together, breathed clean air, listened to the birds, looked at the stars……

Do you have any future plans for this property?

Next step will be a new water tank, so that we have more water storage, and that will involve some landscaping. Down the track, we would love to get solar panels with a battery for power back-up and all going well a plunge pool. For now, the outdoor shower works just fine!

Every time we are there, we wish we didn’t have to leave, so one day maybe we will try to make it our main home. But for now, it’s just perfect.

Considering a weekend away then check out the Chalet Beaumont here

If you wish to talk to one of our advisers about how to budget for a property call us today 9232 6800.