We’ve heaps of plans, says fired-up first-home buyers

Summer is extra special for some. The Our First Summer series profiles people who are celebrating their first summer with a change in their lives

Matt and Kirsty Stone, and their two tots, started 2018 in a bach at the beach. The endless stretch of black sand at Muriwai is a great place to burn off the pressures of the year.

But the couple go home this week sporting smiles because, for the first time, their home really is their home.

The Kiwi dream of having a patch of soil, with something to live in on top of it, has come true for the Auckland couple.

Just before December, the parents of Gus, 2, and Koko, 7 months, became the owners of a three bedroom doup in Stanmore Bay, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

And six days before Christmas — after starting renovations as soon as they turned the key in their front door — the family moved in.

We’re looking forward to relaxing a bit and just enjoying our new space and doing all these exciting things. Matt Stone, new homeowner

It wasn’t a bad way to end the year, Matt told the Herald. And life’s going to get even better. “We’re looking forward to relaxing a bit and just enjoying our new space and doing all these exciting things.

“We’ve got heaps of plans, so it’s just about living there for a while and just solidifying those plans and seeing how things work,” Stone said.

The couple, who are both in their early 30s, saved for at least two years before taking the home-ownership plunge, he said.

Stone is a musician and music teacher at Rangitoto College, and his wife works as a wedding photographer, so getting the bank to agree to a mortgage had its challenges.

While renting life wasn’t bad, because home was a family owned rental, there’s still nothing like knowing you owned the roof over your kids’ heads, he said.

And he had words of encouragement for others hoping to emulate their accomplishment.

“Be patient. Try to stay positive. It’s easy to feel really negative when you miss out on something or something ends up being way over your budget.

“But you’ll find something eventually. Just try to keep your vision alive.”