HOME SWEET HOME ... AT LAST
Even if there are hiccups along the way, few things beat the feeling of living in your own newly built home.
For Brad, 31, and Joel, 29, securing a corner block for their dream house was the easy part, but throw in a pandemic, global supply issues and unprecedented demand, and getting that home built took much longer than they anticipated.
Covid had already taken hold when Brad and Joel decided to take advantage of a government grant and build a house in Mount Duneed, Victoria. Their H&L Victoria house and land package allowed them to customise the layout and select the tiles and cabinetry they wanted for their Hamptons-style four-bedroom home. From the time they signed the contract to the day they moved in, it took a frustrating twoand-a-half years, which meant camping out at a family member’s home for a year longer than planned.
They had no complaints about their experience with H&L Victoria, a new home broker, but once the land was titled and the builder stepped in, their problems began. “Their customer service was absolutely horrific,” says Brad, referring to Escape Homes. “I’m an understanding person, things happen, but there was no clear communication, no empathy, no apology for the delays and they’d rarely tell you what they were waiting on or give you any timeframes.”
Brad understood the company was facing building material delays and shortages and had an overload of builds on its books, but having to put their lives on hold for an unknown period, with intermittent, vague contact from the builder, took its toll. Like many others facing the same delays, they relied on H&L Victoria to step in and push the builder to finish the home.
“H&L Victoria honestly did everything in their power to make our experience good, but by the time we moved in, we weren’t even excited,” says Brad. “We were exhausted, and we were so over waiting.”
Despite the delays and frustration, they were satisfied with the quality of the build and have been living happily in the home for almost a year. “At the end, we were defeated, but this is our genuine dream home,” says Brad. “We love it.”