Snakes alive! Covid handouts build first home for couple with no savings

A Queensland couple has managed to purchase a property without borrowing from the bank –  even in the midst of COVID-19.

But local snake catcher Chris Gorter and his partner Christie Waddups, who recently lost her job with a fashion label in Brisbane, both decided to access $20,000 from their superannuation to put towards their first home.

They also worked out that if they pooled that $40,000 with the Queensland government’s First Home Owners’ Grant and the federal government’s HomeBuilder grant, they would have $80,000.

“In the current coronavirus climate, my partner and I have been able to access $40,000 of super between us in the past month,” Mr Gorter told Domain.

“With the first-home buyers’ grant of $15,000 and the home builders’ grant of $25,000 we are able to access $80,000 … without savings.”

The couple said that while $80,000 would mean a respectable deposit on a house or apartment, they had decided that they didn’t want to be tied up paying back a mortgage, especially  considering Ms Waddups was currently out of work.

So they found a piece of land on Russell Island, around 40 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD, which cost them just $21,000. They plan to use the rest of the money to build a tiny home – $59,000 to be exact, which will be used for septic, foundations, electrical, plumbing, transportation costs as well as local planning applications.

If all goes the plan, the one-bedroom home will total around 30 square metres and the couple also plan to use a shipping container for storage. It will also feature a deck for more outdoor living space.

They hope to move by the end of the year.

Ms Waddups and Mr Gorter said they would have struggled to get a mortgage through a bank, and with Ms Waddups unemployed, they said they felt comfortable using their superannuation to build a home.

“Superannuation [investment] is tumbling anyway so we’re just trying to come up with options of how to get a roof over your head in a cheap and sustainable way,” Mr Gorter said.

“We figured it would be more prudent in the long term to access super for our home.”