A guide to finding a home within your budget

Budget is arguably the biggest cause of stress when buying or building a home. Firstly, you might ask yourself: “Can I afford to build?” And secondly: “Will I be able to build my dream home within my budget?”

The answer is yes—if you have a deposit saved, have done your research and you are prepared to make some big calls about what’s important to you in a new home.

One of the greatest benefits about building a new home is the ongoing savings you’ll receive once your home is built. In addition to having a new home that is low maintenance, you’ll also have a home that is energy efficient—meaning less heating and cooling costs.

You might also be eligible for concessions and rebates, such as the $25,000 HomeBuilder grant, the $20,000 First Home Owners Grant, stamp duty concessions and more.

But before you get to move in and enjoy your new home it’s important to do your research now and learn about where you can keep costs down so you can stay within your price range and not break the bank.

Here’s our Geelong Homes top tips to finding a new home within your budget.

Be realistic about what you really need in your home design

First of all—take the time to discover the right home for you. Geelong Homes new home consultants are outstanding when it comes to matching the right home to the right person. Do you really need a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home when you’re a single person living on your own? What’s more important to you—extra living space or more backyard for the kids? Reducing the size of your home is the easiest way to keep costs down. A smaller home costs less money but that doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on all the aspects of a large home. Just check out our Compact Range of homes—these beautiful three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes are cleverly designed to work within a smaller footprint without compromising on features such as walk-in robes, walk-in pantries, study nooks or open plan living areas. Compact living is also a growing trend for those who are environmentally conscious and want to reduce their carbon footprint.

You can also keep your costs down by choosing our base facade. All our homes come with the Classic facade, which has a timeless design and ample street appeal. There’s a range of finishes and colours you can choose from for your façade in our Style Studio under the close guidance of our colour consultants (and depending on your estate’s guidelines). An appointment in our Style Studio is a service that comes standard with all our homes. Personalising your home through selections such as a feature colour to your front door are affordable ways of making your home uniquely yours and we’ll be there to ensure the whole look comes together. By choosing the Classic facade, you’ll have more budget for other elements of your home, such as plants and landscaping, which will help give your home the street appeal you’ve always wanted.

Save costs by considering structural inclusions and orientation

Once you’ve chosen the right design and facade for your new home you can start to look at your structural inclusions. Upgrades to structural inclusions may not necessarily save you money right now, however these are the inclusions that you can’t change down the track but make all the difference when adding value to your home. It also allows you to work out where you want to put your money during the planning phase of your build.

To explain, inclusions such as flooring, benchtops, tiles, joinery or a pergola – are items that you can change or can be added at any point. However things such as ceiling height and the orientation of your home, are two things you only get one shot at. You can choose the most expensive tiles for your kitchen splashback and expensive joinery but with low ceilings and a poorly orientated home, you won’t get the luxe look you were hoping for, plus it might end up blowing your budget.

If you’re not sure what home orientation is, it’s simply how you position your home to suit your block’s aspect. Think, the sun warming your home on a winter’s morning and better shade on your home during those long summer days. If you can orientate your home into the best position, you can position bedrooms, and living areas in the right spot to really make the most of the northern aspect.

At Geelong Homes all our standard floor plans can be mirrored and flipped to take advantage of the orientation and to suit your block’s crossover, which is where your driveway meets the road.

Being guided by the northern aspect will also help you determine where to place windows — another structural element you’ll want to get right.

The great thing about Geelong Homes is our new home consultants are experienced and knowledgeable and are the right people to speak to when it comes to the different structural inclusions you can select to elevate your new home and save you money now and down the track.

Consider new estates for the lifestyle you want

Many of us would love to build a new home in one of the many sought-after inner suburbs of Geelong—however in reality the price of buying land in any of these areas may blow your budget out of the water!

New estates are popping up all across the Geelong region and its surrounds, and are offering those entering the property market an affordable in without compromising on the things you want most—amenities, green space and excellent schools.

These estates also offer affordable blocks of land in various sizes—so there’s really something for everyone!

Want a coastal retreat? Check out Oakdene Estate in Ocean Grove. An escape to the country? Try River’s Edge in Winchelsea or Coridale in Lara. The perfect place to raise the kids? Take a look at Armstrong Mt Duneed or Warralily in Armstrong Creek.

The fantastic thing about these new estates is they’re all socially conscious. The developers of these modern estates have identified what makes happy, healthy communities, and what many have discovered is it’s all about creating wholesome lifestyles centered around greenspace, walkability, and amenities.

And for those wanting to stick to their budgets—they also offer an affordable price point!

Armstrong Estate, Mt Duneed

In Summary

It is possible to build a new home and keep it within your budget. The Geelong Homes’ top tips to finding a new home within your budget are:

  • Be realistic about what you really need in your home design: A smaller home costs less money but that doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on all the aspects of a large home. The Geelong Homes Compact Range offers three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes that are cleverly designed to work within a smaller footprint without compromising on features such as walk-in robes, walk-in pantries, study nooks or open planned living areas. You can also keep your costs down by choosing the builder’s range facade. The Geelong Homes our Classic facade which has a selection of finishes and colours to create a look that’s a reflection of you while saving you money for things such as plants and landscaping!
  • Save costs by considering structural inclusions and the orientation of your new home: Consider inclusion upgrades such as ceiling height, and consider your home orientation on your block to instantly add value to your new home. Inclusions such as flooring, benchtops, tiles, joinery or a pergola—are items that you can change or can be added at any point. However elements such as ceiling height and the orientation of your home, are two things you get one shot at!
  • Consider new estates for the lifestyle you want: If you’re budget conscious, the new estates are where you should be looking to build. New estates, such as Oakdene Estate, Warralily, Armstrong, River’s Edge and Coridale, offer affordable blocks of land without compromising on the things you want most—amenities, green space and excellent schools. New estates also offer blocks of land in various sizes— so there’s really something for everyone!

By being realistic and adjusting your expectations, you can build a new home within the budget you set for yourself.

^ While we’ve tried to be as helpful as possible, this article should not be taken as professional financial advice. It contains general information only, and you should seek out independent, professional advice before making any financial decisions. 

If you want to learn more about building

Contact us today

Get in touch
Join our newsletter and stay up to date with the latest news, offers and insights from Geelong Homes.