This blog post is straight from my experience in building my first home on a single income ...it is not intended to provide any financial advice and please seek correct expert financial advice where necessary....:)

There were nights I lay awake, staring at the ceiling of our rental, wondering if I was crazy for believing this was possible. A single mum buying a house? With no savings, earning $73k a year, (including government benefits)—could I even manage this? But deep down, I knew one thing: I had to. Not just for me, but for my son. I wanted him to have the security of a home that was ours. A place where we could put posters on walls without permission, where we wouldn’t have to move every time a lease ended, and where we could finally plant roots in our yard and in our hearts.

So, I began the mission. Calling home builders to see what was possible. 

To cut the long story short, my initial signed on the dotted line choice of home was a dud. It was an overpriced tiny home sold to me because I knew nothing about what I really needed or wanted...other than my own home...and thank F the evaluation fell through! (Yes I lost $1500 deposit but the universe had other plans so I took the sucker punch and kept looking.) 1 week later I was on the phone again, only this time with more of an idea of what I needed to look for, what my price range was, and yes that I could search for the land first myself!

So, I found the land within my price range and paid a deposit, next on to the builder! I ended up needing to make a decision over 2 really good smaller more boutique builders and choose Blueprint homes:) Which was not as easy as one may think! Anyhoo...

And here we are today! Happy as Larry, happy with the builder and darn proud we did it!:) 

But for all honesty purposes it wasn't without sacrifice...

Big ones! I sold my car and went without one for six months, until I could find a job that offered a company paid vehicle (being in sales that's not so impossible). I then hunted for the cheapest rental I could find, landing us in a run-down flat with no working oven, water leaking through the ceiling, and a bathroom that would make a condemned shack look luxurious. 

But every time I felt like giving up, I reminded myself: this is temporary....and my son thought the flat was hilarious! Every time something broke, like the pink kitchen cupboard doors, and the shower that did not stop leaking for weeks even after repairs we knew we could laugh and would one day look back and say hey remember how much character that dodgy flat had?!

I also became frugal in ways I never imagined—budgeting every dollar, saying no to takeaways, no to new clothes, no to anything that wasn’t essential. I explained it all to my son, not as a hardship, but as a mission. "We’re doing this so we can have our own home," I told him. "One day, you’ll see why this is worth it." And I believed it with everything in me!

And today? Today, I’m sitting in the beautiful home we built. Every plate of baked beans and avocado, every moment of struggle, every worry and doubt—it was all worth it. Because now, we have more than just a house. We have a home, built with perseverance, faith, and a whole lot of love.

THE LEAP OF FAITH MENTALITY!

I believe sometimes in life you gotta take a risk, or at least get your feet wet about how new big things can become your reality! Here's my three best tips for making the jump and getting informed about your options!

1. You'll never know if you don't at least try and get armed with all the information you need. 

The fact is buying a house is not impossible but it's also not easy street, especially being a single parent. My first bit of advice is to get all your ducks in a row, talk to a broker, see what your current financial situation is like and get real advice to what you would need to improve or have to make home buying a reality. 

Some good questions to ask yourself and a broker:

1. Do I earn enough or what do I need to be earning to qualify for a loan?

2. How much am I willing to realistically pay towards a mortgage?

3. What grants are available to me as a single parent and possibly low income earner?

4. If it's not possible right now, could it be in 1-2 years time? Ideally what needs to happen to make it a possibility?

2. A little belief and faith in yourself goes a long way (along with dedication and perseverance). 

The fact is creating results in your life takes work, but the softer side to this is you get to believe in your efforts and yourself along the way! If I didn't believe I could get into our own home it would never have happened. Period. 

3. Just because it doesn't happen right away, don't write it off!

Good things take time, and there are many factors that need to line up for building or buying a house as a single mum. Just because you're on 1 income doesn't mean it's impossible. It means you will more than likely need to factor in circumstances to suit your needs lifestyle and location.

8  FACTS THAT LED ME TO BUILDING A HOME AS A SINGLE PARENT.

1. I have only 1 child - which worked in favour toward how much I could borrow.

2. Over in WA we have a scheme called Keystart - a 2% deposit only home loan lender designed to help lower income earners get into their first home.

3. I had almost no debt - only a $3k CC balance.

4. I had a leafy green credit rating.

5. I had a fabulous broker who wanted to help as much as he wanted his commission! (no issue with that!)

6. Being in Perth WA, we also had the 10k first home buyer's grant. (given I had no savings this was my 2% deposit)

7. I chose a local builder with a good reputation. At the time of skyrocketing building prices, I'd heard of builders charging after signed costs were agreed upon. Thankfully this did not happen.

8. During the build I reduced my rent by moving into a dishevelled flat, so that I could save as much as I could for painting and gardening.

What would I do now as a single parent working toward a home loan?

1. Find a great non-discriminatory broker and have a chat about where you currently stand financially and what you would need to have in place to build or buy your first home on the budget that is sustainable for you.

2. Think about suburbs or areas you'd like to live that doesn't severely impact your inner peace, location needs, and kid's needs. Sure, we drive an extra 35-40 min to get to school drop off, but this was my limit...I was not willing to move more than a 40 km radius from the CBD.

3. Do your own research and see what lending options are available for single parents, a good broker will definitely be able to help you with this.

4. Don't settle for anything! Knowledge is power, the more you arm yourself with information on home loans, builders, realistic costs, the more likely you'll trust your decision to move ahead sustainably and see how you can make home ownership a reality!