The seaside suburb of Madora Bay is a long way from Birmingham but it’s where Richard and Lisa Smith are building their dream family home, thanks to a $431,000 home loan from Keystart.
The Smiths, who emigrated from the United Kingdom in 2014, are Keystart’s 100,000th customers.
They said they heard about Keystart through a friend who has a loan with them and social media.
“The whole process of getting a home loan was quick and painless. Keystart told us what we needed to provide, we emailed them all of the information and it was done,” Mrs Smith said.
“As first home owners and because we’re building a new home we qualified for the state government’s $15,000 First Home Owners Grant.
“When you add that to Keystart only needing a 2% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance, we’ve been able to save our deposit a year quicker than we thought we would.”
Mr Smith said the couple would be glad to finally leave the rental market and start paying off their own home.
“The house we’re building is in a cul-de-sac, and once when we went to see how the build was going, there were kids outside playing and our son just joined in, they hit it off immediately and now he wants to know when are we going to live there,” he said.
Housing Minister Peter Tinley presented Richard, Lisa and their children Liam and Aliyah with a $500 Harvey Norman voucher, to mark them being Keystart’s 100,000th customer and help them buy furnishings for their new home.
“This is an incredible milestone for Keystart, who play a very important role in the McGowan Government’s affordable housing strategy,” he said.
“It’s the most successful scheme of its kind in Australia and since 1989, they’ve been helping low to middle income West Australians into a home of their own, many who thought they’d never be able to afford it.
“In our post-mining boom economy, housing construction is playing a very important part in creating jobs for Western Australians.”
The Smiths, who are expecting to be in their home by the end of the year, said that would be the perfect Christmas present.
“We’re looking forward to having our own home so we can do the things we want to do like painting it the colours we like, hanging wallpaper and adding those personal touches,” Mrs Smith said.
“And being so close to the beach over summer will be great.”
