In September 2023 we managed to help the Thomas family secure a two-acre lifestyle property in the Manawatu, which just happened to be their first home.
Six months have passed since they moved in, and I caught up recently with Anthony and Roselyn to hear about their journey so far.
From the moment I entered the property, I could see the transformation of the land around the house.
The Thomas family have found that it is nice to be able to work together, planning and implementing the development of their property, making valued changes to make their lifestyle more pleasant, for now and in the future. It gives them something to work together on and towards.
They have planted more than 20 fruit trees; something that might seem simple, but they were unable to do that in a renting situation.
Sons, Ethan, Nathan, and Jonathan have done so many new activities in the short time since they moved in, such as nailing, concreting, tree planting, lawn mowing, fencing, landscaping, and planning worthwhile changes such as where to place a greenhouse.
Anthony and Roselyn believe that the introduction to home improvement and maintenance is a blessing for the future living of their boys. Anthony said, learning these skills can help set their sons up for adulthood and their future with a girlfriend/wife, helping them to feel more useful as a person and developing confidence that they can manage basic homemaker tasks.
As well as their two-year-old cat who is thoroughly enjoying being away from suburban life, the Thomas family have a new member, a border collie called Ollie. “It’s just a shame though that he likes to dig holes everywhere except for where we actually want a hole to plant a tree,” said Anthony.
Anthony said that Roselyn is so proud of having her own home as over the years, whilst saving for the deposit, she witnessed so many of her friends buying their own first home.
“My wife is very enthusiastic of the property in various ways, such as when she first picked up a weed eater and helped tidy up the property,” said Anthony. “It is so nice to see her muck-in and not be afraid to get a bit dirty. I am so proud to say that this lady is my best friend and wife. What a cool family I am part of.”
A footnote: Eleven year old Jonathan wrote a piece about his view on their family property and what it means to him.
“I love this house as it gives our family lots of freedom to play, like throwing the ball far for the dog to fetch. At night it is very quiet here and we get to see stars really well because there is less housing and no streetlights. We see lots of animals and birds such as pukekos, hawks, rabbits and possums and our neighbour has cows and sheep.”
From a Real estate point of view, it is always rewarding to see people achieving their dreams and goals of home and land ownership.
