Original subtitles

From its barren beauty to lush landscapes,...

the Australian countryside is as beautiful as it is breathtaking.

Many Australians are discovering rural life and making the move,

so I'm on the hunt to help everyday Australians find their perfect country house.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023

Today we are in the town of Yass with first-home buyers Alex and Hayley.

We'll be touring three great properties that all have something totally different to offer.

How about an 18-hole golf course? - Yeah, I'll take it.

I just see 'hard work, hard work...' - That's all... You're just seeing 'hard work'.

You're seeing opportunities. Yes, that's right.

- The potential ― like, inside, it's just― It's beautiful, isn't it? - Yep.

- So let's see if we can find them their first family home.

I feel as though Yass is one of those country towns right on the precipice

as more and more people realise they can have this incredible country lifestyle

an hour from the nation's capital.

And that leads us to today's young couple, Alex and Hayley ― first-home buyers.

They've got a budget of around 735,000.

They're hoping for three bedrooms, enough space for their little boy, Harry,

and the absolute luxury for them would be a view.

Well, all I do know for sure is that, in this market, they'll have to act fast. Let's go meet them.

With the property market in Canberra skyrocketing, Alex and Hayley are hoping to move away fromthe city

for a chance at finding a more affordable first family home.

- The property market in Canberra is just completely just going bananas.

- What we could live in in Canberra, we would just resent it every day of our lives ―

being on top of each other in a tiny little apartment,... - Yeah.

- ...where, if we move to Yass, we can have room and space to do what we want.

- Here, what we can get for the money is just so much better.

- Alex and Hayley would love a backyard with enough space for a veggie patch, maybe some chickens,

and room for a trampoline for their gorgeous son, Harry.

- We don't want anything with too much work, sort of,... - Yeah.

- ...you know, move-in-ready. - Move-in-ready is a big thing.

- Something we can put our own stamp on later on if we wanted to.

- We don't wanna be tinkering on a house for the next 10 years.

We wanna move in and live for the next 10 years, is the idea.

Where we've been renting at the moment, we literally just look out a window,

and all we can see is a brick wall, so just a view of the hills and the countryside would...

- Something pretty to look at. You move into the country, you wanna be able to see the country.

- Exactly. Exactly. Being first-home buyers, it's been pretty― pretty stressful.

- Yeah, it's been very stressful ― just with, you know, the last couple of years,...

- Yeah. - ...um, and everything that's gone on.

- A lot of setbacks and whatever, and... - Yeah.

- And eventually, yeah, we just, sort of, pulled through and... Yeah. - We're on the finish line, nearly.

- Yep. - Just need to find somewhere to live.

- So let's see if we can find Alex and Hayley ― and Harry ― their home in Yass.

The town of Yass is located in New South Wales, roughly an hour's drive from Canberra.

The average property price in Yass is a fair bit lower than Canberra's,

making Yass a far more appealing market for our first-home buyers.

Aside from its enticing housing market,

Alex and Hayley love Yass for its incredible sense of community,

its gorgeous natural scenery and laid-back country lifestyle.

Our first property today is this three-bedroom home with a view,

and there's even enough room in the backyard for a trampoline.

So let's see what our couple think about this one.

Hi. - Hey. - Hello.

- You look fabulous. - Thanks. - Great hair.

- Is that right ― that you're a hairdresser? - Yes.

- Oh, it shows. It shows. - Thank you. - You look amazing.

And you're a plumber? - Yeah. Yeah. - Oh, this is fantastic.

You will find a job anywhere. You'll probably be the mayor of Yass in about 10, 15 years.

I'm curious ― why Yass?

- It's just paradise. Look at it. Like... You know... - It's so close to Canberra.

- Open space, close to Canberra... - We can commute for work.

- And what does your son, Harry, think of the opportunity to wake up to birdsong like this?

- He just wants to be outside with footy. - That's― That's his scene.

- Yeah. - So, that leads me to the wish list.

- Yeah. - You want space to kick a ball,... - Mm-hm.

- Definitely. - ...enough space for a trampoline, maybe...

- Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah. - OK, and is it three bedrooms?

Is that right? - Yeah, three bedrooms. - Yeah. Ideally, yeah.

- OK, and what's your budget? - 735. - Yeah.

- We're gonna have a great day. - Yep.

And I think I'm starting with a great house.

I won't say too much until we get inside.

- Are you ready to check it out? - Yeah. - Definitely.

- All right. After you. - OK.

- It's nice and light. - Very. - Yeah.

- Instantly feels warm. - It does. - It's all centrally heated.

- Yeah. - Awesome. - But you can see,

it's pretty much move-in-ready, isn't it? - Mm-hm, definitely.

- 100%. Ready to rock and roll.

- Now, it's three bedrooms, plus a study,... - Awesome.

- ...which is unusual. - Yeah. - Yeah, it's cool.

- And, also, what I think is unusual is having...

Well, you would almost say this is two living spaces here. - Yeah.

- You've got your main living area here... - Yep.

- ...and a beautiful sun deck out there. - Yeah.

- I love the view out there, straight away.

- Do you wanna head out that way, and I'll show you what that view is like?

- Sure. - Definitely.

- That was on your wish list, wasn't it? - Yes.

- Yeah. - Yep. Good. OK.

- Yeah, I love, every window that you look out,

you see a tree or something green. It's just... Yeah, it's beautiful.

- Ta-da! - OK. - How good's this?

- Now, I'll be honest. When I saw, on your wish list, 'View, please, if possible,'

I thought, 'Gee, first-home buyers, relatively small budget ― I don't know. I don't know.' So...

- Dream big. - Dreaming big, absolutely. - Yeah.

- So, how do you feel when you see this lovely view over the town of Yass?

- Pretty special. - It's beautiful. - Yeah.

- I could just imagine having my morning coffee over there and just...

- Yep. - ...lookin' out... - Just soakin' it up, I think.

I was thinking gin and tonic, but...

- Not coffee? - That too. That too. - OK, you can have a coffee.

Have a look at the rest of the house,

and, when you're ready, I've got one more little cherry on top that I'll show you outside.

I think you're gonna like it. - Cool. - Awesome.

- Awesome. - Go and check out the house.

- How cool is this? - I know. It's huge, this bedroom. - Yeah.

- I like that it's away from the main area,... - Yeah, yeah.

- ...so you can let me sleep in on a Sunday, and I won't be able to hear...

Yeah.

This, like, study, spare room,... - Yeah.

- ...we could easily turn that into an extra en suite... - Yeah.

- ...if we wanted another bathroom. Like, it's―

- Yeah, cos I guess the only reservation is that it only has one bathroom.

All right. Should we go find Catriona? - Yeah, let's go.

- Well, this my cherry on top! Look at it! - So good.

- I know that you wanted space for a trampoline, but how about an 18-hole golf course?

- Yeah, I'll take it. - OK.

- Yeah, I think we are surprised by the golf course.

It's― It's cool. It's just tacked on to the backyard, you know.

- It's got all this lawn, and I don't have to mow it, so it's even better.

Yeah.

- What did you think of the inside? - Loved it. - Fantastic, yeah.

Tell me what you really felt.

Was there a downside? - Oh, the driveway definitely needs a bit of work and...

- Yeah. - I noticed that. I noticed that.

- ...a bit of landscaping around the place.

- Yeah, some of the pavers around are a bit dodgy, so we'd have to replace those, but...

- Not― Nothing too major. - Yeah.

- Entirely different to― to Canberra. It's, yeah... - Yeah.

Compared to what we could afford to buy in Canberra, this is just huge.

- Yeah. - You wouldn't even dream of this in Canberra.

- Nowhere near it. - What do you think this on the market for?

- I'd say 700-ish, thereabouts. - Yeah, around 700. A bit over?

- You're spot on. It's around 700,

and I use the term 'around' because there are already a lot of people asking about this place.

It will not last for long, so we'll pitch it at around 700. - Yeah. Mm-hm.

- So it's still around your budget. - Yeah. - Awesome.

- Yeah, definitely.

- I think the price is pretty... - Great.

- ...good, yeah, compared to Canberra prices.

- Yeah, definitely reasonable for― for what it is and the location, yeah.

- After the break ― we explore this project home.

And later, we tour a tastefully renovated home from the 1940s.

- I'm in Yass, country New South Wales, helping Alex and Hayley find their first family home.

Firstly, we toured this lovely three-bedroom home, which boasts stunning views over Yass.

Now, for our second property. Now, this home is a little bit smaller.

However, there is loads of opportunity for our couple to renovate on their own.

Let's see if they are up for the task.

Well, it's quite different to what I showed you before.

This corner home is a little bit smaller than house number one, so I hope you're OK with that.

- Mm-hm. - Yeah. - We're open to anything.

- Really? - Yeah. - Are you open to a project?

- To a degree. - Ai-ai-ai!

OK, then. I have met everything on the wish list.

- You can immediately see we've got a view... - Yep.

- ...of peaceful, green, rolling hills. - Beautiful.

- We've got our three bedrooms. But as I mentioned, it's a little bit smaller, so different.

- Mm-hm. - Yep. - Good size of land.

- Awesome. - Shall we check it out? - Let's go.

- Sounds good. - All right.

- I want you to be open-minded, be creative. What would you do with this space?

Because I'll let you know right off the bat, this place is way under budget.

- We could, uh, definitely open it up a bit, that's for sure. - Yeah.

- Definitely render it. That's probably a starting point. - Yeah.

- Try and add a bit of timber in where you can to sort of break up the brick.

- Yeah, there is a lot of brick. - Yeah.

- Yeah, you have possibilities.

- Except I'm getting a vibe... - I'm feeling that you're not―

- It's probably a bit small. - I can't see enough trees out the window, to be honest.

Yeah. Feels like― - I'd like― I would like a little... - Feels like I'm in Canberra.

- ...bit more grass out the back. - Yeah. I did say the shed's a good-looking shed.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - It's a good-looking shed.

Plenty of space for toys and bits and pieces in there, so, yeah.

- Pushing him out there. - Yeah.

- He can live out there. I'll live in here. - Absolutely.

- I'm sold. I'm sold. - Absolutely.

- I like the shed. The shed is― - Good shed. Yep. - Yeah.

You'd easily fit a digger or Bobcat or something in there. - Mm-hm.

- Away you go.

- So, have a look around and, in regards to this house, have that eye to,

'What would we do? What could we create here,... - Yeah.

- '...knowing it's so well under budget?' - Yeah.

- And when you're ready, I'll meet you on the patch of grass, which I promise is there...

- ...just outside, OK? - Sounds good.

- All right. - All right. Go get creative.

- The rooms are a lot bigger than what I― - Yeah, good size.

- Well, what it looks like at the start. - The fireplace is cool.

- Yeah, I really like the fireplace. - Like the fireplace. The little bar too, that's―

- Yeah, yeah. - ...that's kind of cool and quirky. - Yeah.

- So, what do you reckon? - It's a good size room.

- Yeah, they are. - And it's still quite private, with being out the front of the house.

Like, people can't really see in. - Yeah.

- There's lots of plants and things at the front. How did you feel coming into the house?

- It is a bit smaller. - Yeah. - Yeah.

- It's not as bright and airy. - Nah, it's not. Not enough natural light,...

- No. - ...I think, yeah. - Yeah.

- I told you there was grass. - There's a lot more grass than what I thought.

- There's a lot more grass. There's even a little cubby house... - Very cute.

- ...for Harry to play in. - Harry would love that.

- I know that I'm trying to be really positive, because I know that this place is under yourbudget.

What― What are you thinking? - Oh, I just see a lot of work for what we want.

- True. - But―

- More work than what we wanna do. - More work than we can afford.

- Like, there's definitely potential. - Good girl.

- All right, then. Let's wrap this up. - OK.

- What do you think it's on the market for? - 650?

- Yeah, around there. - It's around 680,

so it's still a fair chunk underneath your budget. - Mm-hm.

- Yep. - Definitely.

- Whether that gets you over the line, I do not know. - Nah. Hard work. Hard work.

That's all you― You're just seeing hard work.

- You're seeing opportunities. - Yes, that's right.

- OK. Well, I still have one more house to show you, so let's go check it out.

- Cool.

- I think the price point is pretty good,

but I think we probably wouldn't have enough money left over to do what we'd wanna do to it.

- It's affordable now, but as you kept building and adding on,

it starts to blow out pretty quick, right? - Yeah.

- Yeah.

- When we return, I meet up with Marie-Nicole to learn more about the community of Yass

and how it's quickly becoming a popular go-to destination.

And then, we tour our third and final home.

- One of the main drawcards to Yass is its tight-knit, supportive community.

I visited Marie-Nicole at the Creators Nest

to learn more about what makes Yass such a wonderful destination to visit and to live.

What was the dream for you? What did you want to create with Creators Nest?

- I wanted this space to connect makers who work in isolation together

but also connect the makers and designers with their customers

so the customers have that emotional connection to where things come from,

rather than ordering it online, never seeing who's behind it ―

take away from that mass-production aspect of shopping

and have this real connection to the products so that―

- And the great thing is that you're buying local,

cos it's so important that when you come to a country town,

support that country town and support the artisans and the creative spirits that all come together and―

And here you're showcasing all of that, aren't you?

- And it's on small-scale production which is unique to the area.

- Do you think it's fair to say that Yass has become a destination in itself?

- Absolutely, and because there's so much to do here that meets lots of different people'sneeds,

so, you know, from the adventurer to the person who likes the boutique shopping

and restaurants and wineries and everything in between. It's not fixed on one type of activity.

- It's quite magical, isn't it? - Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

- Now to our final property for today.

It's a newly renovated home with lovely views and loads of space for Harry.

This character-filled home might just be perfect for what our couple's looking for.

Look at that garden. - It's beautiful.

- Now, that's on the wish list, isn't it? - Definitely.

- That little bit of space. - 100%.

- What is your current view in the rental that― that you're in in Canberra?

- Basically, from our lounge-room window, we look at a brick wall. - Lovely.

- Yeah, it's fantastic. - Fantastic.

- No. - Yeah. And so is that where this desire for space,...

- Yes. - ...a garden...? - Definitely.

Claustrophobic stuck inside, and when you can have this... - Yeah.

Yeah, it's an easy sell, isn't it? - Oh yeah.

- So, this house is a little bit different to the first one I showed you.

This is around 20 years older, 1940s. - Yep.

- It does still meet the wish list. It does still have the three bedrooms, the space, of course.

- Yeah. - You intrigued to have a little look inside?

- Very intrigued. - Yeah, definitely. Yeah. - Very.

- OK, lead the way.

- Lovely timber floors. - Mm. - Beautiful garden.

- Beautiful garden ― you've mentioned that quite a bit, yes.

There's the crystals. There's a great energy, isn't there? - Sure is.

- So, you can kind of feel a little bit, with the layout,

that this is more of a formal sitting room here. - Yeah.

- Then you've got your kitchen just in there, but I think the renovation that they've done,...

- Yeah. - ...it's... - It's really good.

- Pretty― Pretty cool, yeah. - ...quite good, isn't it? - Yeah.

- It doesn't feel like a 1940s home at all. - No.

- Well, look, I should let you have a wander, and I'll meet you when you're ready,

possibly where you're gonna put the chook house.

- Maybe. - I'll see you outside. - Cool.

- Go and check it out.

- What do you think? - It's pretty cool.

- I love it. - Yeah, I really like it. - Every room.

The main bedroom's beautiful, and the bathroom's all been renovated... - Yeah, yeah.

- ...and the kitchen. - No hard work to do here. - Nah.

- Just walk in and just make it your own. - Mm-hm.

Love that I could make a salon at home if I wanted to. - Pretty bang on.

- Ticks all the boxes. - It's pretty bang on, yeah. - Yeah.

- I can see you checking all this space out. This beautiful garden ― what would you do here?

- Oh, you can see a chook pen, vege patch, fruit trees. It's beautiful. Self-sustainability.

- Harry would really love this, yeah. - Harry would go nuts around here.

You could just imagine him, running around, kicking a footy, chasing the dog.

Like, just, yeah, he'd love it. - Trying to pick everything out of the vege garden...

- Yeah. - ...and...

- What did you think of inside? - I loved it. - Oh, this is good! This is good.

Yeah, how come you loved it? - Um, I just loved the energy in there

and just what they've done with renovating the kitchen and the bathroom.

It's exactly my sort of style. Even like how the tenants have styled the place with all theplants,

it's exactly what I would probably do with it. - Mm.

- And that corner window in the main bedroom, that's...

- Yeah. - How the light comes in, it's beautiful.

- Sort of the afternoon light coming in there, and it was just lovely. - Yeah.

- Can see yourself ― maybe breakfast in bed, cos you deserve it? - Oh, yeah.

Harry coming in with a little coffee or something, you know.

- Oh. This is a good start. - Yeah.

- And I think that you'll be really pleased with the price of this home. Have a guess.

- It's gotta be... 720? - Over 700? - Yeah.

- It's actually 680. - Yeah, right. - Oh.

- Yeah, right. - But at the moment, it's 100 grand under your budget.

- Mm. - So you're gonna have, like, the Taj Mahal of chook houses.

- The price of this house, it's― it's worth every cent.

You know, the garden, the potential. Like, inside it's just― It's beautiful, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- Your heart has to go out to first-home buyers, doesn't it?

I've been there. I know it is anxiety-inducing, coupled with all of these hopes and dreams,

and that is exactly how we find Alex and Hayley,

but I think they were feeling very positive about our day.

House number one ― that had the view. It was move-in ready.

House number two ― way under budget. They could renovate if they want to.

And house number three ― well, we know they love the energy,

and we know that that garden had so many options for them.

So I really can't wait to catch up with them again and see if they've made a decision.

Alex and Hayley have had some time to think over the three properties that we toured in Yass,

so now let's catch up and see if they've found their perfect first home.

Hello. - Gidday, Catriona. - Hello.

- I'm just topping you up. - Thank you. - This is my favourite winery here.

Now, when we talked about the three homes... - Mm-hm.

- ...that we looked at, let's have a chat about what you did... - Mm-hm.

- ...and didn't like. - Yeah.

- I'm pretty sure we can knock out one of the three. - Which one?

OK, so, house number two ― that's a...

- Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah, too much work for us,

I think. - We come home of a weekend,

we don't wanna be building and doing stuff.

We wanna be spending family time. - Yeah. - You know, it's―

- Yeah. - It's just, yeah, not something―

- What do you think Harry would think of house number one?

- He'd love it. I could just imagine him riding his bike in the little cul-de-sac.

- Little cul-de-sac. - Yeah.

- Running around on the, you know, golf course out the back and...

- But then house number three, you could imagine... - Oh, definitely.

- Yeah. - ...the chook-house Taj Mahal.

- It is― It's― It's pretty special, that one, isn't it? - Yeah, it was.

- Yes. - It's a hard decision, actually. - So, what do you think you'll do?

- I think number three's fantastic, how it's set up with the veggie patch and everything.

But just house number one, it's just... - Yeah.

- We can make it our own, as opposed to working off someone's ideas.

And it's already got the solar panels on top. Like, it's just, yeah...

- What― What's the term? Sustainable living. - Don't put me on the spot,

but, yeah, that one. Something like that, yeah.

- And for you, what were your thoughts?

- I loved the... feel of house number three.

But then with house number one, yeah, we can put our own stamp on it,

so I think we'll go with house number one. - Yeah.

- Really? - Yeah.

- So you'll put a bid in on that one? - Yeah. - Yeah, definitely.

- OK. - Fingers crossed. - Fingers crossed.

- Yeah. - I'm so excited for you.

I'm gonna come and have a gin and― No, I'm gonna come and have a coffee with you.

- Well, we'll knock up a gin and tonic for you. We'll make it work.

- Or maybe a nice... - Oh, may― maybe an Eden Road. - ...Eden Road.

- Salut. - Thank you so much. I wish you all the very best.

We've had a great time. - Thank you. - Thanks.

- How did things turn out for our first-home buyers?

Well, they put in an offer on the house with a view,

and, yes, they got it!

To Alex, to Hayley and to Harry,

we wish you all the very best on your new adventure in your first family home.

And, Harry, enjoy that trampoline.