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, I'm in the New South Wales town of Orange

with newlyweds Grace and Luke,

who are looking to put a stamp on their very first home together.

- Veggie garden, retaining wall, entertaining space, could do whatever we wanted.

- Yeah, that's so lovely.

Now we'll be exploring three different properties that offer loads of opportunity

for our couple to make it their own.

- This house was amazing.

As first-home buyers, it's very tempting to come in and go for something like this.

- Mm-hm.

- So can I find our first-home buyers their dream first home?

Welcome to one of my all-time favourite country towns, Orange in country, New South Wales.

It is gorgeous and it's no wonder today's couple, Grace and Luke, would love to move here.

They've been priced out of the Sydney market.

You see, they're newlyweds on a tight budget. They wouldn't mind a renovation.

They also would like a little bit of a garden that they could create or build from.

And for Luke, he'd like a nice little outdoor fire where he could entertain his friends.

I cannot wait for you to meet Grace and Luke.

- I'm Grace.

- I'm Luke. - And we're from Marrickville in Sydney.

- We've been married coming up two years. - Two years.

We met at uni. We both studied graphic design.

I mean, we were probably friends first and then a little romance flourished

and we moved to Sydney and started our careers in Sydney.

- Luke is from Deniliquin originally, while Grace is from the gorgeous town of Corindi,

so I can understand why they would now like to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the city

and return to the country.

- Being country kids, we are looking to have a true change and get back to sort of where we came from.

We're a pretty easy-going sort of couple, like, as long as we have a nice local pub, meals.

If we can get away for a weekend, weekend away to recharge.

- Bit of bushwalking,

quiet life. - Yeah. - Yeah.

I feel like after we made the move to Sydney that...

it kind of never really felt like home.

So even though we had each other,

didn't feel like home.

- Yeah, I think we're looking at a place that we can settle in and feel like it is ours,

and I think Orange might be the place that will feel like that.

- Famous for its food, wine and fabulous shopping,

Orange is also well known as the birthplace of the legendary Australian bush poet Banjo Patterson.

The rich history of the town is kept alive through its stylish blend of old and new architecture.

They do it so well. And with loads for our young couple to do,

I think they are going to absolutely love it in Orange.

Our first home on today's tour, well, it could use a little bit of work here and there.

However, I have heard that our couple are actually looking forward to a renovation,

so let's see if they're up for the task.

- Hello.

- Hi. - My gorgeous girlfriend, Corindi. Favouritism.

How you going?

Hi. I'm all the better for standing underneath this beautiful blossom tree at house numberone.

I can understand why you'd want to leave the big smoke.

You've been priced out of Sydney, so why would you choose Orange of all country towns?

- Orange was big enough to be able to continue our careers here.

Close enough to Sydney for me to be able to work from home and travel to Sydney if I needto.

- Oh, lucky you. - And it's also still got that country feel

that we both grew up in.

- I know that you're first-home buyers, so what is the budget that we're looking at?

- Around 650. - Cool. - Yeah.

- OK. What do you think of the facade of this 1980s-style home?

- I think with a bit of paint, you could definitely freshen that up.

- I think the house on the outside could use a bit of a facelift.

The brown and cream is a bit dated... - A bit dated.

- ...compared to the other houses in the street.

- I've got the budget in mind. Let's go and check out house number one. - Perfect.

- When we first walked in, it was nice and bright, nice and airy.

It has plenty of natural light, which is a bonus.

- Yeah, it has quite a warm, homey feeling.

- Now, just before I take you into the main living area,

I just want to quickly ask your opinion of what could be a second living area or entertaining spot.

It's currently used as a dining room.

What do you think of this space? Would this work for you?

Because I know that you love your entertaining.

- I could definitely see this as an entertaining space that we would use.

Our family would fit around a table that size. - Yes.

- Yeah, it's a beautiful space. - But let me show you the main kitchen and living area

because I know you want the gas stove.

OK.

I know on the wish list was a gas stove.

It's got to be one of the oldest gas stoves I've ever seen, but what do you think?

- It's good bones. You can update the cabinetry.

The benchtop could probably use a little bit of a facelift,

but overall, it's in a good position.

- You're so positive. This is wonderful.

Is that because you're from a family of builders so that you know that you can get the labour?

- We know we got free labour. We put them to work.

- Do you know what? I'm going to be honest with you ― this carpet is kind of old.

- Yeah, I think some timber floorboards or something would― - I knew you were going to saythat.

I can definitely see that as well. You could do timber floorboards right throughout the house.

- Yeah. That would really modernize it a lot. - So when you're ready,

meet me outside.

- Cool. - Nice one. - Good luck. See you soon.

- Oh, nice one.

It's a good size.

- Yeah, it's nice and bright. I like it.

Probably update that carpet, though.

- You can see there's a fair few stains, so that is more work and budget that cuts into it.

- Yeah.

- I'm just listening to the bird song out here in this massive back garden.

- It's a good blank slate too, which is nice.

- Veggie garden, retaining wall, entertaining space, could do whatever we wanted.

- Yeah, that's so lovely.

Would the Hills Hoist stay? - I think it would, yeah. It's classic. It's a classic.

- I shouldn't say it, but I'd get rid of it straight away, but I think that says more aboutme.

- We're pretty classic Australian, just standard Aussies, I feel like. - Down to earth, pretty...

- The Hills Hoist is not an issue for us. - Yeah.

- So what do you think this place is on the market for?

- Hmm. - 650 to 700, I would say.

- You're very confident. Something I'm a little bit excited to tell you

is that the current owner is ready to sell.

- Good. - Good.

And they are open to offers ― 650 to 700.

- Perfect. Nice.

- I think the fact that this house is right on budget, but it's still liveable,

means that we can kind of work through it while we're living there.

- Add what we want, update what we need and then really make it our own home.

- After the break, we tour this quite interesting character home,

and then later on, we check out this cute little 1950s cottage.

and then later on, we check out this cute little 1950s cottage.

- I am in Orange, New South Wales, helping Grace and Luke find their first home together.

We've already toured one house that did need a little bit of work,

but our couple loved the opportunity to make it their own house.

House number two has had a lot of renovations,

but there's still loads they could do outside if they wanted to take on a project.

So let's bring our couple in to check it out.

I wouldn't normally mention this, but I know that you're gardeners.

What do you think of this lawn? - It's pretty lush, isn't it? - Lush.

- It's great. - A lot greener than the last one.

- Isn't it funny that we noticed that straight away? I was like, 'Oh, nice lawn.'

What do you think of this house?

It's got the columns, it's got the brick.

- It's a nice character compared to the first one, I think.

Really nice curb appeal, especially with all the trees and plants. There's a lot of greeneryin nature.

- All right, let's go and see the kitchen.

I know you want to see that kitchen. - Let's do it.

From the front, you could sort of see the heritage style,

and then that flowed through the brick. - That brick wall.

- Just before I show you the kitchen, I just would like to show you this first entertainingarea.

Is that your style? Is that your thing?

The brickwork there and the arch?

- It really warms up the room, doesn't it?

- I was going to say it makes it really warm.

Just the texture and the colour of it really warms up the whole area.

- Speaking of warm, you may have noticed there is a fire. - I've got my eye on the fire.

Yeah, that's a bonus. That's good.

- OK, let's check out the kitchen.

Well...

Wow.

What do you think? - This is it, isn't it?

- This is what you call move-in ready. - This is stunning.

- How would your dog go in here? - Look, the floorboards would be a lot better, a lot easierto clean.

You can see that it flows out on to the entertainers area, which is good, which is a bonus.

- Absolutely. - That's probably so far the only thing is

that there's not much that you would need to do.

- It is move-in ready, though, isn't it? - Yeah.

- When you're ready, I'll meet you in the back garden

because I'm very excited to show you what we have out there.

And let me know what you think when you're ready.

- Oh, nice. - Yeah. Wow. That's a very bright little space.

Yeah, this is pretty luxe for if there was kids or guests to use this space.

- Or a his and hers, we could have separate sinks and cupboards.

You get that one, and I get these three.

- At least then your makeup wouldn't be all over my one, would it, eh?

- Isn't this lovely out here? You can just hear the rustle of those unbelievable gums.

It's just beautiful.

And I should let you know straight off the bat, that is an open reserve that can never be built out.

- Amazing. It sounds quiet, doesn't it? - Yeah.

- Doesn't it? Yes.

Duly noted, Hills Hoist. - Again. Here we are, the gumtree, the Hills Hoist.

How much more country can you get coming from Sydney? - Give me a home in the country!

Coming from Sydney, we've got a little clothes horse, instead of a clothes line.

- So you really appreciate that? - It's the little things. Little things.

- So what do you think this one is on the market for?

- Above 800.

- You're right. It is at the top end of your budget.

- I think we have to discuss the cost of repairs to the first house and weigh up the options.

- Yeah, yeah.

- This house was amazing. - Yeah, you can definitely tell the difference from the price.

- Yeah. As first-home buyers, it's very tempting to come in and go for something like this.

- Is it worth having spend more money and less work?

- I was kind of looking forward to doing the work. - Mm.

- Next up, we sit down with Kristen to hear her story

about transforming the Byng St homestead into an award-winning hotel.

And then we tour our final property for today, this gorgeous little country cottage.

And then we tour our final property for today, this gorgeous little country cottage.

- People absolutely love coming to Orange to experience the harmony of its old and new architecture.

Kristen and her husband, Thomas, have kept inside the town's theme

with their restoration of the historic Byng Street homestead.

So I caught up with Kristen to learn all about how they managed to bring this magnificent building

into the modern day.

Tell me a little bit about the design ethos of your hotel.

I guess we want to keep the, you know, the heritage and restore that back to its originalbeauty

and then the juxtaposition with the modern and the old.

It's a sense of excitement and awe as people walk down the driveway,

and they don't realize that there's this long extension at the back,

and we just love seeing the look of surprise on their face.

- What do the locals make of Byng Street?

- I think that they're really proud.

We certainly hope that they're really proud, in the way it's been restored.

I think we bring a lot of tourism to Orange.

People really appreciate the shopping and the food and the wine,

and we just want to give back to the community as well, so we enjoy being part of it.

- So to live here, it is really quite beautiful. - Oh, absolutely.

Feel like Orange is the new black.

I'm just so glad that I came here because so many people had told me about what you had done here.

And for me, it really represents the new guard of Orange ― people who respect the past,

who've embraced it, but are taking it into the future as well.

- Yeah. And I think it's great that regional centres have been discovered,

both in New South Wales and around Australia.

So yeah, it's great. - It's exciting. - Yeah, it is very exciting.

- Now on to house number three, this gorgeous little cottage.

It's only a five-minute walk to the heart of town,

so let's see if our final property can win over Grace and Luke.

You can probably hear, with a little bit of that traffic noise, we're closer to town.

- That's a positive. That's good. - That's a positive. Great. - That's good.

- This is a 1950s cute little cottage.

I will be honest, this place is under your budget.

And I'm saying that because as we go inside, just be open-minded to what we see.

Can you smell anything? - I can smell the fire. - Let's go get toasty.

- That's a really big TV. - You can't miss it.

- You can't miss that TV. But I really wanted to show you the fireplace.

- You can feel it as soon as you walk in.

- Keeping in mind, this is a 1950s cottage,

so you can also tell straight away that you have designated spaces.

- Probably prefer a bit more open plan.

- More modern. - Might feel a little bit tight with our current furniture in this.

It's probably a little bit small. - You're worried. - A little bit tight.

- You're worried already. - Yeah.

- But then also keep in mind what I said right out the front is that this is under budget.

- Yeah. Have some wiggle room. That's good.

- All right. Would you like to have a look at the kitchen? - Let's have a look.

- OK, great. All right. In you go.

You can see those original floorboards come all the way through.

Is that your kind of colour?

- Yeah. It really brings, like, the warmth up from the carpet to the kitchen.

- Yes. - With the new cabinetry, for an older house, it looks quite modern.

- What about all the different textures?

- Probably a little bit too much.

We could modernize that a little bit, but overall, it's actually quite a good space.

- Yes. All right, well, have a look at the rest of the house and when you're ready, I'll meet you outside.

- Nice one. - OK. Out the back. - Cool.

- This could be a good office space. - Yeah, the lighting's really nice.

Would be really good for office space.

I can still feel the heat from that fire. It's so warm in here.

- Yeah. And the fire carries across the whole house. - Yeah.

All right. It's pretty warm in here. Should we go outside? - Let's do it.

Room for a fire. That's good. - Excuse me. It's already there.

- There the chimney and everything. Too perfect.

- And hello. - Hills Hoist.

- Three from three.

- I kind of love this space. I love having this open porch and it's a very country thing to doas well,

just to sit out on that back porch and just enjoy...

...the trucks and the bird life.

Could you do your outdoor entertaining here?

- Yeah, you can see a big table, barbecue.

- So what do you think this one is on the market for?

- Mm. I'd probably say 660. - Yeah. Probably I'd say 600 to 650.

- Yeah. Well done. It actually was put on the market at 625 and up.

- I was surprised that this place was under budget.

It had everything, really, that we were looking for.

Mm-hm. Overall, it's actually quite a nice property.

- I think it'll be a pretty tough decision. - Yeah, they're all pretty close.

They all have their positives and negatives both.

We'll just have a chat and see what we think works.

- Now that I have met Grace and Luke,

I can see why they would be open to the idea of renovating.

They're young first-home buyers.

They've got the energy, the creativity.

And hello, with a family full of builders, they've got the free labour.

Even though we've shown them three homes that are all around their budget,

I think they might go for number one. But I can't wait to see what they think.

- Well, Grace and Luke have had some time to think over the three houses

that we have toured in wonderful Orange.

Let's check in for a little cuppa to see if they've made a decision.

Hello. I come bringing sweetie treats. - Hello.

- Have you been chatting about all the wonderful places that we saw? - We have.

Plenty of things to talk about. - How are you feeling about those three?

I had a feeling the third one, you liked it, but you were quite clear it wasn't for you.

Is that fair? - Yeah, that's fair.

I think the yard was probably just that little bit too small for what we would like todo.

- Yes. How did you feel about house number two,

which was pretty much schmick, wasn't it? - It was stunning.

- It was stunning. - Yeah.

- But in a weird way, that's almost detrimental for you. Is that right?

- Well, the updated kitchen was everything we'd need in it.

The floorboards were amazing, but it probably takes away the challenge of owning our firsthome

and then making it in our own along the track. - Yeah?

- Yeah. - Which leads me to the first house.

So you've got the family of builders,

and I'm sure they just can't wait for the phone call to come and help you out.

- Yeah. I feel like being first-home buyers, you kind of need to have something that you needto renovate.

It's like a rite of passage where you do a bit of DIY, so...

- You're young. - Yeah.

You've got the energy.

- So what do you think you'll do? - I think we'll go for house one.

- Yeah. We'll get on the call. - If we can make our stamp, it has everything we need.

A few updates with the carpet.

The kitchen could use an update,

but they're all things we can do as time goes on.

- Yeah. - But it is, essentially, at the moment, move-in ready.

- Yeah. - Yes. And the dog will love it.

- The dog will love it. - The dog will love it. - Priorities.

Yes.

- Well, I have to admit, I'm openly envious of the life that is in front of you.

Excuse me. You get to have this every day.

- It's amazing, isn't it? - Oh!

- Our couple did end up putting in an offer for house number one, the fixer-upper.

And they got it.

Yeehaw! Well done.

They also wanted to let us know that they have already started on the renovations.

Grace and Luke, we just wish you all the very best

for creating your new dream home together in our beloved Orange.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023.