On Thursday 12 April I finally got the keys to my first home after putting money on the table last January!

My mum was over for a visit and I’m glad she got to see that place before she flew back to Singapore on Monday. On Saturday she had even helped me out with some shopping – bedsheets, duvet, duvet cover, pillows, crockery etc. The big move is scheduled for this Friday when the big items like furniture will be delivered and my boxes which had been shipped from Hong Kong will be moved over from my uncle’s place. It’s like relocating all over again!

My place is a modest one-bedroom unit with no carpark space (that would have added A$100,000 more to the price tag). This is all I can comfortably afford. Sometimes I think, “It would be so much better to be one half of a couple, then we could have pooled our money and I could be living in a bigger and better space.”

But there is also something to be said about having financial independence and feeling proud of the fact that I accomplished this all by myself. When I finally slotted that key into the door, turned it and entered the flat, I felt a huge sense of achievement. I thought, “This is my home! I did this with my own hard work and money I saved up! And I didn’t need a man’s or my parents’ help!”

It fills me with a new confidence about my own abilities. Now I know what are the procedures involved in buying a property, working with a solicitor, getting approved for a home loan with a bank, dealing with mortgage brokers, and liaising with building management etc. I’m still learning as I go along but it’s a good and useful journey to be on.

But I also have many people to thank for getting me up to this point.

My parents have helped me in not requiring me to contribute monetarily to the household back in Singapore as my mum is still working.

My uncle and his family have generously accepted me into their home for the past year, and I saved a lot on rent as a result. They have made my transition to Sydney so easy with all the help they have extended and continue to extend to me.

My landlord in Hong Kong very kindly kept the rent below market rate in all the years I stayed there and I managed to save a lot of money because of that.

Anyhow, I’m looking forward to moving in and setting up my home!