First Home Fabulous: A single girl's journey to buying and renovating her first apartment

Watch Carly Anne’s Kenneally’s renovating journey in our six-part series, First Home Fabulous.

Carly Anne shares the trials and tribulations of her first-home buying and renovating experience, with a little help from her mum – interior designer and The Block Judge Shaynna Blaze.

At 28, I decided it was time to start squirrelling away my pennies for a home, expecting I’d soon meet a partner and we’d bind our love through a mortgage.

I was climbing the career ladder and wild nights out were becoming rare, which meant my savings account was starting to look like it could hold its own – or at least my half when it came to sharing a mortgage.

But by 31, I was perpetually single and resigned to life as an independent woman who could (mostly) support herself.

Life got boring though, so I quit my stable job and blew every last cent I had on a six-week European adventure – and had to move back in with Mum when I returned.

During that time, I’d decided I’d have to embark on this home-buying journey myself.

My dear Nan had passed away a few years earlier and left me $50,000 – a blessing that felt like a ticket to the big leagues – which Mum held off on giving me until I was responsible enough.

Seeing that number in my account gave me a jolt of motivation.

I needed to save another $50,000, an impossible concept considering I’d never managed to keep more than $20,000 in the bank before splurging on a new car or a spontaneous holiday.

But, I buckled down. Two years of living with Mum, no bougie dinners, very few Ubers, and a tragic lack of festivals later, I had finally hit $100,000.

The problem was, my work contracts were only three or four months long – not exactly the type of stability that mortgage lenders are looking for.

So, I hunted down a permanent role at a company I loved. The day I got my contract, I called the mortgage broker who had been patiently waiting for six months and the dream was finally in motion.

I dumped the dating apps for Domain and, morning, noon and night, I was swiping through potential homes like I was hunting for Mr. Right.

Instead of ghostings, these listings haunted me with their sky-high prices, dodgy layouts and undesirable locations. I had two choices: live further out in a two-bedder with a yard (for the dog I didn’t have), or stay closer to the city in a one-bedder.

For a single gal like me, it was a no-brainer – city life won out.

But it felt like every apartment I looked at came with a side of concrete cancer, cladding issues, or a floor plan that made you question the architect’s credentials.

The thought of investing in one of these places made me queasy – what if I ended up pouring money into something I’d be lucky to break even on?

Feeling defeated, Mum suggested we call in the big guns – rockstar buyer’s agent Nicole Jacobs.

Nicole came in like a breath of fresh air, tearing through the list of apartments I’d half-heartedly liked, pointing out why they were all a hard pass.

Then, just 10 days into working together, she found The One. I’m still baffled as to how I missed it, but hey, that’s why we called in the pros.

Nicole checked it out, took detailed videos, listed the pros and cons, and we all poured over the contract.

If legal jargon isn’t your thing, tough luck – you’ve got to push through. When I first started reading these contracts, I had no clue what half the words meant.

But by contract number 10, and with a little hand-holding from Mum and my step-sister, I started to get the hang of it.

This is one of the biggest investments of your life. You need to take the reins, do your homework, and avoid getting slapped with hidden strata fees or defects that’ll have you taking out extra loans just to stay afloat.

With my finances sorted, Nicole gave her stamp of approval, and the solicitor green-lit the contract.

I called Mum, and we both agreed – it was time to pounce.

I rang Nicole to make an offer, and she was stunned. “You haven’t even seen it,” she said.

But it was Friday afternoon, and I wasn’t about to let anyone else get a look at it on Saturday at an open home.

We made the offer, and after a brief bidding war, I transferred the deposit, and that baby was mine by 4.30pm.

Yes, it might’ve seemed hasty, but I’d done my research, knew my options, and was ready to jump when the moment was right.

The real estate market is the Wild West. If you’re a few years away from actually buying a property, start getting to know the market now.

That way, when your perfect opportunity comes along, you can swoop in like a seasoned pro, confident in your decision – and ready to call yourself a home owner, no partner required.

Up next in our six-part series First Home Fabulous, Carly Anne starts renovating – with mixed results.