It’s taken me six months to share my story because money and property can feel deeply personal.

If you’re a first home buyer whether you’re single or buying with a partner and you have convinced yourself that Sydney property is out of reach, this story is for you.

Starting from scratch
At 18, I moved to Australia from New Zealand with just $800 and no plan. I had no family here, no network, no financial safety net and no education around property or wealth creation. Everything I’ve built since then has come from building relationships, staying curious and backing myself along the way.

After coming out of a long-term relationship in 2024, I had convinced myself that property ownership was something I would need a partner to achieve.

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Marinko and the team at Pristine Finance for six years. They have become an extended family to me. During that time, I watched hundreds of clients build wealth through property. What I didn’t realise was how much those conversations were shaping my own thinking.

17 Days from pre-approval to exchange
In November 2025, I decided it was time to stop watching from the sidelines and take Marinko’s advice.

What happened next still feels a little crazy.

From submitting my loan documents to exchanging contracts took just 17 days. In that time, I was pre-approved, found a property, was introduced to a solicitor by Marinko and the team, completed my due diligence, negotiated the purchase and exchanged contracts.

I wasn’t navigating the process alone. Marinko and the team coordinated every step, connected me with the right professionals and managed the negotiations directly with the selling agent on my behalf. A month later, I settled on my first apartment in Randwick.

I never imagined my first property would be in the Eastern Suburbs, which made the speed of the entire process feel even more surreal.

The negotiation that saved me $50K
As a first home buyer, it’s easy to become emotionally invested and fear missing out. While I was focused on finding the property, Marinko was focused on ensuring I didn’t overpay for it.

The property was originally scheduled to go to auction, and the thought of standing there bidding against other buyers for a home I had already fallen in love with felt incredibly daunting.

Instead, Marinko negotiated a successful outcome prior to auction. His ability to remove emotion from the process and focus on strategy was invaluable.His guidance saved me around $50,000 and helped me avoid the stress and uncertainty of auction day altogether.

What still feels surreal is how different my experience was from what many first-home buyers go through.

I’ve met people who spend months attending inspections and auctions every weekend, only to miss out or see their borrowing capacity change before they find the right property. That’s why I’m so grateful for the guidance, strategy and support I had around me.

What I learned
Looking back, the biggest milestone wasn’t buying the property it was changing what I believed was possible for myself.

If you think property ownership in Sydney isn’t possible, I encourage you to challenge that belief. There are more opportunities for first home buyers than many people realise.

If you’re on a similar journey, please reach out. I’m happy to share my income, deposit and everything that I learned along the way. If I could move to Australia with $800 and buy my first property on my own with no support, you might be surprised by what’s possible.