Featured in Yahoo Finance: Buying My First Home at 21 and What I Wish I Knew

Buying your first home is never easy - and for Gen Z and millennials, the challenge feels bigger than ever. Rising house prices, cost-of-living pressures, and higher interest rates mean that saving a deposit or getting loan approval can feel out of reach.

Recently, I shared my own story with Yahoo Finance, opening up about what it was like buying my first home at just 21 years old and the lessons I learned that I now pass on to my clients.

My First Home Journey

When I was 21, I made the decision to buy a property  even though my parents didn’t own one themselves. They were risk-averse when it came to debt and were worried that taking on a mortgage would stop me from travelling or having lifestyle flexibility.

But I could see house prices rising, and I didn’t want to be locked out of the market. So I saved up a deposit, bought my first property, and chose a rent-vesting strategy: renting where I wanted to live, while owning an investment property elsewhere.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a strategic one.

The Mistakes I Made (And How I Help Clients Avoid Them)

Looking back, I made some big mistakes that cost me money:

• I didn’t use a broker.
• I missed out on the First Home Owner Grant, which would have saved me $10,000.
• I thought I needed a larger deposit than I actually did.

That’s part of why I started Noma Finance - because I don’t want other young people to miss out on opportunities just because they don’t know what’s available.

What Young Buyers Need to Know

Here are three key insights I shared in the Yahoo Finance interview:

1. The game has changed – For our parents, saving a deposit could take just a couple of years. Today, it can take close to a decade for young Australians.
2. Strategy matters more than luck – Whether it’s rent-vesting, using government schemes, or structuring your loan differently, the right strategy makes all the difference.
3. The right support saves money – A broker can compare across lenders, access grants, and find solutions that you won’t get walking into a bank.

Why Noma Finance Exists

At Noma Finance, we specialise in helping Gen Z and millennials take their first steps to making their life better through smart debt strategies.

We make the process transparent, stress-free, and even a little bit exciting because buying your first property should feel like an achievement, not a burden.

If you’re thinking about your first home loan or an investment strategy like rent-vesting, let’s chat.

👉 Book a call with us today and see how we can help you get into the market sooner.

“For me, buying young wasn’t about luck, it was about planning. And now at Noma Finance, I help other young people take the same strategic approach so they can build wealth instead of being locked out of the market.”

Read the full feature on Yahoo Finance.