Venture outside of Kacè and Joel’s newly-built Burnet 18 and you’ll find scenic mountains at their doorstep and calves grazing just metres from their home.

When they started their first home journey, the 20-year-old couple were in search of a small country town feel, while still having the convenience of being close to major towns for all of the amenities and services they needed.

Finding the Right Fit as First Time Builders

Selecting a builder can often be a daunting task, especially for first home owners like Kacè and Joel. Being young meant they were hesitant to go with just any builder, and it was the reputation Simonds held in the industry that initially grabbed their attention.

They describe setting foot in the Kiama 18 (previously the Burnet 18) display in Traralgon and instantly being sold. After chatting to the Simonds New Home Specialist, Aaron, they found out how customer friendly the Xpress process was. From there, their decision was clear and simple.

“The simplicity of building an Xpress home took the guesswork out of what really is a confusing process for a first time builder. This mixed with a New Home Specialist who catered to our needs and took the time to explain everything really made us feel safe in our choice,” Joel said.

The Smooth-Sailing Emerge Process

With contemporary floor plans suited to blocks of all shapes and sizes, the Emerge Range caters to a range of different buyers, from first home owners to budding or seasoned investors.

Designed to simplify an often confusing build process, customers can go through a step-by-step journey, choosing from a range of popular, tried and tested structural options to further personalise their chosen floor plan.

Next, internal and external colours are selected from a range of palettes handpicked by our team of expert interior designers. This gives customers the comfort of knowing they’ve chosen modern finishes that provide a consistent feel to the home, both inside and out.

And the real beauty of Emerge? This can all be done with a New Home Specialist in a display home or online through the Emerge home builder tool.

“It made the process very clear and outlined steps where we always felt we knew what was happening and what was to come. As 20-year-old builders who were budget conscious, having the pre-selected colour palettes made it easy to pick something we love without any concerns for blowing the bank,” they said.

They ended up choosing the external Milton and internal Arista palettes (well Kacè did!), as they felt the lighter colours opened up their home. Having a spacious, open plan living area was one of the key reasons they chose the Burnet 18 in the first place and it has quickly become one of their favourite spaces within their home.

The two sliding doors in the living and dining area flood the room with natural light and warmth, providing a welcoming space to entertain with ease and keep everyone involved, even when hosting lots of guests.

Feeling Supported at Every Stage

Looking back at their build, Kacè and Joel found most importantly, the high level of support they received continued beyond the initial sales process, right through to their build going to site.

“Our Site Supervisor, Glenn, was incredible! He would text or call whenever suited us…Also, the way he explained things to us never made us feel like we were supposed to be knowledgeable and really made us feel like there were no dumb questions,” Joel says.

They describe their Emerge build as a smooth-sailing journey, recalling a few minor cosmetic touch ups raised at their PCI, which were quickly rectified before a handover date was set and they received the keys to their new home.

If they were to leave fellow first home owners with any piece of advice, it would be to see what’s possible and ask questions.

“We were really surprised about how much is catered to first home owners and how willing Simonds is to work with you. We never felt at any point we were a hassle, and everyone understood the importance of us all being on the same page which made things so much smoother,” they say.

And what’s on the horizon for Kacè and Joel? In between tackling landscaping and planning an outdoor deck and fire pit, they’ll be raising their furry friends and documenting the next chapters of life in their new home on @burnet_3869.

"We never felt at any point we were a hassle, and everyone understood the importance of us all being on the same page which made things so much smoother."