Surrey Hills first-home buyers reveal $200k property hunt struggle

Newlyweds Rosie and Damien Boccamazzo spent about a year searching for their first home before buying in Surrey Hills. Picture: Supplied Rosie and Damien Boccamazzo spent months watching homes sell $200,000 beyond their budget, but refused to back down on getting an extra bedroom. The newlyweds, now on their honeymoon, had spent six years renting a three-bedroom apartment before buying their first home in Surrey Hills in Melbourne’s east. Both regularly worked from home and had become accustomed to separate offices, with one room also doubling as guest accommodation.RELATED: $20m farm set to smash Melb suburb record ‘Can’t tell’: Star exposes $7k Block gap Luxury townhouses rise up in Highton’s Shoubra estate “Going from renting a three-bedroom to buying a three-bedroom almost for us felt like a non-negotiable,” Ms Boccamazzo said. “We really valued that private office space.” The couple also wanted to leave apartment living and a busy main road behind for somewhere quieter, with outdoor space and a larger footprint. Surrey Hills appealed after six years living in nearby Camberwell, while Ms Boccamazzo had grown up around Melbourne’s leafy inner east. “We just fell in love with the...