'All of a sudden when they announced, I was like ‘Is this real?’
They had already bought land in a new housing development in the western suburb of Tarneit, but were unsure of when to build amid a hit to Anj's income from her job in finance and the broader uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis.
The other element of HomeBuilder, which offers $25,000 for renovations that cost at least $150,000, has received greater attention and criticism – from experts and talkback callers – because it assumes a comfortable level of existing wealth. Labor's housing spokesman Jason Clare said last week the entire HomeBuilder package had let tradies down.
Sam Lal, who works as a business analyst, will also use the $25,000 grant to build a new family home in the city's west. It is the difference between building and waiting, he said.
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