{"id":23685,"date":"2024-12-19T12:15:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T01:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purefinance.com.au\/?post_type=stories&p=23685"},"modified":"2024-12-19T12:16:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T01:16:30","slug":"carmen-sam","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.purefinance.com.au\/stories\/carmen-sam\/","title":{"rendered":"Carmen + Sam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a dramatic dash over the NSW\/VIC border in the midst of COVID lockdowns, Carmen and Sam found themselves making an unexpectedly permanent move back to Melbourne \u2014 and buying their first home, sight unseen, along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mid-2021 found Carmen and Sam, a \"typical 'dinky' [dual-income no kids] couple\" caught up in a familiar pandemic story. With both Sydney and Melbourne in lockdown and borders about to close, the pair made a snap decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"My sister was due to have a baby any minute, and both of our dads were going through some health issues,\" Carmen explains. \"We chucked a few things in a suitcase, emptied the washing basket into a bag, and made a run for it so we could be there to support our families.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though what was initially meant to be a temporary visit soon became permanent. When Carmen's other sister announced she was also having a baby, the couple knew they needed to stay \u2013 leading to the \"near-impossible task\" of remotely coordinating an interstate move home via the \"kindness of a few friends, and the quick work of a couple of removalists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"We're talking fridge emptied, bedside tables tipped upside down into boxes, even the dishwasher was still full. See? We really did<\/em> think we were coming back!\" she laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the dust settled, the pair began considering their next move. \"To be honest, for all of our 20s, we never even dreamed of buying a home; we just thought it was completely beyond our reach,\" Carmen reveals. \"We had both either worked in lower-paying jobs, took time out to study or take care of others, and I'd spent a significant amount of time building a not-for-profit and not earning a wage,\" she adds.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with Sam now settled in his role in the sustainability and energy efficiency sector and Carmen running her own successful, purpose-driven copywriting and campaigning business, buying their first home finally felt within reach. \"We didn't really have much of a deposit together, but we decided to contact Pure Finance anyway and see what was possible,\" the couple shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Buying your first home can often come with unique challenges. But doing it during a global pandemic? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"It was during a lockdown, so we couldn't actually inspect anything!\" Carmen recalls. \"Looking back, it really was pretty bananas,\" she laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With lockdown restrictions making it impossible to attend in person inspections, the pair relied on property drive-bys and Carmen's electrician father to complete building inspections, who they armed with their detailed checklist of requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn't long before the pair discovered a warehouse loft apartment that they loved, in Collingwood's historic Yorkshire Brewery complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"For an apartment, it's pretty big,\" Sam explains. \"It's technically a 2 bed, 2 bath \u2013 but with Carmen working from home, the second bedroom is now her studio. Plus, there's a mezzanine level, which is kind of like a second living room in the loft space,\" he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its soaring warehouse ceilings and floods of natural light spilling in through large windows, the place felt special right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final hurdle was tackling auction day. Though of course, this was to be a COVID safe auction - held via Zoom video meeting. With eight parties joining virtually, and after a nerve-wracking back-and-forth with one other determined bidder, Carmen and Sam emerged successful - albeit with slightly frayed nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today, the pair are deeply grateful to live and work on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin nation, an area with \u201ca rich history of Aboriginal resistance and culture, and that is considered to be part of the social and political hub known as \u2018Aboriginal Melbourne<\/a>\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They particularly love the powerful \u2018Aboriginal Lives Matter\u2019 and \u2018Truth, Justice, Healing\u2019 messages on local buildings<\/a>, created by artist Ky-ya Nicholson-Ward (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung, Nguarai Illam-Wurrung, German and Irish).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou literally can\u2019t go past the tallest mural in the Southern Hemisphere<\/a> by local artist Matt Adnate, which we\u2019re lucky enough to be able to see from our place,\u201d Carmen shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area has also become what Sam describes as \"a real business hub for purpose-driven companies and B Corps like: Who Gives A Crap, Bank Australia, Aesop, and Swisse.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's a fitting location for Carmen's own purpose-driven venture, her eponymous business CARMEN GET IT<\/a>, through which she crafts comms and campaigns for sustainable fashion and ethical finance, while also running a small, wildly colourful online store.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery piece [in the store] has been created in collaboration with talented women and non-binary makers from across Australia,\u201d Carmen explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s through words or wears, I like to think that everything I do reflects my belief that business can, and should, be a tool for justice, equity, and injecting more colour into a sometimes bleak world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it came to the finance side of things, working with a purpose-driven mortgage broker was a natural choice for the pair. With their shared background in purposeful business and sustainability, it was important that such a big financial decision was aligned with their values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"None of this would have happened without the support and guidance of Pure Finance. It's also such a god-send having someone who will advocate to the banks on your behalf, so you know you're getting the most competitive rate, but you're also contributing to causes you care about,\" Carmen explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Plus the fact that you're a B Corp, you're purpose-led and use your business as a force for good really felt like you were speaking our language.\" she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at their whirlwind journey from hasty border crossing to homeowners, the couple can hardly believe how it all unfolded. \"I don't think either of us can believe, even now, that it's actually happened,\" Carmen muses. Their home, just like their journey to finding it, was anything but conventional \u2014 and that's exactly how they like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen and Sam's favourite local spots in their neighbourhood:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n