A rate rise doesn’t necessarily mean giving up on the home ownership dream.

Australians love property.

We inspect floorplans, imagine the backyard, plan where the furniture will go and spend more time than we probably admit scrolling through homes online.

It’s something realestate.com.au has tapped into with its latest campaign celebrating Australia’s “property obsession” — because for many of us, owning a home is still part of the Australian dream.

But right now, getting there can feel harder.

Following the latest RBA cash rate increase, prospective buyers are once again facing higher repayments and tighter borrowing capacity.

Before putting your plans on hold, though, it may be worth asking:

Are you getting the right deal from your bank?

Your bank isn’t your only option

Different lenders have different lending criteria, products and policies, so the answer from one bank isn’t necessarily the answer everywhere.

A mortgage broker can help compare lenders and explore your borrowing capacity, loan options and any government schemes you may be eligible for. You can also speak directly with mobile lending specialists from individual banks.

Who can I talk to locally?

There are a number of brokers and mobile lenders servicing our local area. Some contacts known to the Birling team include:

• Julie Bucca – First Class Finance | Mortgage Broker
• Chris Bowers – Complete Home Loans Camden | Mortgage Broker
• Darren Kennedy – That Mortgage Guy | Mortgage Broker
• Mitchell Green – Experity Capital | Mortgage Broker
• Samuel Boctor – S2 Financial Solutions / Masari Financial | Mortgage Broker
• Aloka Russell – Westpac | Senior Mobile Lending Manager
• Colin Grimes – ANZ | Mobile Lending Manager
• Matthew Osborne – ANZ | Mobile Lending Manager

These contacts are provided as a starting point only, rather than an endorsement. Buyers should do their own research and seek financial or credit advice appropriate to their circumstances.

Don’t let the headline make the decision for you

Interest rates matter. So do repayments and the cost of living. But everyone’s circumstances are different.

Sometimes the answer might be a smaller block, a different home design, a bigger deposit or simply exploring another lender. Sometimes it might mean waiting a little longer.

And sometimes, after exploring your options, you may discover you’re closer than you thought.

Because behind the rates and borrowing calculators is something much more personal — your own front door, a backyard, space for the family and somewhere that finally feels like yours.

Owning a home is still a big Australian dream.

Markets change. Rates move. Life gets expensive. Ask questions, understand your options and work out what you can comfortably afford.

Your first home doesn’t have to be your forever home. Sometimes, it’s simply how you get in the game.

This article contains general information only and does not constitute financial or credit advice. Birling does not endorse the brokers, lenders or businesses referenced above. Buyers should obtain independent advice appropriate to their circumstances.

There’s something special about the neighbourhoods many of us grew up in — where the street wasn’t just how you got home, it was where you played, met your neighbours and spent the afternoon outside.

Now that Birling has welcomed its first residents, we want to help create that same sense of community from the very beginning.

As part of Camden Active Month, which brings together organisations across Camden for a month of activities encouraging the community to get moving, Cameron Brae Group is inviting the community to Play in the Streets at Birling.

Come out and play

On Sunday 25 October, from 12pm–2pm, a section of Hazlett Boulevard at Birling will be temporarily closed to traffic and opened up for something much more fun — playing in the street.

With the support of Cricket NSW, we’ll be bringing street cricket back to the neighbourhood, giving kids and adults the chance to grab a bat, have a bowl and enjoy being active outdoors.

It’s about more than cricket. It’s about bringing back the good old days of heading outside, meeting the people who live around you and turning the street into a place to play.

Birling is no longer simply a new community taking shape. People now live here. As more residents move in, we want to create opportunities for neighbours to meet and establish the kind of community where getting outside and connecting with each other feels natural.

Meet us in the street

Alongside the cricket, some of our builder partners and HomeWorld will be joining us, and there’ll be food trucks where you can grab lunch and mingle in the street.

Whether you live at Birling, are thinking about making it home, or simply live locally and want to join in, everyone is welcome.

Play in the Streets at Birling
📅 Sunday 25 October 2026
⏰ 12pm–2pm
📍 Hazlett Boulevard, Birling
🏏 Street cricket with Cricket NSW
🏡 Builder partners + HomeWorld
🍕 Food trucks and lunch available to purchase

Come along, bring the family and help us bring a little bit of the good old-fashioned neighbourhood spirit back to the streets.

The streets of Birling are ready to play.

 

RSVP here

Full Schedule for Camden Active Month here

There is a special moment in every new community when lines on a masterplan start becoming something much more real.

For our Stage 5 purchasers, that moment came recently when we invited them to Birling for our latest Walk Your Lot and Meet Your Neighbours afternoon.

For the first time, purchasers could walk onto their future homesites, stand where their homes will soon take shape and begin imagining the life ahead.

And for some families, it was emotional.

Parents and grandparents came along. Future neighbours introduced themselves. There were photos, videos, plenty of smiles and even a few happy tears.

One father became emotional as he stood with his daughter on her future homesite, sharing with our team how much the moment meant after years of working and saving to help her reach this milestone.

It was a powerful reminder that behind every homesite is a real person, a real family and a very personal story.

While the market talks, life keeps moving

There is plenty being said about the property market right now.

Interest rates, affordability, prices, buyer confidence and what might happen next all form part of the conversation — and buying a home will always be a significant decision that needs to be right for each individual household.

But Saturday was also a reminder that life doesn’t necessarily move according to the property cycle.

People get married. Families grow. Children start school. Careers change. People outgrow homes, move closer to family or simply decide they’re ready for a place of their own.

For many buyers, the question isn’t only “What will the market do next?”

It’s also “What do we want our next few years to look like?”

At Birling, we’re seeing purchasers who have answered that question for themselves and are getting on with creating their next chapter.

From purchasers to neighbours

Walk Your Lot is about much more than showing someone the boundaries of their land.

It’s an opportunity to make the experience of buying land more personal.

Our purchasers can talk with the Birling team, ask questions about what’s happening around them, understand the progress of their neighbourhood and, importantly, meet some of the people who will one day live down the street.

That’s particularly exciting at Birling right now.

Roads are taking shape, homes are coming out of the ground and our first residents are preparing to call Birling home.

With every milestone, the community we’ve spent years planning becomes a little more real.

Start picturing your own bright future

It’s easy to spend a long time waiting for the perfect moment.

But finding a home is about more than trying to predict what happens next. It’s about finding the right homesite, home and community for you — and deciding when you’re ready to begin.

If Birling is somewhere you’ve been considering, come and experience it for yourself.

Visit our Sales & Information Centre, talk to our team and explore the land and House & Land opportunities currently available.

You can stand by our 3D model, understand the different homesites and neighbourhoods, ask as many questions as you need and start picturing what your own life at Birling could look like.

Because one day, it might be your family standing on your future homesite, taking that first photo and realising: this is actually happening.

Birling. Home of Bright Futures.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkX7pDinX0Y