On 11 February 2023 we went to visit our soon to be new home in Rosetta, KZN Midlands.

Midlands Move

Brian and I have dreamed of living a sustainable life on a large property for most of our married life. It’s always been one of our dreams to move to the Midlands, and even more so since having children. The only life Kyle and Ayla know has been living in the city and going on holiday to wild areas. We wanted the joy of having a big garden, and access to water, to be part of their childhoods the way it was for B and I.

Our first goal was to get out of consumer debt, which happened in October 2022. While we were doing that we would keep the dream alive by looking at properties and saving options all over the Midlands. Originally we were looking at the Underberg and Himeville areas of the Southern Berg, but we realised that the travel from there would be far more difficult than if we were somewhere closer to the N3.

As a family we have spent a lot of time driving up to various areas and exploring to see if it made sense for us to move to that area. We drove up to Himeville and Underberg a few times, and spent some weekends camping in the area as well. As much as we loved the area and the pricing was so competitive, the travel distance finally made the decision for us.

We’ve spent lots of time in the Midlands, although less as a family there. In the last few months we’ve done a handful of trips up with time to explore the area, especially after our offer was accepted on the house.

Offer of Purchase

On 17 February 2023 our offer to purchase was accepted and we started the process of buying our first property together. Since getting married in 2012, B and I have always lived in rented properties. First a lovely old house in Musgrave and then moving into my parent’s house in Umbilo when they went overseas. Both our children were born since living here, and this is the property that they call home. It’s going to be an adjustment for them, for sure!

Rosetta had been on my radar from the time we started looking at properties in the Midlands. It was significantly cheaper than other areas, and the properties were a nice size, and the area was nicely located. There was plenty of space between houses and between towns, and there were loads of bodies of water all over the area – something B and I really wanted.

This particular property came up a few times and I had saved it, but never really given it that much thought. It came up again and had better photos of the property and I was both intrigued and excited about the potential I saw in the property. From the photos I could tell that it was well located with a lovely garden and I encouraged Brian that we needed to go and have a look at it.

I reached out to the estate agent, and we arranged to visit the property. It was a beautiful Midlands summer day and we arrived midmorning to look at the property. As soon as B and I walked into the house I think we both could see the potential. The property ticked so many of our boxes:

• Large property with a small building footprint – just over 3000m2
• Close to a water body – the bottom fence is onto the trust that the dam is in. Residents have access to the trust.
• Off a dirt road off a dirt road – the property is accessed via a panhandle driveway which is off a dirt road (so it counts)
• Close to a major highway – less than 15km to the N3
• Has space for the in-laws – the property has a self contained studio cottage.
• Opportunity to grow our own produce and raise chickens – the property already had a chicken coop.
• In an area with opportunities for the kids – homeschooling is popular and there is an active community nearby, but it’s also closer to Misty Meadows School.
• A high ceiling so we had somewhere to put a big Christmas tree.

After some discussion and research we decided to make an offer and on 16 February 2023 our offer was accepted. I naively thought that that was the hardest part of the process, but boy was I wrong.

Paperwork…. and more paperwork…. and then some more!

There is so much paperwork that goes into purchasing a property.