by Yvette Cowper

With property prices making it increasingly difficult for the next generation to buy on the Northern Beaches, some local families are finding creative ways to help their children stay close to home.

For those of us lucky enough to raise our families on the Northern Beaches, there’s something pretty special about watching our kids grow up here.

The beaches, the schools, the friendships and that wonderful sense of community. It’s a lifestyle many of us wouldn’t trade for anything.

But as our children grow into adults, there’s a question more and more local parents are facing.

How will our kids ever afford to buy a home on the Northern Beaches?

For one local family, the answer was to think a little differently.

A family with a shared vision

Diana and Ken wanted to purchase a home alongside their adult daughter, Finn, creating a long-term family base where they could enjoy living together while maintaining their own independence.

They were looking for a property with separate, self-contained accommodation, privacy and enough space for their other adult children to visit and feel at home.

But finding the right property wasn’t easy.

One of the biggest challenges was finding suitable accommodation for Finn. While many properties offer a second dwelling, these can often be small, dark or tucked away in a corner of the property.

The family wanted something different. A space that felt like a proper home in its own right, with enough room for Finn to enjoy her independence and potentially build a family of her own in the future.

Having already experienced the disappointment of missing out at auction, the family were feeling the pressure of a competitive market and a deadline to secure a property.

Finding the right fit

As their buyer’s agent, my role was to help the family navigate the market, identify suitable properties and develop a clear strategy.

We focused on homes that could genuinely accommodate their multigenerational lifestyle, looking beyond the traditional family home to find properties with flexible living arrangements.

When we identified a promising property in North Narrabeen, there was already strong interest from other buyers.

I quickly researched comparable sales, established a clear understanding of the property’s market value and developed a negotiation strategy that allowed us to move confidently while remaining disciplined.

The goal was to secure the right home without compromising on the family’s important requirements.

A home that ticked all the boxes

The result was a wonderful family home, secured in under a few weeks, with settlement terms that suited the family’s preferred timeframe.

The property provided the flexibility they were looking for, including comfortable, self-contained accommodation for Finn, with space for her to enjoy her independence and plan for the future.

And then there were the little things.

Beyond the important requirements, I always love understanding a family’s “would love to have” list. Those little details that might not be deal-breakers, but would make a house feel that much more like home.

For Diana, Ken and Finn, that included a fruit tree in the garden, a cosy fireplace and, incredibly, a house number that aligned with their lucky number eight!

It was lovely to see a home come together that not only met their practical needs, but also ticked off some of their more personal wishes.

But what made this purchase particularly special was what it represented.

Diana, Ken and Finn had found a way to create a shared family home on the Northern Beaches, allowing Finn to establish her own future while remaining close to her parents.

Could buying together be an option for your family?

Every family’s circumstances are different, but as property prices continue to make it challenging for younger generations to buy in established areas, it may be worth thinking more broadly about what a home could look like.

Could purchasing with an adult child be an option? Could a property with separate accommodation provide greater flexibility? Could buying together help your family create a future in an area you all love?

Sometimes, the right property isn’t the one you initially imagined.

As a local Northern Beaches mum and buyer’s agent with Propertybuyer, I love helping families explore their options and find homes that work for their lives, not just their budgets.

Because sometimes finding the right home isn’t just about where you want to live.

---