Having successfully avoided joining those with mortgages for many years, I finally took the plunge on the 2nd of March and bought an old (around 1840) stone cottage in central Mount Barker at auction.

The house was cheap. VERY cheap. Before you assume I got myself a bargain, you should consider the state of the house:

• It's tiny
• There are substantial cracks in all the original stone walls
• A dubious extension was added in the 1950's
• There is some asbestos
• The land has had no maintenance (except the liberal application of rubbish) for many years
• A previous owner was letting a boarder stay in the house for free in exchange for the boarder performing renovations for him. He appears to have gotten his money's worth.