Invest
Buying property without emotional baggage
Purchasing a home by pairing up with a stranger could be considered a “safer” property ownership option than opting in with a partner, family member or friend just to jump on the ladder, it’s been suggested.
Buying property without emotional baggage
Purchasing a home by pairing up with a stranger could be considered a “safer” property ownership option than opting in with a partner, family member or friend just to jump on the ladder, it’s been suggested.
nestegg recently reported on a new platform that is aiming to address Australia’s housing affordability issues by matching compatible strangers who are wanting to make a property investment and helping them go on to co-purchase a home.
For Mortgage Mates co-founder Jess Vesely, there are a number of benefits that come about when an individual enters a property purchase with a stranger that aren’t always top of mind when someone does venture on such a large investment decision with a friend, family member or partner.
When buying with a stranger, you are able to remove some of the emotional checks and balances that form part of a family discussion on home ownership, she said.
“If you are buying with a friend, partner or sibling, for example, you may feel unsure about requesting bank statements to confirm financial capability,” Ms Vesely offered.
“We find that almost every time, no legal arrangement is put in place that outlines what happens if one person wants to sell, is unable to repay or the relationship breaks down.”
According to Ms Vesely, often properties bought in these situations “will have been bought in a positive emotional space”.
“But, with this brings emotional ties,” she has warned.
Relationships do break down, and “without any agreement in place, it can get extremely messy”.
Instead, when embarking on a co-purchase agreement with a stranger, “these conversations commence at the beginning of the relationship”.
“You will go into the relationship knowing that legal agreements, bank details and credit scores are all normal, healthy steps on the way to co-owning a home together,” Ms Vesely said.
From her perspective, Mortgage Mates’ “unique” matching platform – and its reliance on pairing strangers who have similar wants and needs from property ownership – is able to “promote confidence and clarity in seeking independent legal advice due to the unique nature of your relationship with each other”.
She also highlighted the opportunities it can provide for individuals to speak freely about their housing needs and aspirations before purchasing together, and “without feeling like you need to compromise”.
According to the co-founder, some of the advantages of co-ownership include more flexibility in linking with a like-minded individual to enter the property market in less time and the taking on of less financial risk due to a more manageable mortgage size.
She also touted the benefits of co-ownership as putting less pressure on housing infrastructure and enabling younger Australians to have a better shot at buying property in areas they wish to live in without being pushed to the fringes of cities or regional locations.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
