Ben Norman is a born and bred Novocastrian, and, after living in 16 different locations in Newcastle during his life, he moved into his Mayfield townhouse about a year ago.
The two-bedroom one-bathroom is the first home that the 30-something bachelor has owned.
The house is within a strata complex where two lots merged. It's now six houses.
It took a bit of looking around to find exactly what he wanted. This house was at the top of his budget, but it ticked all the boxes, including a garage. He moved in just before the pandemic struck.
"Home ownership happened at a weird time. I paid my first month's mortgage then I Googled 'mortgage relief' just in case," he says.
Norman is a web developer for creative agency Headjam. Fortunately, he was able to keep his job during the pandemic and was approved for the first home-buyers deposit scheme, which means he doesn't need lenders mortgage insurance.
He didn't know it when he bought it, but his home would soon become his workspace as well. He set up his second bedroom as an office, and worked from home during the winter. He still occasionally works from home, and now that it's getting warmer he plans to install air-conditioning.
All his furniture is from his old place, but he has bought a few small items.
He is yet to get some art for the walls.
"I need somebody with taste to help me there," Norman says.
His only piece of art is a gift from his friend Levi. It's a hand-drawn picture of a scene from Norman's favorite Youtube video, Democracy Manifest, (a scene of a man at a Chinese restaurant getting arrested.)
His book collection, on the other hand, is quite impressive. He's read all the books on the shelf, but says he hasn't bought a printed edition in years. He has hundreds of books on his kindle. He reads sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction.
He's re-reading the Philip Pullman series, His Dark Materials, and re-reading the Conn Iggulden series called Emperor, which is historical fiction based on Julius Caesar.
Despite the reading and his video games, he says his house is surprisingly social. He has lots of friends over to play board games.
Home ownership happened at a weird time. I paid my first month's mortgage, then I Googled 'mortgage relief' just in case.
On New Year's Eve they held a trivia night, and they used to play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons but they couldn't quite commit, as it requires a lot of dedication.
He's excited about his new air-fryer in the kitchen and his new drum kit in the office. He already plays guitar but is learning the drums.
He likes the suburb and knows his neighbours. He's lived in Mayfield before and has noticed plenty of changes, for example there's a new service station being built in front of his house.
"I did a walk around before I moved in. Pretty exciting to see the number of houses getting renovated," he says.
"Between TAFE and Maud Street, the other end of the main road through Mayfield, there will be six service stations along this one road. Is that necessary?"
He likes Beaumont Street and that it's only a 15-minute walk away.
He's loving his first home and has a tip for anyone else who might be interested.
"When you put in an offer, that's when you have to start putting your money down for building inspections and legal fees; that's what you're paying whether or not the sale goes ahead," he says
"If they (the sellers) had received a better offer I still would have been out of pocket two grand for the legal fees."
If he ever does it again he'd only put an offer under the condition that no other home inspections are shown.
He learnt a few things during the home-buying process, and if the air-fryer and comfy couch are any indication, he's truly making it in Mayfield.
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