When Sherin Kellow moves into her new home, she won't only have a loan to repay - she will also owe her parents a debt of gratitude.
Ms Kellow's mum and dad, Graham and Noeline, gave their elder daughter $21,000 for a deposit to build her first home. Their mind was made up when banks started tightening loan criteria, making it seemingly more difficult for their daughter to get herself a loan. When the suggestion of giving the money was floated, all three agreed on the outcome. "The decision was an easy one but it all came down to paying for it - my income wouldn’t allow it,” the 22-year-old building scheduler said. "We had to decide if I would do it now and get the grant or wait a few years when I could afford it. You don't know if they'll ever offer the grant again, so mum and dad offered to help me out; that made me very happy." Mrs Kellow said she and her husband had no hesitation in giving their daughter the money but warned her she was on her own with repayments. "We know that $21,000 grant is a good opportunity and there is no way Sherin could have done this by herself," Mrs Kellow said. "If she falls behind or into trouble it's all on her and she'll have to sell her house. But we're confident she can handle it." The money allowed Ms Kellow to put down a deposit and sign a contract before the changes came into effect. She also put down a $5000 holding deposit, which she saved herself. After looking at established homes for more than a year, she settled on the most affordable option - building a 2 x 1 "flute" home with Homebuyers Centre at Brighton Estate in Butler. "It's a bit further north than I've ever lived or saw myself living," Ms Kellow said. "Anything further south I could not have afforded. I'm happy to move there if it means getting my own place. I've been looking to get my own place for about a year and I had saved about $7000." Still some way off, the day Ms Kellow moves in will be an emotional experience for the family. "It'll be her first time out of home," "We know the $21,000 grant is a good opportunity and there is no way Sherin could have done this by herself." Mrs Kellow said. "We're a close family so it will be emotional. But she's promised to come and stay with us one night a week and she said she will do her shopping with us." Mrs Kellow also said her younger daughter would probably expect a similar favour when her time to leave came. However, she said she was "sure to do the same".