And adding to a busy 12 months for Aidan and Melissa Robertson, their baby daughter, Sienna, was born on January 31.

The Robertsons first spoke to The Border Mail last June, having just moved to Wodonga after finding money they had saved for a deposit while living overseas didn't allow them to enter the Melbourne property market.

"It was actually depressing because what we thought was substantial was actually nowhere near enough," Mr Robertson said at the time.

But the Border's cheaper house prices, combined with family support and frugal living means they can now call a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Killara's Riverside Estate their own.

"We love our house, it's really exciting," Mr Robertson said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The pair chose Riverside Estate for the flat block and family vibe and built with GJ Gardner Homes Wodonga.

Mrs Robertson said their priorities included a big kitchen and open space for entertaining and the design stage allowed them the flexibility to make some changes to the set plan.

"There was a fair bit that you could actually do to make it your own," she said.

"It all came together really nicely, I really loved doing that part of it."

GJ Gardner Homes Wodonga sales consultant Bruce Stewart said the project combined the Woodridge plan with a Hampton-style facade.

The Robertsons said working out the financial side of home buying - mortgages and loans - took time.

"If you've never done something, it's like anything; your expectations and your own ideas are so different to what actually happens," Mrs Robertson said.

"It took us a couple of years to understand how to, we spoke to heaps of brokers in the early days. It's a lot to get your head around and you need good advice."

Mr Robertson said sticking to a budget was always important.

"With your first property, you can get carried away with extras," he said. "Keep it simple, keep it liveable."

"Work out what's important to you," his wife added.

Mr Stewart said the builder needed to know a client's budget right from the start to help make sure a project stayed within it.

"From there, then they can make the decisions about any upgrades they may have ... at least they've got a good solid grounding for their finance," he said.

The Robertsons thanked the GJ Gardner team, including Mr Stewart, owners Adam and Simone Gregor and site supervisor Grant Way.

As Mr Robertson said, the couple "couldn't be happier".

Receive our daily newsletter straight to your inbox each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here