Finding an affordable place of your own, as a young professional, can be tough. But with the right roommate, you’re halfway to making your dream of one day owning your own home come true
I come from the small town of Worcester in the Western Cape. I moved from one small town to the next, until I ended up in the even smaller town of Kuils River. I have always lived in the kind of towns where you make a pit stop en route to your final, bigger, more developed, sexier-looking location.
While Kuils River, which is just over 30kms outside of Cape Town, is a great town to raise kids and cattle in, it’s not for me. I may be a small town girl, but I am a Big City woman.
Thanks to my broken filter, curious mind, passion for listening to people and documenting what they say, I have found myself in the media industry and the big city.
Journalism has not brought me much wealth in terms of money and things, but it has brought me knowledge and some of the most sad and exciting memories.
Financially, it is not easy. While I do not own the car I dreamed of and do not wear the clothes I desire , I do have what I need. But my biggest dream is to one day to own a home of my own. It’s unlikely. I will never own property. Well not exactly never, but not exactly where I would like to either.
“If you want to invest at your age,” a property agent told me. “you will have to get your parents to apply for a loan with you.” I’m 28. I agree with her, as I know I have not worked nearly as long as my parents have and I am pretty sure that if I applied for a loan, the bank would only offer me enough to purchase the room inside the apartment I was looking at.
And that’s why I am sharing a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with another young professional. This journey to shared-space living began last year ,when I started a new job.
Living in Kuils River and travelling to town every day was killing my pocket. I was at the point where I would no longer socialise, due to travelling costs and other expenses.
I did not choose a career which would see me being able to buy food at Woolies every month, or splashing out on name brands or fancy shoes, so I kept trying to make life easier for myself.
I love what I do but this was the most depressing time of my life. I was homeless, sleeping on a friend’s couch while trying to find a place closer to town.
I decided to join a couple of Facebook groups where people advertise that they have one room available in their two bedroom apartment. I was on these pages like a hawk eyeing a mouse. I became obsessed. I did not want to miss an opportunity.
What I found interesting was that the advertisements all sounded the same. They would go like this: one room available in a two bedroom sunny apartment. Fully furnished, laundry facilities available and off street parking.
As soon as I saw one of the adverts, I would send a message to the advertiser. I must have messaged at least 15 people, none of whom responded to my query.
I eventually gave up looking for a place closer to work. It made me feel like no one wanted me in their space. I started wondering what was wrong with me. Then, after about a month, on one of the groups, I met a girl named Zoe.
She was clear in what she was offering and what type of personality she was looking to share space with. Its wasn’t a generic ad.
I thought to myself, here is someone that I could live with. Someone who can make life a little easier for me. Someone who is willing to take me in.
I sent her a message. I explained my situation, who I am what I do and where I come from. She responded immediately and we had a long chat. She invited me to view her place, and right after meeting me, she asked the big question.
“So when would you like to move in?”
I was elated. My heart was pounding. I once again believed there are good people out there who are willing to share and to do things to make others feel good.
Zoe saved my day. She saved my job and she saved me from being completely homeless.
While a bond would have been ideal at my age, paying R4500 for one bedroom in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Century City, within walking distance to the mall and about 10 minutes to work is the best I can do now. Did I mention that it’s sunny?
I will stay with Zoe until I reach my goal of owning property, a town house or bigger, for my future dogs and 6 kids. Somewhere in Blouberg, close to the ocean.
Me and Zoe now get to celebrate the small things together. Like making it home before the traffic gets really bad. Being able to eat before we leave for work. Cleaning our apartment every Friday and going for long walks in the eco-friendly park on a Saturday morning.
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