It's Saturday.
He's at Bunnings. Sausage at 9am. Believes this qualifies as "prep work."
She's back from Finders Keepers Cafe with coffee and quiet regret.
The dog's on the balcony, foreman stance.
The plan: paint the kitchen.
The reality: he's still arguing that "Beige Whisper" and "Soft Sand" are the same colour.
She's threatening to call her dad.
The dog's clocked out.
He drills a hole "just to check something."
The wall flakes. He panics.
She silently opens her phone.
He says, "Don't call your dad."
She goes to the lock-up tandem garage for reno-related time-out.
By 10:30am, it's chaos.
There's paint on the dog. Paint on the floor. Paint on his face.
He's muttering "good bones" like a curse.
She looks over the roller. "Your mum said that about you too."
He drops the brush, sighs.
Silence.
Both wondering if they made a mistake.
Then the light hits.
Right. This is why they bought it.
The light. The space.
Kooyong Station close enough for a dramatic exit.
The kitchen's "charming."
The bathroom's "historic."
Two real bedrooms with built-ins.
They call a truce.
Lunch on the balcony.
Huge, sun-soaked, quiet enough to regroup.
He's proud of his patchy wall.
She's proud she didn't walk out.
The dog's demanding union rates.
By arvo, they're at Fairview Park.
Coffee, dog, debrief.
He's talking open shelving.
She's talking emotional shelving.
Back home, golden hour hits.
Living room glowing like it skipped to the "after" shot.
He leans back, holding his paintbrush like a trophy.
"Smashed it," he says.
She looks at the half-painted wall.
He suggests dinner on Glenferrie Road.
Then catches a glimpse of himself in the window.
Paint on his face, in his hair, possibly on one tooth.
He pauses. "Uber Eats?"
They eat on the balcony.
The light doing most of the aesthetic heavy lifting.
He's googling "can dogs get lead poisoning?"
She's texting her mum: you were right, he's got potential.
Mum replies: so does the apartment.
Finer Details
Owners Corporation Fees: $5,199 per annum (approx.)
Council Rates: $1,371 per annum (approx.)
Water Rates: $791 per annum (approx.)
Rental Appraisal: $550-$600 per week (approx.)
Internal Size: 83sqm (approx.)
Year Built: 1961
Title: Strata
No. In Building: 1 of 15
Owner Occupied vs Rented: 80/20
Deposit & Settlement: 10% Deposit, 30-60 Days Settlement
Nearby Amenities
Primary School Zone: Glenferrie Primary School
Secondary School Zone: Auburn High School
Closest Supermarket: Ritchies Hawthorn Glenferrie Rd (450m)
Closest Train Station: Kooyong Station (900m)
Closest Tram: No. 16 (99m)
Closest Park: Fairview Park (650m)
