After close to a decade in their six-bedroom Shailer Park home neighbouring a bushland reserve, Carolyn Latter and her family are “making the next step”.
They bought their 1330sqm Mangaroon Court property simply because they “couldn’t resist”.
“At the time we thought it was too big because it had six bedrooms,” Ms Latter said.
“But we fell in love with it as soon as we walked in the door.”
Since then, there have been times when the house was full – housing Ms Latter, her husband, their two children, her father-in-law and a family friend.
But she said there was always enough room for everyone to have their own space.
It’s part of the reason she loves the house so much.
“It is a character home and a Queenslander-style home, it has polished timber floorboards, an extended entertainment area out the back and an incredible amount of storage,” Ms Latter said.
“When my father-in-law moved in with us, we put all his stuff stored under our house – we’ve got nearly two households of furniture – so being able to have that room is great.”
While Ms Latter and her husband love their home, they dream of moving to acreage.
“It’s bittersweet because we love the house and love what we have done to it,” she said.
“The kitchen and all three bathrooms have been renovated, the laundry has been painted throughout, a brand-new deck all around the pool and the back, we put plantation shutters on the front and normal blinds on the back – all timber to suit the style of the house.”
With all the love and effort gone into the home, Ms Latter said they don’t want to sell the property “just to sell it”.
“We want to sell it to give us the next step, because the next step will be our forever home.”
She said the Shailer Park property had been the perfect stepping stone to a larger block, especially because it backs onto Kimberley Forest Park.
“It’s beautiful – we get the possums, the wallabies, and when we’ve got visitors they are all amazed.”
Ms Latter said her family loved the greenery outside so much, they wanted to bring it indoors.
“The kitchen is not even two years old, and when we were deciding on the colours we really looked at the outside area and the fact that we do back onto the reserve,” she said.
“We wanted to bring in that green outside and try to keep within that heritage Queensland style.
“We brought the green into the kitchen, which really has made a difference – I just love it.”
Mangaroon Court itself has also left a mark on the Latters and Ms Latter said the whole street offered a “great vibe”.
“In Mangaroon Court we have a Christmas party every year at the top of the street,” she said.
“You might not know your neighbour, but you know them well enough to give them a wave and if you need anything, they will help out.”
