Two Australian mothers have tossed out the rulebook and taken matters into their own hands, sharing how they found an unconventional path to homeownership while navigating single motherhood together.
Victorian women Merryn Tate and Leah Dent are both single mothers of two.
A few years back, they were each in the market for a new home.
Leah had been extensively looking around but “just couldn’t find anything”.
Merryn already owned a home in Geelong, but financially, living there by herself wasn’t feasible.
But then, she hatched an idea.
“In 2024, I put the idea to Leah. I was like, ‘How about we actually look at buying a block of land and building duplexes?'” Merryn told Yahoo News Australia.
At first, Leah thought her friend was crazy — until she researched it.
“We discovered that, in fact, we could do it,” Merryn said.
“We found a block of land in Old Ocean Grove, in the school zone we wanted, closer to the beach and closer to our lifestyle. I sold my house, and then we looked at finding a building company to build duplexes on it.”
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The land and construction of the two homes came in at approximately $1.75 million.
(Geelong Homes)What it took for Leah and Merryn to bring a dream to life
The pair secured the $750,000 block before working with Geelong Homes to build the two properties for just under $1 million.
The pair split the costs evenly and, as of early September, were three weeks into their dream living arrangement.
“Already, there have been so many examples of how it’s so handy,” she said.
“The other day, Leah’s youngest lost all his dummies, and she had to race to the supermarket at eight o’clock at night. She was like, ‘Do you mind just watching the kids?’
“I’m more of a morning person, and my son gets up at 5.30, so Alice [Leah’s daughter] will come around for breakfast at my house while Leah has a sleep-in.
“My son likes to stay up later, so he goes over there for dinner some days. It’s just handy to have each other. I borrowed milk the other day, too.”
The women also have a shared backyard where the kids can play together.
How a friendship turned into a lifestyle
Merryn and Leah first met playing football in 2018, before becoming mums within a year of each other in 2020 and 2021.
Their friendship grew as they navigated single motherhood together, eventually prompting them to take their support for one another a step further.
Merryn admits that some of their friends and family “had questions” about how the arrangement would work.
She said some people “couldn’t understand that we were going to live separately”, and
“were a bit worried about us getting sick of each other”.
“But I was very definite that we have our own houses and our own family rules,” she said.
“There have been a few people saying, ‘What if you have an argument?’ I was like, ‘That could happen with anyone, so we’ll just work through it. We’re adults.'”
Merryn and Leah first met playing football in 2018, before becoming mums within a year of each other in 2020 and 2021.
(Geelong Homes)Australians open to unconventional living
The best friends agree that everything’s “worked out perfectly” for them.
And they may not even be alone.
In 2024, ING commissioned research which found that an estimated 3.5 million Australians would consider buying property with a friend.
Among those who had bought or were considering buying with someone other than a partner, 47 per cent said they would consider doing so with a friend.
Similarly, 46 per cent believed this kind of co-buying would become common practice within a decade if house prices continued to rise.
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Separate homes, shared support
Ultimately, for Merryn and Leah, the arrangement offers the best of both worlds.
Living next door means they can maintain their own homes and independence, while having another person close by to lean on when needed.
That support can be as simple as picking up a child from daycare, preparing dinner or stepping in for a couple of hours so the other can work.
“We’re both busy mums, so we’re in and out of the house constantly,” Merryn said.
“It’s about being able to have someone for those small things that people in partnerships take for granted.
“For us, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.”
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