I worked 80 hours a week for years to afford my first house at 23. Now I’m working harder than ever just to keep it and one question is constantly crossing my mind

A young Aussie has revealed she regularly questions whether it’s worth owning a home and claims she’s working harder than ever just to pay the loan repayments.

Maddie Walton, 26, worked 80 hours a week and juggled two jobs for years before she was finally able to buy her first property in Queensland at the age of 23.

She bought her home in 2021 and only had to make an affordable $550 per week in loan repayments, allowing her to transition to one job.

Now she’s paying $1,000 as a result of a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Mrs Walton has been forced to take drastic measures to keep her property, including renting out her spare rooms and earning extra money with part-time jobs.

‘I would give up everything to stay in my house. I’m getting by, but sometimes there are moments when you think, ‘Is it worth it?’ she said Yahoo.

The 26-year-old, who has a university degree, juggled two jobs as a vaccine developer and as a technical support worker at an Apple Store.

Ms Walton, who is now a mortgage broker at Loan Market Edge, worked 80 hours a week between both jobs to make her dream of home ownership a reality.

“I trusted the RBA when they said rates wouldn’t start rising until 2024,” Ms Walton said.

The RBA led thirteen rate hikes between May 2022 and November 2023.

This move led Ms. Walton to seek out a mortgage broker to help her manage her finances and take out a loan to purchase her property.

She said she had to go through seven mortgage brokers to get a loan.

Ms Walton said she was inspired to become a mortgage broker to help others navigate the property market so they wouldn’t have to go through the same struggles she did.

The career move came at a cost, as she now earns less income and struggles to save money.

Ms Walton (pictured), who is now a mortgage broker, says she is earning and saving less as she saves money to pay off her home loan.

“I just tried to dispute the mortgage,” she said.

“And the thing is, nothing extra is going to pay off my mortgage. It’s all just the interest, and that’s probably the most frustrating thing.”

She has rented out spare rooms in her home and works solely on a commission basis, in an effort to increase her income.

She has also found side jobs earning a few hundred dollars by participating in surveys and market research to help pay for essentials like groceries.

Despite the financial constraints, Ms Walton said she wouldn’t have it any other way if it meant keeping a roof over her head.

Financial comparison website Finder found more than a million households across Australia were struggling to pay off their home loans in January.

This figure represents an 11 percent increase in the number of homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage in January 2022.