Reality TV winners buy in Bay

The winners of the home renovation show Our First Home have got their first home, for real this time and it's in Tauranga.

But it seems even taking out the competition with a profit of $99,000, as well as $100,000 in prize money, won't necessarily get you your dream house in Auckland.


The winning Wotton family was made up of Henry Wotton and daughter Rebecca, her boyfriend Josh Tingey and his mother, Theresa. Photo: Supplied Scott Macauley.

Bex Wotton and Josh Tingey, both 27, have decided to settle in the Tauranga suburb of Brookfield.

The couple were originally looking at Auckland, but soon realised that, even after winning, it was a bit out of their price range, Wotton told Stuff.

"So we've been looking all over the place and going to a few auctions and my family's from Hamilton and Josh's family is from Tauranga so we were looking around those areas and found this house which is pretty cool."

Tingey describes the house as a brick, three-bedroom, 1960s Beazley with about 1150 square metres of land.

"I don't think there will be any major renovation work needed," he says.

"We might do the bathroom and some painting an stuff like that but we're not going to be moving walls or anything."

For Wotton, being a new home owner feels amazing, but does she think they could have done it without the show? "Definitely not," she says.

"Looking for a house has highlighted to us how difficult the process is, we were looking before, but you can't really look until you have a deposit."

As for whether they'll get stuck into any renovations on the new pad, Wotton says there is potential, "We have a bit more confidence with that now because we know the process, and I'm sure our family will get involved."

Her advice to others looking for their first home would be not get attached the houses, to look at a lot of them, know what your budget is, and remember you can always change the things that you do not like so much later on.

Wotton and Tingey say they still keep in touch with the other contestants, and plan on catching up with Atareta and Tawera, who already live in Tauranga.

Wotton says it won't be awkward talking about their new home.

"I guess we all entered the competition knowing that we could either win it or lose it, it's the risk we all took.

"We were devastated when they didn't make as much as we thought they would, but they're all back on track to saving some money for their first home and we'll support them whatever they're doing."

- Stuff

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