First home buyers get $1.2m house with 2pc deposit after using AI chatbot

Aaron Claridge and Angela Altus and their newborn daughter, Summer Claridge, in the house they recently bought in Ashmore. Photo: Glenn Hampson.
New parents Aaron Claridge and Angela Altus consider themselves ‘forgotten middle class people’ who don’t have the luxury of relying on the family inheritance to help them buy a home.
A Brisbane couple recently bought their first house in Ashmore on the Gold Coast – just in time for the arrival of their newborn daughter, Summer.
Despite earning solid wages between them, it was a struggle to put together a 20 percent deposit, and they didn’t get any financial help from the family, but they desperately wanted out of the rental market before they became a family of three.
Aaron Claridge and Angela Altus and their newborn daughter, Summer Claridge, are struggling to break into the housing market without the help of the family inheritance. Photo: Glenn Hampson.
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“We were in this unfortunate situation where we were both earning well, but the rent itself was about $1400/$1300 a week,” said Mr Claridge.
“We wanted to enter the market before 2026, but we also wanted to reduce that time when we knew that summer was coming.
“We knew we had the ability to repay the loan, but the thing we were stuck with was not having enough deposits.”
After meeting with a mortgage broker and exploring his options, Mr Claridge decided to contact the AI chatbot.
“I just put in a question on ChatGPT to see what options we have,” he said. “Skip (Loans) came up, I followed that process.
“I was very confused because it was very easy.
A couple got a loan through Skip Loans with just a 2% deposit – paying $85,000 up front for a $1.2m house.
“If you know you can service the loan, you either have a deposit to go with the big bank or this is your option. Do you want the security of the house or not?”
Mario Emmanuel of Skip Loans. Image provided.
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It comes as new research reveals the suburbs where the most generational wealth is set to change hands, with residents in some Brisbane suburbs set to receive inheritances of up to $1m this year alone.
Analysis from Foundit reveals a widening wealth gap between those who can afford to enter the Queensland property market and those who can’t.
Mr Claridge said he did not see that gap closing.
“I don’t see any middle class people anymore,” he said. “It is possible that you are in the upper lower socio-economic category, or in the lower higher (socio-economic) category.
“Unless there’s a recession, or a housing market collapse, which creates economic problems, I don’t see how many people who have just gotten middle or regular incomes will be able to own their own homes.”
Regarding their daughter’s future, the couple is thinking of saving money for her so that she can buy her own house one day.
Skip Loans CEO Mario Emmanuel said the company has helped people get out of the rental market and into their homes quickly by lending them low-interest loans.
“The majority of people who are left behind today are not concerned about the success of their peers,” said Mr Emmanuel.
“They are focused on building a better future for their families. Skipping helps remove their biggest obstacles so they can focus on building their own lives and futures – just like the generations of Australians who came before them.”



