When Irish Eyes are Smiling

August 4th 2017

River in Australia at dusk

It’s not often that your furniture salesperson ends up sleeping in the very bed you purchase from them but that’s exactly what’s happened for Moira (now McCabe) several years ago when Eamonn went shopping for a new bed. As Eamonn says with a laugh, “that’s the best after sales service ever!”

Eamonn and Moira McCabe - Invest Blue Client
Eamonn and Moira McCabe

For the McCabes, getting together also meant taking a Brady Bunch approach and bringing two families together. All 13 family members (seven children and six grandchildren between Eamonn and Moira) will no doubt be regular visitors to the gorgeous north coast rural retreat that the couple purchased late last year with the help of Invest Blue’s Carol O’Shea. And as of June 2017, ‘Riverdance’, is also available for the rest of us to enjoy as lucky guests.

For Dublin born Eamonn (now 53), meeting Moira was very unexpected. He was just shopping locally in Newcastle for the day and certainly didn’t expect to cross paths with his future wife. Seven years on, life is going beautifully for these two. Their work brings them both great satisfaction, their children all get on very well and with thanks to ‘Riverdance’, they can now enjoy the balance of city living with the peace and tranquility that comes with having a secluded, 100-acre riverfront farm. And it’s less than 90 minutes from their home. It’s no wonder that once the couple visited the property, they were determined to move mountains to make it their own.

Eamonn and Moira both work full time and had long been seeking an investment that they could enjoy as a getaway as well as develop for tourism. For the past eight years, Eamonn has been in sales for steel framing company, Supaloc, in a role that keeps him on the move throughout the East Coast. He does however, bring 25 years of hospitality experience to this fantastic new project.

McCabes Riverdance Property-Invest BlueThe beautiful house at the McCabe’s property ‘Riverdance’ that has been brought back to life with renovations.

It was whilst running a pub years ago that Eamonn first met Carol O’Shea; the very same Carol O’Shea that helped him secure the loan for ‘Riverdance’. Carol now works as a Credit Adviser for Invest Blue but Eamonn first employed his compatriot during her working holiday to Australia more than two decades ago. Eamonn even takes credit for introducing Carol to her now husband who was working in the same bar!

Eamonn cannot sing Carol’s praises highly enough and describes the purchase of ‘Riverdance’ as a seamless transaction.

“Given that the property was a larger, rural residential property with a commercial entity, it would have meant non-standard lending criteria and presumably, unusual hurdles along the way. Carol overcame every single hurdle and ensured she got the right product for us. We’re thrilled with the lending channels she arranged. Carol is efficient and organised and we have great confidence in her. We found the entire process stress free but I’m sure she had a lot of stress in organising it all. Carol did a fantastic job and that’s been true of other loans she’s arranged for us as well.”

The property was a little rundown at the time of purchase and the McCabes have worked incredibly hard in recent months to bring it back to life. The main house has been renovated from top to toe with beautiful finishes and the land has been rehabilitated too – processes Eamonn describes as “pleasantly challenging”. In addition to the existing homestead and small cabin there are plans for an additional cabin, jetty and boat house – all surrounded by beautiful private, grassed areas.

The successful development of ‘Riverdance’ will give Eamonn and Moira recurring income in the years ahead. Moira, a bereavement counsellor can use it for private retreats and it also lends itself well as a wedding venue. According to Eamonn, “This property can be used in varying capacities. There are options and flexibility as far as lifestyle and earning potential is concerned.”

View of the river from Eamonn and Moira McCabe’s house on their investment property.The gorgeous view of the river from the house.

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Eamonn describes ‘Riverdance’ as a very soothing place. He loves that of a Sunday afternoon he can wander down to the pristine estuary and catch dinner, adding fresh herbs from the garden. The earthly little village of Nabiac is close by and beautiful beaches are just 20 minutes away.

The McCabes have very much found their heaven on earth. “Our place is so quiet and so beautiful. It sits at the end of a two-kilometre driveway and as you turn the corner and see the grounds coming together, you take a sharp intake of breath.” And so it seems that when it comes to meeting just the right salesperson and in finding and securing the stunning property now known as ‘Riverdance’, Eamonn McCabe really has had the luck of the Irish.

 

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