On the property ladder in Rotorua, at age 23

Scott Semmens says he was careful not to rush into buying a property. Photo/Supplied

Saving hard, not wasting money and making smart buys has seen a 23-year-old Rotorua man buy his first home.

Scott Semmens said he couldn't take all the credit after recently buying his first home in Owhata as his parents had helped guarantee his loan, but after years of saving he decided to invest in his own house.

"I'm still renting at the moment and will move in soon, but my rent was quite cheap and I had money in the bank, but I was not sure what I was saving for.

"I thought I'd make that investment instead of leaving it sitting in a bank."

He said he didn't think he had missed out on anything he really needed, he's owned the same car since he was 17 and spent his money wisely.

"I didn't waste any money buying crap I didn't need," he said.

"I like having nice things, but my parents have been really good at saving money and I guess that's what I have been doing too.

"I make my own lunches for work instead of buying lunch every day and I think I make smart choices, I always think about what I buy and make sure I would make my money back on whatever I decided to get.

"I've never been a fan of hire purchase or overdrafts and have only just got my first credit card, so if I didn't have the money I wouldn't spend it."

He said he was happy with his new house as it had a big section that he could subdivide in future and he could add value by doing a few upgrades to the bathroom and kitchen.

"I didn't rush into it, it has to be an investment and I tried not to get too emotional about it and rush into a purchase.

"I was looking since about November last year and had my eye on a few places.

"Then Katherine from Ray White sent me an email and said this would be the place for me and it was, so I'm glad I didn't rush and buy one of the others."

He said he had combined his student loan and home loan into one and would reassess his position in three years or so.

After studying for his Bachelor of Agriculture and Commerce at Massey University he said he would like to invest in one of his parent's dairy farms in the future and had plans to travel to Europe for six weeks in July.

"I'm not a fan of staying there for one or two years, I want to achieve more here and focus on my career."