At Home with Hannah and Nick Bordin
After spending almost a decade in Sydney, our very own Hannah and Nick Bordin packed up their growing family and moved home to the Northern Rivers. You're sure to recognise Nick's friendly face from the Elders Lennox Head office, a business he now heads up. Here, we chat to them about family, community and their forever home.
Tell us a little bit about your family...
We are Nick and Hannah with our four beautifully zestful kids - 6 year old Roman, 5 year old Island, 3 year old Bodhi and baby Bronte. Before starting our family, I (Hannah) was a commercial litigation lawyer at Australia's largest law firm, Minter Ellison, and Nick has worked in real estate since high school with the majority of his career spent in the prestigious eastern suburbs of Sydney working alongside some of the country's best agents. Fast forward to today and you'll find Nick in charge of Elders Bangalow & Lennox Head as well as listing and selling properties in and around Lennox Head.
Hannah, you grew up in Lennox and Nick, in Kyogle, but spent several years in Sydney. What motivated the move away?
We were newly married, child-free and wanted to do something by our own definition. We wanted to dive deep into our separate careers and immerse ourselves in all the things that come with a big city life. We considered moving overseas but it was post GFC and we saw very little work opportunities. We had friends in Sydney as well as work connections, made the move and spent almost 10 years down there.
What was the deciding factor that saw you move back to Lennox?
Michael, my dad, had succeeded in growing one of the best real estate businesses in the area but was looking for a succession plan. The idea of Elders remaining a family orientated business was an important consideration for us when making the decision to uproot our lives in Sydney and return to Lennox in 2018. But our top priority was, and always has been, our kids - we had two at this point with our third on the way. So, along with our kids being close to their grandparents and other family members, the biggest draw card for returning to our roots was the type of lifestyle Lennox offers for raising a young family. We wanted them to have the childhood we remember: growing up in a connected community that's close to nature where their days are filled with swims at the beach, playing in the street with friends and riding bikes all around town.
You have your finger on the pulse when it comes to new developments and areas of growth, and you built in the new Epiq development yourselves - did you know it would become so popular when you made that purchase?
We had originally planned to move back into the Lennox village however could not find anything suitable for our growing family. The thought of being able to build a home that suited our stage of life and knowing that other friends who have young families were also building in the area was very appealing. That combined with the plans for a new shopping centre, daycare centre and sports fields were a huge plus.
When you dreamt up your home, what were the must-haves (and why)?
Natural light: After spending so many years in dark and windowless apartments in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, we were craving natural light. Our number one design goal for our new house was to make sure it was cleverly organised to maximise the blocks northerly aspect. So we installed a wall of north facing glazing along the kitchen and living areas and landscaped our yard in a way that would harness the northern light in all its bright and warm glory.
Two living spaces: Our kids make our house come alive but they also come with a lot of mess and a lot of noise. So a separate living area for them to go wild while leaving our 'grown up' living space relatively unscathed is a welcomed addition to the home.
An enormous island bench: From dumping school bags and groceries to kids doing craft/homework or cooking for a large party, the island bench is one of the most lived-in parts of our home so we didn't hold back when choosing its size - it's huge and we love it.
Storage and more storage: This is a boring one but an absolute necessity.
What do you love most about living in Epiq?
Watching our children become best friends with a pretty rad group of kids in the neighbourhood is pretty special! And having the opportunity to socialise as a family has seen us make lifelong friends with people who are within walking distance of our front door.
Is this a forever home for you? Where is your dream spot?
When you run a real estate business, there's always going to be temptations to move - our home fits perfectly into our current stage of life and we're happy where we are. It's our 'forever home for now' house but who knows what will come next!
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