Although buying a property here in Sydney is not a priority for us right now, the husband and I still talk about our dream home from time to time.  One of the things that we strongly agree on is not to have a backyard pool and a huge garden.  Both requires too much maintenance effort (e.g. pool supplies and gardening equipment) and not to forget, the expenses involved.  We only want a small patch of garden in the front and a space in the yard for the kids to play at and for small barbecue parties.