But whether renting or buying, they had to demand real estate agents show them property in "the Cliff".
"Even when we were looking to buy, agents were trying to persuade us to buy elsewhere," Jamie said.
The Waughs are passionate about their suburb, bemused that others were always trying to undervalue it. Yet they represent the same young working couples Wanganui needs to attract.
Castlecliff has had a bad rap for years and given his work as a lawyer Jamie is aware the suburb has its criminal underbelly.
"But statistically it's nowhere near as bad as what goes on in New Plymouth or Palmerston North. When they talk about Highbury, they don't talk about Palmerston North, yet that suburb punches way above its weight in terms of gang activity."
The Waughs have taken their passion a notch higher, putting in an extensive and well-researched submission to the Wanganui District Council's 10-Year Plan. It was thoughtful enough to earn it some funding from council too.
They said the city needed some visionary thinking; not just ideas but in their words "big, radical ideas".
"Castlecliff is the cheapest housing area in the country but it's central, coastal and beautiful - the perfect place for big, radical ideas to take flight and benefit all of Wanganui."
Their ideas are extensive and innovative, a wish list that looks at linking what's planned for the port, creating other "hubs" such as redeveloping the vacant buildings in Rangiora St, and improving road access to the suburb by extending Mill Rd.
"There's a massive opportunity that Wanganui's missing. Everybody wants to live on the coast but the fact is the suburbs have been left to run down," Ellen said.
They are not the only ones trying to fire up a suburban revival. There are others they have met who have been long-time advocates such as Lynne Douglas, Graham and Lyn Pearson, Ray Brightwell, Des Warahi. And previous councils had a renewal of the Cliff on their long-term plans too but they never came to much.
It needed a push from people with new energy and the Waughs bring that in bucketloads.
"Those people who've worked so hard in the past are right behind our vision as well. It's just Ellen and I had the skills to give it a kick," Jamie said.
They are both on the Progress Castlecliff committee, have organised the driftwood sculpture competition along with the artists' open studio and Green Flash Cafe at Duncan Pavilions on Castlecliff Beach which drew hundreds of people including a lot of out-of-towners. Little things, sure, but it's all about changing perception of the suburb.
As well as their own home, they bought some empty buildings in Rangiora St last year, as an investment for the future but again to be part of the rejuvenation. It's that sort of investment they say needs to happen.
"It has to be something that happens with individual private enterprise involved. It can't just be the council doing everything," Ellen said.
But Jamie says the best intentions and big ideas only go so far.
"We're saying that it's not up to the council but we want the council to come along with us so we can utilise their skills. It can work if you go into it as a partnership."
The next step is to prioritise those ideas and then get into action. The Waughs don't think getting funding is going to be difficult either, arguing that places like Castlecliff fitted the criteria for a lot of charities and trusts.
"But it can't just be us and Progress Castlecliff saying this is what should happen. It has to have community buy-in," Jamie said.
They've noticed subtle changes in terms of property in their suburb. Around their Karaka St home, out-of-towners have bought homes, some spending considerable sums doing them up.
"There's a core group of people living out here now who are passionate about the place and a lot of them are from out of town. They're the ones with no preconceived ideas about the suburb," Ellen said.
It's hard to see potential if you buy into the notion that you live in a negative, stagnant and unattractive place but the Waughs recognise a major mind shift has been happening.
Jamie and Ellen Waugh are young, with ideals and ideas. They're not the first or the last but they're the here and now. They are just what the Cliff needs.
