A couple who moved to the UK from Brazil five years ago have bought their first home at Quantum Fields in Littleport and it has exceeded all their expectations.
Mariana Lacerda de Freitas and Luis Campolina, both aged 36, thought having the kind of home they dreamed of was a long way off and that they would have to make a lot of compromises to get on the housing ladder.
But when they visited the Bovis Homes location, they discovered they didn’t have to settle for less and they could have their perfect home right away.
They looked for a new-build property because with a limited budget they wanted to put all their funds into the deposit, and not have to contend with any further expenses such as renovations and repairs after buying their house.
The couple bought a three bedroom detached property in Bovis Homes’ Spruce house.
Mariana said: “Luis found this development on Rightmove and he showed me, and we loved everything about it. Because we are first-time buyers, we thought we couldn’t have everything we want, such as having a detached house. But we saw this house and the price was really good.”
They had been living in rented accommodation in Cambridge, as they both work in the city – Mariana as a DNA scientist and Luis as a data analyst. Their rental place was an unusual layout with small rooms and a shared outdoor area, so they were keen to get more space, their own garden, and a layout that worked for them.
Although they liked the area they were in, they could not afford to buy a place in the city so began looking further afield, hoping for something within 20 minutes of Cambridge.
They spent around a year-and-a-half searching, but nothing was quite right.
However, when they saw the show home for the Spruce house style at Quantum Fields, they knew right away it was the one for them – even though it is further away at around 40 minutes’ drive from Cambridge.
But that one compromise was more than worth it. Mariana said: “We gave up a little bit of the distance because it was the house we wanted and the price we wanted.”
They knew that the house was perfect for them as soon as they saw the show home.
She said: “We fell in love with the show home and we both had a feeling that that’s the one. We went to see the plot and it was available. We felt it was meant to be.
“We love the room sizes and love the utility room, and being detached was great too because we feel we have more privacy. We loved everything; it looks like a mansion for us.”
The couple wanted to thank the sales team and site team, especially sales advisor Scott Hazlegreaves for making their buying experience a positive experience, by helping them along the way throughout the purchase process and beyond.
“Everything we needed, the Bovis Homes team were always there to help us,” she said.
And when the purchase was complete and the couple got the keys and stepped inside last summer it was an emotional moment.
“It was so exciting,” said Mariana. “I’d never experienced that before. We came in and found champagne that was left for us, and we felt so special. We kind of cried, we thought, it’s a dream come true. It’s the house we always wanted, and we were not expecting that.”
They are now enjoying being able to decorate their home as they like and they have been focusing on different rooms each month, putting up pictures and buying furniture and accessories.
Luis has set up his office in a spare room and Mariana, who loves to crochet, is pleased to have plenty of storage space in the house where she can keep her stash of yarns and materials.
They have secure storage for their bikes, and they love getting out on two wheels when they can. They have been getting to know their neighbours and making the most of the area. They drive over to Cambridge for leisure as well as work and love to pop into nearby Ely for tea and cake on a Sunday.
Mariana said: “We expected to go low for our first house, we expected to go for a very small one. So this is not what we expected, it’s the opposite. We got the house we always wanted, and we consider ourselves lucky.”
Bovis Homes is part of Vistry Group, along with Linden Homes and Countryside Homes.
There are three and four bedroom homes currently available at Quantum Fields in Littleport, with prices starting from £305,000. To find out more, visit bovishomes.co.uk.
First Time Buyer is an exciting bi-monthly glossy which takes a stylish and comprehensive look at all the options available, setting them out in an entertaining and informative way, and helping potential customers navigate their way through what is often a daunting and complex process. We dispel the myths, reinforce the facts and arm the reader with the tools necessary to make their homeownership dreams a reality.
