First time buyers Prachet Verma and Tuhina Srivastava have bought their own home, just three years after moving to the UK from India. The couple have purchased a three bedroom Causeway coach-house design at Springstead Village, a new development being delivered by the Bellway Latimer joint venture in Cherry Hinton, near Cambridge.
Prachet, a 32-year-old design engineer, and Tuhina, a 30-year-old data engineer, who are currently renting in Cherry Hinton, were the first people to buy at Springstead Village and are due to move into their new home in June.
“We moved to the UK in 2021 after I got a job in Cambridge and we rented a place,” said Prachet. “In April 2023, we spotted some new hoardings about new homes being built at Springstead Village and we called the number straightaway.
“The sales advisor told us that it was incredibly early in the process and they did not have any homes for sale but would call us when they did. It was seeing the sign that made us stop to think and to realise that buying our own home was the right thing to do rather than just paying rent and owning nothing.
“We didn’t really look elsewhere as we were set on buying a house at Springstead Village.”
In October, the couple were invited to the development’s launch day – and they reserved their new home within 24 hours.
Prachet said: “We went along and it was great. There was free food from a pizza van and the sales office was very busy. The sales advisor Stuart discussed what home we could afford and gave us a tour of the Causeway showhome – a three bedroom coach house.
“We are glad we acted so quickly because there was only one Causeway available at the time and we really wanted it, but there were lots of people interested in it,” said Tuhina. “It is perfect for us because we are going to use the downstairs bedroom as an office where we can both work from home as and when we need to.
“The fact that it is downstairs, and the rest of the house is upstairs means that we can have a clear demarcation between our workspace and our leisure space. This is important to us and is a big advantage of the layout.
“We like to try to look after the planet as much as we can, and we are delighted that our new home will be heated by an eco-friendly energy-efficient air source heat pump and that it will have an electric vehicle charging point. We aim to get an electric or hybrid car after we move in.
“Another thing we are looking forward to doing is buying a bike each and exploring the city of Cambridge. The new place will have our own indoor cycle storage, and this will be the nudge we need to invest in two bikes and get out and about in the fresh air. Prachet even plans to cycle to work as his office will be nearer.”
The couple said that having a bus stop two minutes’ walk away is also a bonus.
“We can leave the car at home, get a bus right into Cambridge city centre and pop along to the railway station to catch a train into London,” said Prachet. “It only takes an hour or so to get into London and we are already planning lots of trips to see the sights, catch a show or just meet up with friends.”
“We really can’t wait,” said Tuhina. “It will be wonderful to have our own place and one that really suits our lifestyle. It’s lovely to have our own en suite bathroom in our bedroom but also good that we can keep the second bedroom as a guest room for when our families come over from India.
“We are hoping to get a bit of sunshine this summer so we can start our day by having a coffee outside on our own upstairs private terrace. What could be better than that?”
There’s currently a choice of two, three and four-bedroom homes available to reserve at Springstead Village, with prices starting from £494,995.
To find out more, call the sales team on 01223 081346 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/essex/springstead-village.
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.
