A professional couple are enjoying more space and a better quality of life after moving from the busy streets of South London to a quiet village in Surrey.

Malcolm Scott, 39, and his wife Eashani, 38, have purchased a new two-bedroom house at Bellway’s Buckthorn Grange development in Ewell.

The couple, whose employers are both based in the capital, were previously renting a one-bedroom flat in Tooting.

Malcolm is a civil servant based in Whitehall, while Eashani is a data analyst who has been working from home since March 2020.

Malcolm said: “It has been a thrilling experience to buy a new house in such a beautiful location, especially for Eashani because this is the first time she has had the joy of owning a home.

“We have everything we need and more at this development because the house came with a garage and a private garden.

“Having lived in a one-bedroom flat for quite a while, we can really appreciate how spacious the rooms are at our new home. And it is so nice to have a house all to yourself.

“Eashani has been working from home since the beginning of the pandemic and now she has a lot more space to make that more comfortable for her. Since she works as a data analyst, it also helps that the broadband speed is much faster here than it was in Tooting.”

As professionals working full time, both Malcolm and Eashani agreed that purchasing a newly built property would be a sound investment.

Malcolm said: “Buying a house is probably one of the best ways to invest your money because the value of the property grows much faster than a bank deposit.

“My father told us never to buy an old house because that would cost more money to make it ready for us to move in. The best thing about buying a newly built house is that it is like a blank slate you can turn into you own.

“The place we were renting in Tooting was an old school that had been converted into a flat, and the energy bills were unreasonably high because the building was that old. We are now saving money on our bills because we bought a new build which is far more energy efficient.”

The couple decided to buy at Buckthorn Grange after visiting the showhome at the development, which is located off Scotts Farm Road, in July last year. They said the fact the house they bought came with a private garage set it apart from the other properties they looked at slightly closer to the capital.

Malcolm added: “In terms of customer support, the sales advisors from Bellway were fabulous from day one. They really cared and worked hard on ensuring that the house was as good as it could be.

“It is amazing how many aspects of the house we were able to customise, and Bellway were very helpful with all the work we wanted to have done before we moved in. They let us choose the oak flooring, the grey tiles, and pretty much everything they fitted in the kitchen.

“We knew we made the right choice as soon as we moved in. You could see that the build quality of the house was excellent, and it had a very nice feeling as you went from one room to the next.”

After moving to Buckthorn Grange, the couple have been enjoying the many advantages of living in Surrey.

Malcolm said: “The location is ideal for going on walks because there are two different parks on either side of our development. It is also much safer to go for a run since there is very little traffic on the streets in comparison to Tooting.

“It is also a lot easier for us to travel now because we can simply bypass the traffic of London which used to add at least two hours to our journey every time we drove somewhere outside the city.”

Malcolm, who commutes to work four days a week from Ewell West station around a 30-minute walk away, added: “The train to London takes around 40 to 50 minutes. The commute may be longer now than it was when we were in Tooting, but it is less difficult and the money we save on the rent makes up for the train fares.

“There is also the better quality of life that comes with the location. Tooting was not just busy in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays – it was always busy. It’s wonderful to live away from all that road noise because now I can instantly relax as soon as I come home.”

A selection of one and two-bedroom apartments, as well as three-bedroom houses, are currently available at Buckthorn Grange, with prices starting from £310,950.

For more information, call 01737 749667 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/south-london/buckthorn-grange.

Captions:

  • Malcom and Eashani living in their new home at Bellway’s Buckthorn Grange development, in Ewell