Publication Date: 14-08-2024 09:00
Energy-efficient home near Cambridge is ideal for couple who moved to UK from Turkey
A family have bought their ideal home on the outskirts of Cambridge after moving to the UK.
Ozgur and Zeynep Yurekten have purchased a two-bedroom house at Springstead Village, which is being delivered in Cherry Hinton by a joint venture between Bellway and Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group.
Ozgur said: “We initially looked at older properties but realised that new-build homes can be just as affordable and you can save lots on not having to carry out any expensive renovation or DIY work and they are so much more energy-efficient, which means lower fuel bills.
“This house is ideal for us because it is very energy efficient and has an air source heat pump and under floor heating. This will save us a lot of money on our heating bills and everything is brand-new so we don’t have to worry about fixing things.”
Ozgur, a 45-year-old software engineer, moved to England on his own two years ago after accepting a job in the Cambridge area, which is known as Silicon Fen due to the large number of high-tech businesses focused on software, electronics and biotechnology based locally.
His wife Zeynep, and his teenage son Ali joined him later.
“I rented a four-bedroom house because the idea was that both my daughter Sena and my son AIi would come to live with us and we wanted a spare bedroom to use as an office for me,” said Ozgur. “But my daughter, who is 19, decided she wanted to stay in Turkey and study for a degree in medicine.
“After she made that decision, we started to look for a house to buy because we had savings in the bank. We came to the Cambridge area because it is a great place to be and live and has more opportunities for me and my wife.”
Ozgur and Zeynep, who has been working as a teaching assistant at a local school, searched online and spotted the Springstead Village development in nearby Cherry Hinton.
“We went along and looked at a couple of showhomes and really liked the look of the two-bedroom Hooper,” said Ozgur. “Due to the fact that Sena wasn’t moving in with us we only needed two bedrooms and the house looked perfect.
“We reserved our Hooper house in April and moved in a couple of months later. Stuart the sales advisor for Bellway Latimer was great and helped us out during the whole process. His assistance made the house-buying journey very smooth and we are grateful to him for that.
“When we were told that Bellway would give us a mortgage contribution we were delighted because it helped reduce our mortgage repayments to a level that allowed us to be able to afford buy the house.”
Ozgur, Zeynep and 16-year-old Ali moved into their new home in June 2024.
Ozgur said: “The living room is ideal for me to work on my laptop from home. The French doors lead out from there into the back garden which is a good size and is south-facing, so gets the sun for most of the day.”
The family are also enjoying being closer to the historic city of Cambridge.
“The location of our house is great because it is so much easier to get into the centre of Cambridge, which is a very historic place. Zeynep is now looking for a post as a teaching assistant at a school in the city so she can cycle there.
“There’s a convenience store nearby which is great and for our regular weekly grocery shop, and there is a shopping centre a five-minute drive away. It is amazing to think that we moved to the UK for a better life and within two years have good jobs and a lovely house on the edge of a beautiful city.”
There is currently a choice of one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom houses available to reserve at Springstead Village, with prices starting at £329,995 and £499,995 respectively.
To find out more, call the sales team on 01223 081346 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/essex/springstead-village
To learn more about the homes Latimer are selling at Springstead Village, visit https://www.latimerhomes.com/new-build-homes/cambridgeshire/cambridge/springstead-village.
