From Meeting In Spain To New Home In Bishop’s Stortford
A couple from Mexico who met in Spain have put down roots in Bishop’s Stortford, swapping a rented two-bedroom flat in London for their own three-bedroom detached house on the edge of the Hertfordshire town.
Javier Lecanda and Ana Gabriela Becerra, who fell in love when they were both living in Madrid, have bought their first home together at Bovis Homes’ Stortford Fields development.
The couple met in 2010 but were then parted for a year when Javier moved to the UK for work in 2012. They were reunited when Ana arrived in England a year later and in 2014 they married and started life together in London.
But now, Javier, a 40-year-old product manager for a telecoms company, and Ana, 41, a nursery assistant, and their five-year-old daughter Isabel, are enjoying the space that comes with buying their own home outside the capital.
“We had been thinking about moving out of London for years but had never got round to being serious about it,” said Javier. “Then we suddenly realised that Isabel was getting bigger and as a growing family we really needed more space. We were living in a new build rented flat with two bedrooms but it was quite cramped. We were paying £1,500 a month to live there and it was just not working for us. Over the years we had managed to save a deposit so we got serious and the search for a new home was on.”
The couple had friends who had family living in Bishop’s Stortford and they recommended the town.
Weeks after a visit to the Stortford Fields development in March 2021, Javier and Ana reserved a three-bedroom ‘Spruce’ house type and moved in six months later.
“We loved the independent shops, cafes and restaurants in the town and the fact that you could walk there from Stortford Fields,” said Ana. “We were pleasantly surprised by the wide-open spaces of the development and the fact that the houses had not been thrown together on top of each other like on some other developments we had looked at.
“There were many things that appealed to us about the ‘Spruce’ house itself as well and we were really impressed with the quality of the finish and the clever use of space in the internal design. Isabel loves having a big bedroom to herself and a garden she can run around in and explore. I really like having an en suite to our bedroom, which is a first for me. I adore the big open-plan kitchen and dining space as I like to do a lot of cooking, especially when we have friends or family here. With this huge area, everyone can congregate in one place and I don’t feel left out by having to act as the chef.
“When we had people over at the flat we had to rush about moving things out of sight after we had stored them about the place. Now we have so much space, there is never a panic to make our home look tidy. I know it sounds quite boring but one of the things I like most about our new home is that it has so much storage space. There are cupboards upstairs and downstairs and lots of storage space in the kitchen. It’s wonderful.”
Javier, who works from home most days of the weeks, has transformed the third bedroom into his office space.
“It is brilliant for me as I now have a dedicated working-from-home area and one where I can close the door and switch back to family life,” he said. “I still have to travel into London once a week for work but the commute to the office is only 15 minutes longer than the hour it took me from Barnet.
“Ana has got a job in a local nursery and Isabel goes to a nearby school where she has made lots of new friends, so the location here ticks all the boxes for us. We have also said hello to lots of our neighbours and they are all very friendly. We can’t wait to explore the area properly when summer comes.”
The couple are delighted that Stansted Airport and a flight to Spain is only a 15-minute drive away.
“This is a big bonus for us,” said Javier. “We are both from Mexico and we both love the sun. With the airport being so close, we will be able to pop over to see friends in Madrid at weekends and have holidays in Spain. When we met and fell in love all those years ago in sunny Madrid, we would never have believed we would settle down and live in England but we absolutely love it here in Bishop’s Stortford.
“The only thing we would change is that if we could have more sunshine that would be perfect.”
Bovis Homes, which is part of Vistry Group, is building a mix of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes at Stortford Fields, with prices starting at £361,995. Find out more at bovishomes.co.uk.
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