To pastures new
Unlocking the value of their London house helped Shrez and Tom buy their dream home in the country
INSTEAD OF A GARDEN the size of a handkerchief and views of grey city streets, Shrez Ghelani and her husband Tom now have their own magnificent half-an-acre to relax in, with sweeping views of green fields and rolling hills.
Late last year, they unlocked the value of their London property to buy their dream home – a detached, five-bedroom, Grade Ii-listed cottage in the east Leicestershire countryside between Leicester and Oakham. They had adored the cottage from afar for years. ‘I grew up around here and my parents still live in the next village, so when we visited we would stop outside and look at the house,’ says Shrez. ‘It was on and off sale for a couple of years but we were never in a position to buy it until last year, when we saw on Zoopla that it was on the market again and we realised we could actually make it ours.’
So how were Shrez, who works in HR analytics, and Tom, who runs his own business, able to buy the cottage? Their property story began three years ago, when they bought their first home together, a four-bed house with a small garden in Plumstead, south-east London. ‘We were living in an apartment and wanted more space to grow into,’ says Shrez.
The Victorian terrace was ‘a bit of a wreck’ but full of potential and, over the next couple of years, Shrez and Tom renovated it, doing much of the work themselves to save money.
But then the pandemic hit and their priorities changed. ‘We had planned to move out of the city in 10 years’ time, but we found ourselves craving the countryside,’ says Shrez. ‘Also, I come from a big Indian family and I was missing them; where we are now means being closer to Tom’s family too. We’d already decided we wanted to move when the cottage came up for sale.’
Their London house, bought for £395,000, was valued at £550,000. Instead of selling, the couple realised its value by remortgaging and using the equity plus their savings to buy the cottage.
‘We’re people who like a plan but this house ticked every box so we decided to be brave, take the risk and go for it,’ says Shrez. ‘And it’s definitely been worth it.’