Newly-Married Couple Find Home for Future Family in Southwater

Location

When planning to start a family, living in a safe location with a selection of good school options becomes a crucial factor. For first-time buyers Roberto and Chantel Rocha (both 34), Berkeley’s Broadacres development in Southwater, West Sussex – known as the safest small town in West Sussex - ticked all the boxes when searching for a home to settle down. Along with the family-friendly location and fantastic quality of build, the couple’s new home has also helped them take up a unique new hobby of stargazing.

About Roberto and Chantel Rocha

Roberto, Head of Architecture for a South African company, and Chantel, an Operations Team Leader for ESP Utilities, were renting a two-bedroom apartment in Reigate before they decided to take the plunge and buy a home of their own. They purchased a three-bedroom townhouse at Broadacres, spread across three storeys. Roberto comments: “Having moved over from South Africa in 2021, we’re still relatively new to living in the UK and don’t have a broad knowledge of different areas. We had loved living in Surrey and knew we wanted to stay in the area – my sister lives in Faygate which isn’t too far from Horsham, so we began our search there. We decided we wanted a new build, and when we saw Berkeley’s high specification and outstanding finishes at Broadacres, we were sold! The development has such a welcoming feeling as soon as you drive in, it’s lovely.”

Why Roberto and Chantel chose to buy at Broadacres

“One of the features of the property that stood out when we viewed it were the skylights in the roof. The view is so beautiful out of these at night that since moving in, we have started stargazing which is something we wouldn’t have even thought about taking up previously. We’ve bought a telescope and it’s a really therapeutic, different way of having some quiet time at the end of the day. As we don’t live in a city, the skies are so clear so we’ve managed to spot a few constellations and other things too.”

Less than a 10 minute drive from the market town of Horsham, Southwater is a well-populated town with a great community spirit and an array of local family-orientated amenities. Chantel comments: “Southwater is a beautiful area to live, and if we’re lucky enough to have children we’re looking forward to raising them here. It’s really family-orientated around us - the development itself has a few play areas, but we’ve also got easy access to the sports pavilion that was built by Berkeley for the village, which is the perfect space for children to run around. The schools are great too – Southwater Primary School is a short walk from Broadacres so that is ideal for families. We’re looking forward to walking around Southwater Country Park too, which is just down the road.”

Roberto continues: “The location is really convenient for us – it has everything. Horsham is a five minute drive down the main road, so we have immediate access into the town centre if we need anything. We love our food, so we’re keen to explore the selection of restaurants available in Horsham. Horsham Hospital is just down the road which will be great when it comes to growing our family, and London is less than an hour away on the train too. We like to call it hybrid living!”

Roberto and Chantel life in their new home

Describing her favourite part of the property, Chantel comments: “I enjoy baking and cooking, so I just love our new open-plan kitchen. It means we can chat while I cook, and it’s big enough for us to make pizzas together and spend quality time in each other’s company. It’s the place where all the memories are made; I just love it.” 
Roberto adds: “For me, the study is fantastic. I work from home most of the time, and in our previous property our second bedroom was used as a study, dressing room and a storage space as well. Now, I have my own dedicated space to work and I can make it into my own man cave!”

Speaking of their home, Chantel comments: “A lot of homes in new developments can be quite on top of each other and parking is a problem. The good thing about Broadacres is although we’ve got a mid-terrace home, you feel like you’ve got your own space which is important to us. The homes are laid out really well and the finishing are beautiful; the appliances are high spec too so that was a big thing for us. We’ve got our own garden now which we’ve never had before, so we’re looking forward to the summer so we can start gardening.”

Roberto and Chantel’s Customer Journey

Roberto and Chantel were impressed with Berkeley’s buying process. Roberto says: “The customer service received, from when we initially visited the development, all the way until completing on the property was exemplary. The entire process was really smooth, we moved in under two months from reserving. They communicated with our mortgage advisor so it was minimal stress for us. As first-time buyers we didn’t know what to expect, but Berkeley made it so easy. They work as a tight-knit team which is amazing.”

Find out more information about Broadacres.