Blockbuster Film Manager Swaps Bustling West London for Scenic Surrey

Location 

Recently voted the best place to live for families, the Surrey village of Cranleigh is filled with top education options, a bustling high street and a tight-knit community, all just a stone’s throw from the stunning Surrey Hills. After searching across Surrey and Sussex for an area to move to and start a family, Matt (37) and Anisha (33) Risebrow decided to purchase a three-bedroom home at Berkeley’s Leighwood Fields development in Cranleigh, owing to its fantastic schools and family-friendly atmosphere, as well as the 62-acre Knowle Park within walking distance. 

Matt and Anisha’s Motivation to Move

Matt - a location manager for large blockbuster films and TV shows - and Anisha, a product designer, were living in a three-bedroom terraced house in Hampton when they decided they wanted to start a family. Matt comments: “I lived in Hampton for 10 years and loved it, but it’s very pricey and isn’t the most ideal place to start a family. We didn’t have a set location in mind, but we knew we wanted to move closer to both sets of grandparents in Epsom and West Sussex. After researching different areas, we came across Cranleigh which seemed like the perfect in-between. We thought it would be a great place to bring up our future children; it’s much quieter and we could get more for our money here.”

Why Buy at Leighwood Fields

He continues: “We wanted more of a country vibe, and Cranleigh is perfect for this. Our daughter Ria was born in late 2023 whilst we were going through the process of buying our home, and there’s a great choice of nurseries and schools that she could potentially attend when she’s older. The village has also got great shops and pubs, and although it doesn’t have a train station, there are still great road links into Guildford and the South Coast. At the moment we’re about half an hour's walk into the village, but when the new link path opens in April, we’ll be able to walk there in just five minutes, which will be fantastic!” 

“The fact that we’re surrounded by countryside here is amazing, and our dog loves it! We’re lucky to have Knowle Park - the new country park - on our doorstep, so we go there to walk the dog in the evenings. We’re also close to Blackheath in Wonersh and Leith Hill which are both lovely walks with the baby carrier; we’re looking forward to exploring even more of the surrounding countryside in the summertime and as Ria gets older.”

Matt is a keen gardener and is looking forward to getting stuck into his new garden. He comments: “We have a much bigger garden now, and I’m excited to continue my passion for gardening. I’ve been thinking about planting some fruit and veg in the summer, but it will just be nice to sit out there in the sun and enjoy the nice summers we will hopefully get in the countryside!” 

Matt and Anisha’s Customer Journey

Speaking of buying with Berkeley in the current climate, Matt comments: “Once we’d decided on Cranleigh, we looked at dozens of houses in the area. We had an eye-opener selling our house however as it took a year, and a number of buyers and chains fell through a couple of times. We actually had a house at another Cranleigh development on reserve, but two days before completing we lost it. We’d come across Leighwood Fields at the beginning of our search and always liked the development but hadn’t found the right house. We went back when the other house fell through and found that more homes had been released since we initially discovered the development, and this time we found our dream house! It all worked out for the best in the end.”

“Buying with Berkeley was a breeze. The customer service compared to the first developer we dealt with was like chalk and cheese, it was so much better at Berkeley. I have a friend that works in the building industry, and he told me that Berkeley is by far the best in terms of build quality; so much so that we didn’t even get a survey done, as we felt comfortable enough to trust them and move forward with the house.”

Matt concludes: “I’d definitely recommend buying at Leighwood Fields. It’s going to be a big development when it’s finished so it will be a brand-new community, and a fantastic place to raise a family. As soon as you drive into the development you get a homely feel; some new housing developments can be soulless, but when you arrive at Leighwood Fields you just want to live there. We can’t wait to build our little family nest here - it’s perfect.”

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