Publication Date: 29-04-2025 09:00
Brazilian couple’s homeownership dreams come true at Fielders Quarter in Barking
A couple from Brazil who thought buying their own home in the UK might not be possible have achieved their dream of getting on the property ladder at Fielders Quarter in Barking Riverside.
Thiago Cavichiolli, 38, and Tatiany Yoshida, 36, are now settling into their new two-bedroom apartment at the Bellway London development with their three-year-old daughter Isabella – eight years after moving to the UK.
They moved into the property in February, just two months after making their first enquiry about buying a place at Fielders Quarter, which is part of the wider Barking Riverside regeneration project transforming the former Barking Power Station site on the north bank of the Thames.
And after renting in London over the past eight years, the couple are relishing the extra sense of security and stability that comes with owning their own home.
Thiago said: “I feel I’m in my own place and no-one can say you’ve got to go. In our very first place we rented we were there for only six months when they decided to sell the flat and we had to move. It’s not nice to have to start looking again. Now we have this safety, and we know that anything that happens is our choice.”
Initially, Thiago thought it would be impossible to get a mortgage while here on a working visa. It was only after speaking to a mortgage broker that they discovered it could be done.
The couple have friends living in the same block and when they visited, they liked the look and feel of the apartment and the whole development. They have bought a ground-floor two-bedroom apartment with its own outdoor patio.
They paid £360,000 for their apartment and an extra £12,500 for a parking space, totalling £372,500. They put down a £37,250 deposit which included a £13,000 deposit contribution from Bellway. They now pay £1,800 per month in mortgage payments, compared to the £1,450 a month they were paying in rent on their previous home in Gidea Park, Romford.
“It ticked all the boxes for us as a family. Sometimes we put the little one to sleep and make a cup of tea and sit down and we look at each other and say we can’t believe it. I came from Brazil eight years ago and you come with your dreams, and it might be a bit more difficult because you have no support network. At home, if you have a question, you can ask your parents, your brother, your uncle, whoever is in your life, but we didn’t have that.”
Now the couple have made friends and built connections.
In fact, on the day they moved in they met one of their fellow countrymen and recommended the development to him.
Thiago said: “I hired a man and a van, and it turned out he was Brazilian and had never been to this area. When he was here, he asked questions about it and he said he was going to take a look. I took him over to the sales office so he could find out about it and leave his details.”
The family like the feel of the development. Thiago said: “Everything is new and well done. The gardening and landscaping is good, we are close to the river, and you look up and see the birds. And we can see the prospect of what they want to do here, and we can see that it’s going to be even nicer.
“There are facilities, there is a big school, a shop and more things to come which is good for younger families who want to stay here for the future. We are at the first stage and we hope to enjoy what’s to come.
“That’s the idea, to build a sense of community. You see a lot of kids around at school-run time. There are play areas for the kids and my daughter goes almost every day and she loves it. She asks to go there as soon as she wakes up every morning.”
He would recommend Fielders Quarter to other buyers because of the ease and transparency of the buying process, and the plans for the area in the future.
He said: “It’s not one thing but rather a combination of several things. It was an easy process with people looking after you, and the place was exactly as they sold it. The surroundings are good, and the expectation is that it will get better.”
Prices at Fielders Quarter West Circus currently start from £250,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. To find out more, visit https://www.bellwaylondon.co.uk/new-homes/north-london/fielders-quarter-west-circus or call the sales team on 020 4587 2581.
