‘We Bought Our Fantasy House On A Whim'

When serial Rightmove browser Firgas Esack saw her dream country house online – hundreds of miles away in Norfolk – she never imagined that she’d end up living in it…

- Victoria Scott

Firgas Esack, 40, lives in Feltwell, Norfolk, with her fiancé Rich Hendry, 40, and their sons, Wild, six, Drummond, four, and Baird, two. Firgas works as a publicist and Rich is a photographer. The family recently sold their terraced house in Forest Hill, London, and upped sticks to a five-bedroom detached house in rural Norfolk. ‘I’ve always been one of those people who looks at property websites for fun, and I’d email links to Rich saying, “Wow, look, we could buy a Tudor castle!” and he would reply telling me not to be so stupid. One weekend, the kids had cabin fever, so we decided to jump in the car and go somewhere. Rich came up with the idea of going to see a house I’d sent him that week, so off we went.

When we got there, Rich wanted to stay in the car, but I insisted that he came too, saying it was ridiculous to drive all the way to Norfolk and not even look at it – so he did, reluctantly. I’d called the estate agent, who said the owner would show us around. She started giving me the tour, but Rich was still on the doorstep and I thought he might leave. In the end, he followed, and when we got to the top landing, he said, “This place is amazing!”. He hadn’t been so enthusiastic when we’d viewed our London house.