I made up my mind back in 1979 i was going to retire to France i was in a job i loved back in the uk so no thoughts of going any earlier until the wife left the kids and myself, still had holidays over here usually Brittany as small children dont travel to well but eventually it was no longer cool to holiday with dad so the motorcycle was dragged out of retirement and off i went touring every corner of France for the next 20 odd years eventually settling on the Aude as my place to retire but then along came Kath eventually to be my wife who toured with me knowing my plans to settle here, we toured in May on the bike and came over to Narbonne in August with the caravan, one very rainy day in May while touring the pyrenees Kath said her brother was over helping his friend move into a house near Mazamet so of we went for a visit liked the area even in the rain so August of 2003, the very hot one remember,we spotted a house on the internet in the area and called into the estate agent who instantly said you are English you wont like it and asked Kath what type of house she would like, only one on his books remotely like her perfect house is the one we have now we viewed it that night, the shutters were closed to keep out the heat the wife was out but her husband sat at the kitchen table with his 4 sons drinking cans of beer the place was a tip it was so dark inside we couldnt see a thing a brief visit and the estate agent ushered us out very embarrassed and annoyed, he made another appointment a few days later which we only kept out of politeness and as Kaths brother was over at the same time in the area visiting his friend again killed two birds with one stone so to speak, the transformation, the husband had gone the house was tidy the shutters open though grudgingly it looked perfect we could see the potential what we couldnt see were the carefully hidden large amounts of work needed but we made a very silly offer thinking it would be thrown out but low and behold it was excepted it had what we wanted a large garden and 1 acre of land ajoining for our 4 Old English Sheepdogs to run about in, we now have Goats who have no fear of the dogs infact its so amusing to see the young male dog standing by the fence looking up the lane keeping watch with the little female goat standing alongside you can almost hear her saying whats up whats going on come on tell me i'm not as tall as you, chickens are next on the list but i dont think the dogs will be so tolerant with those they will look like balls of fluff to chase, after living here full time for two years no regrets, lots of work my skills in building carpentry plumbing are improving no end it does seem like all work and no play at the moment but nearly there,having always lived in the country living out in the sticks is fine by us friends think we are mad 8 k from the town we have been snowed in both winters we have lived here but thinking ahead planning and stocking up was inherited from my parents my dad grew up as a child without running water and electricity going to school on the hay cart i think i have it easy, my daughter visits as much as possible and my grandson loves it here but my son after years in the Caribbean and Dubai does not like France and cant understand why anyone wants to live here his wife loves the shopping malls of Dubai i only hope he can afford her
You might be pleased to know that interest is growing in 200k and up according to my OH. Viewings are up and her colleagues are selling, the over the million market has really warmed up.
On the other hand, there are market predictions of a possible 34% fall in house prices in the UK and sales are slowing down to closer to 20 weeks (much better than here nonetheless). Away from the home counties prices have edged down. So watch that space.
I really do not know why the heck I sat down and read this estate agent trade press rag with that info in but I do get bored enough to read anything and considering we'll not be returning to the UK it shouldn't have been at all , but for those wanting back perhaps the drop is a light in the gloom...
You are right...we had a few holidays in the Limousin....loved it...for a holiday! think we are more city peope than we were prepared to admit to.....maybe New York would tick our boxes!
partly I asked the question as I have a friend who has lived here for 15 years...and on move number 6! I honestly believe now the answer is to rent for a year plus....to be as sure as you can that you get it right...as Ive said...its not like the UK where you can sell in a few weeks...here (we have a local neighbour who has been on the market for 5 years!!!!) you may have to wait a long time to sell...so getting it right first time is more important.
Sympathise with you Sue...we have been on the market for coming up for 20 months...a few viewings..but our agents...(too many to admit to....) tell us the market for houses over 200k is dead as a dodo here... looked at all possibilities...house swaps etc...but its a tough one....thats why I am interested in if people manage to get it right first time...as its not like the UK where the average sale time is 12 weeks!...you cant really afford to get it wrong....good luck Sue...
For us, after 4+ years living here permanently I only wish I had found a house just 40 to 50 kilometres north. Why? We have discovered a profound love of Bal Trad in the Berry, despite being some of the youngest participants (environ 25 to 35) and here in the Creuse there isnt so much. Hence, we spend a lot of time driving to the Berry to the various Bals between Chassignolles and Bourges.
But we do have the most wonderful French neighbours all around us so you cant perhaps have everything?
It is just difficult driving home from a Bal at 3am in the pouring rain like Saturday, it is that much more tiring, especially when you are up at 7ish the next morning LOL.
I would never have dreamed that I would like this a few years ago and in the summer was at an open air bal during a storm and danced in the thunder, lightning and rain and did not care.
Wouldnt change a thing?
We got it right and then wrong!
Our first house was a five bedroom village house in the Vienne, overlooking the car park in the square by the church - detached and not really big enough garden and a shared courtyard - all the odd things you think will cause problems but they never did - we were there for 2 years - renovated the barn at the rear and sold to move on to another "project!"
Sadly the project was based on mathematics and the naive idea that we would again make money and sell quickly! We have been here 4 years next month and recently began our painted furniture and paint business in our small barn - despite business gradually picking up we know this is not the place for us - a farmhouse in the middle of the Gatine (apple growing country) sounds and is idyllic - until people need to find you - what we now need is a shop!
We are still waiting for a buyer - but will have a huge tick list compiled before we start our next house hunt!
Hopefully we will get it right.... perhaps the Dordogne? Who knows, not worth thinking about until a compromis is signed!
A friend of mine spent 20 years touring France looking for the right place, when he found it in the Gers he invited me over to help with renovations 20 years ago. I visited most years and fell in love with the area,eventually we decided to buy a house ourselves 15k further south east in the Haute Pyrenees in 2000. So thank-you John for all those trips you made. We are an hour and a bit into the the Pyrenees a place we love, sometimes I think I would have liked to to live in the mountains, but from our hill on a clear day I can see the whole range from sea to ocean, delightful.
On balance, yes..... but with one caveat....
We were looking for a holiday home, not somewhere to live permanently. We settled upon the Limousin in no small part because it is relatively cheap. We wanted somewhere that was within a day's drive - taking the dog is important to us so this rules out places that are only truly accessible by plane. Any further south than where we are would make the drive too far to do on any regular basis and so the house wouldn't get used. In turn, we wanted to be far enough south to feel a change in the climate. In terms of the house we wanted enough space to be able to muck about, put up an above ground pool for the kids, have barbecues, have guests etc. etc. without upsetting the neighbours.
There is no doubt that the Limousin has fulfilled all of our criteria and I even feel a little protective of our little area of France Profund (it comes in for ridicule by Parisiens because it is filled with backward yeokels). In truth, if we had more money to spend on a holiday home, I would have chosen somewhere near La Rochelle but in that region our money would have bought us a small flat compared with 4 bedrooms and an acre by itself in a forest... If anything, since we bought the house (2 years ago) the area seems better than expected. In particular I hadn't appreciated quite how good Lac Vassiviere is (with its sandy beaches and the like - great for kids) so this was a 'bonus'.
My one caveat is that I fear that by the time the house is 'finished' (by which I mean watertight, plumbed, plastered and painted white inside - i.e. before any 'frills') I will have got to know the area far more for its builders merchants, mairie, Mr Bricolage, decheterie etc. etc. than for all the recreational stuff such as the lake and restaurants. I fear that because I have got to know the area in a workaday fashion whilst doing the house up it will always feel a little like a place of work rather than relaxation - but that is a symptom of doing a house up rather than the area....
So on balance, no regrets and no particular desire to move. There is no doubt that it is a quiet area and after perhaps 10 years we might want to try somewhere fresh. For now though it has fulfilled our expectations........
Sorry to hear that the Dordogne is not for you. Don't try the Limousin, it is even more profund.....!
Sure, now that Gary McKinnon cannot be extradited to the USA and they are likely to be invading to capture the terrible danger to their national security, I feel I am far enough away from all those helicopters and ships to feel safe...
Sorry Carol, I just felt like a flippant response with a serious element. I am not sure there is such a precise answer to your question. Every time I have seen 'paradise' here on earth, I seem to have found another, better paradise later. No matter what we say, I am certain that once here and then able to look and think again, many of us would go elsewhere and some people who are not so easily satisfied would be moving time and time again. For me the solution is in this question: is this better than where I came from? Answer in this case is yes, therefore I shall be satisfied
We searched the Languedoc from the Aude to Herault looking for the ideal village. It had to be within an hour from the med and less than 2 hours from main airports, ideally on top of a hill, circulade, with Chateau, boulangerie, cafe (with a proper toilet - yes this was checked!) and appeared friendly. We settled in Neffies near Pezenas which fit all our criteria - except the fairytale chateau. We love the village so much we've bought our next project in the same village & our current house which we renovated to add a large roof terrace is up for sale. Our theory was - find the villages we liked then look for houses for sale in those villages and renovate/make the house what you want it to be. It is a lovely place to be & I can't wait to get back there (currently hubby is working in London to pay for the next place to be renovated!).