We are trying since last September to buy a house with gite and pool in SW France.
Several purchases fell trough, have trips booked for April & May.
Is the summer a good time or are there too many tourists, less properties around?
Hi Bettina - I donât know about other regions but you can find lots of suitable properties in the Gironde and Lot et Garonne Departments all year round - the tourists wonât get in your way. However if you are going into the Pyrenees Orientales (PO) the population grows significantly along the coast during the summer months. April and May are perfect - consider taking a look in and around Ceret and Amelie les Bains , great scenery wonderful climate very friendly people.
Good Luck
Bettina as you must be in, or about to be in France right now, with only 4 days left in April - no doubt you will have discovered there are loads of properties with gĂŽtes and pools for sale in the great SW!
For info - the number of tourists in the region bears no relation to the number of properties for saleâŚwhy would anyone think that?!!
August might not be the best time for house hunting bearing in mind that a huge number of French people take their holidays then, Estate Agents and Notaires included.
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Number of tourists in relation to available properties? Was more a logistical question. I am already having problems booking rooms on short notice as our viewing schedule keeps changing til the last day. Also properties getting readied for the summer season âŚ
Itâs all a bit of a nightmare as we were hoping to get the moving van by now rather than still hunting for a home.
June to September is the main holiday, and therefore Gite, season.
You will face the issue of the availability of some immobiliers as they wander off on their long summer break.
Next will be the availability of the Gite to view. If you are looking at buying a going concern, any decent owner would not want to tell his clients that th business is selling up. It would not be good for any buyer either. If it is not occupied you ought to ask yourself âwhy?â. Is it not popular or is the region saturated with Gites?
We looked over the summer of 2017 but the market did not get going until rentree in September.
Be aware that things take time; from signing your compromis to the act de vente (keys in hand, OMG what have we done?), is 3 months.
I am not saying this to dispel you, but to try to help you manage your expectations, and stress 
One dea that might be of interest is to identify a geographic reg uo n and look to rent a gite for a long while, then focus on properties that are within reach. Given the state of the market, some owners might leap at that chance.
BTW, I can recommend Aveyron (12), the department changes dramatically from corner to corner; very importantly, the Prefecture is very open to all comers. It has been nothing but helpful in sorting out our Cartes Vitale and Cartes de Sejour.
It sounds like you plan to move here, have you overwintered in the region you are interested in? Everywhere looks good in summer; it can be very different after 3 weeks of Mistrale/Vent dâAutan! We did a lot of preliminary searching in winter for that very reason. Right now, this week, is a typical spring transition. Rain, hail, strong winds, violent gusts and strong sunlight in a light breeze. Akl dyring the course of an hour. For most of the day. Not so good to get outside jobs done!
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Viewings are done differently here in France.
You usually donât get the address first so that you can do a driveby and discover whether or not the location is good for you.
If you have really decided you want to live in a certain area, either book a gite or b & b and work had at it as soon as possible.
Why have so many properties fallen through?
Martin - we have done just that, spent the autumn winter looking for properties areas, decided on a house. Flew home, had the flu and lost a bidding being too ill to think clearly, second house we decided not to go ahead after more searches by architect and our lawyer discovered things we did not want to tackle. French planners can be every bit as challenging as he Scottish ones⌠been there done that, dont want to do it in a language we are not totally fluent yetâŚ
Our preferred area is South of Bergerac, but we are this time checking the Correze around Brive as well.
Probably have to be French and take August off from house hunting.
Thanks for the tips - will keep you updated on progress and probably ask a lot more âsillyâ questions
Jane - we have become experts in recognizing buildings on Google earth. Roof shapes, pool shape all helpful. Can even do a drive by using street view. And check out the neighbours- farm country is beautiful, but living next to a mega chicken farm can be a little smelly⌠right now our nearest neighbours are a herd of Dexter cows⌠love it!
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Certainly viewings are possible in the summer season. Yes, French agents may well be on holiday, but I certainly wonât be!! But as someone has already pointed out, if you are looking for a property with a gite it may not be possible to view the gite if the vendors have a booking, they wonât want to disturb their guests. Maybe on a Saturday when most places do change-overs. If you are thinking of the real SW France, come to the Gers! I would be happy to help you in your search.
Thank you Julia,
it looks like our latest trip could be successful. We have made an offer and now are waitingâŚ
Love the Gers, we looked around Masseube & Mauburguet but did not find anything for our budget.
Will keep you in mind if we have to continue looking.
B