Thank you David
I do actually agree with everything you and others have said, unfortunately Vicky my wife did see renting as dead money, but she reads comments and is coming round to the idea, albeit slowly
I left Spain as the agent who had looked after my properties was involved in a fraud, he got 5 years and his wife got all my money.
Hence no savings, I still have my place in Spain it's only an 3 bed cave in Huescar in Granada
I would happily live there Vicky would not, hence France as a compromise lol
Spot on! Bob, David is talking 100% good sense.
Nice little hospital too. Really handy at times...
Yes… It’s got a lot going for it.
Quite agree KK, nice town, close to the main roads, decent climate and handy for Limoges & St Junien etc Nice nine-hole golf course down the road too.
You should look at Bellac in the Limousin. It ticks all the boxes. Price. Yes. Town. Yes. Vibrant social life. Yes. If interested in the area then I can PM you re a house available in Peyrat de Bellac which has the land you need.
Good luck.
Two sites to look for houses:
I haven't bought houses from either, but friends bought a house in Gers through jbfrenchhouses. In Brittany, where I have a house, notaires are cheaper sources of houses than immobiliers, who tend to have modern and new houses (and be quite pushy). You look for the notaires in an area you are interested in, go in, and look through their file.The details supplied are scanty. Photo of front, floor area, and services is about it. Go and look at the outside and then go back to arrange an appointment to view if you are interested. Google Earth can give you some idea of the village.
Just looked on jbfrenchhouses and there seemed to be lots of attractive possibilities in your price range, and that site does tell you if there are shops nearby. Browsing gives you a good idea of house styles in particular areas as well as prices. If you want to link to other English people perhaps looking at the map of SFN members might help?
Hi Bob and missus,
I echo the thoughts of those urging rental for at least a few months...it's just the choosing where is the first hurdle! Also your budget potentially seems a tad too low. We live in the Poitou-Charentes, chosen for various good airport and city links, 6 hours to ferries, and the second sunniest region....having said that, the winters can be worse than UK. Therefore, if it was me making decisions based on what you've supplied, I'd be opting for winter in Spain, and a small place for the summers here - best of both worlds:-) I also wouldn't touch a reno project now, for cost, your age, disruption and time taken to complete, etc. I love this area, but we also love the Limousin and Creuse areas for friendliness, beauty and cost of housing, just colder and harsher winters that put us off. We aren't fans of the coastal regions hereabouts - they seem so bland and commercialised in the main, with water quality iffy half the time we visit, although I could hack La Rochelle as a city to live in!
Good luck with the search, both and, just like in UK, there will probably be compromises to area, property, etc before you realise you want to take the plunge.
Hi Bob, and congratulations on a fine decision.
Come to Brittany - possibly on the southern side of the hills that run west-east which keeps 'English' Channel weather in the north, and warmer weather to the south - the difference a dozen km can make. Values shade-off dramatically the further you get from the coast(s) and be wary of the "anglo-saxon" market which pays quite inflated prices (often without stopping to think why the property is so cheap compared with Surrey).
You should be able to find something in central Brittany around your budget... depends on how much work you're prepared to undertake / commission. 2,500m.sq land is manageable for a single person with some machinery. Exercise some caution with renovation projects - you don't want to be living in a caravan in the depths of winter; so for an extra €15k you should find something ready to move into which would fit the bill.
Remember also that the countryside is, broadly speaking, depopulating leaving more houses than there are people to live in them - values are weak and handsome reductions from 'asking prices' can be achieved..... they can only say "non".
Good luck; and have a survey of your house to make sure you're buying an asset not a liability - the standard diagnostic reports are inadequate, and if you have any doubts about the buying / legal process (there is no 'subject to contract' wriggle room in France once the initial 7-day "cooling-off" period has expired, for example) come to SFN which has a great resource, or consult a qualified professional.
I must drive slow, Lol ;-)
Hi Bob, when we moved to France on 2001 it was primarily for good weather and lifestyle. We found that one needed to be south of the massif to get the weather, unfortunately this is way beyond 5 hours from ferries, it takes us 12 from Tarn et Garonne.
I would ask why you left Spain as we are contemplating a permanent move there now for another change in temperature and lifestyle. Nothing wrong with SW France but we fancy warmer winters. Incidentally, our six bedroomed house overlooking the Garonne river will be for sale, but more like 230,000 euros.
Bonne chance
Precisely, Peter, at the moment it really is one of those "how long is a piece of string" posts!
Robert, I think it's already been mentioned but I'd recommend you rent for a while first to get a better idea of what you want and what you don't want. During that time you could travel widely and search for what you're after once things are clearer. 5 hours from a port covers half of France and some very, very different regions and climates...! ;-)
Loads of people wnt to help Robert but the questions you ask cover such a wide subject matter. What you need is an 'awareness test". Come over, look at areas you find interesting and see what you can get for our money.
Where I am in the Haute Vienne for example you are about five hours from Caen and it's south enough to be called 'south'. It's not too hot in summer, not too wintry in winter, reasonably priced properties, probably a little lower than the national average and good access to all points of the compass. The local airport at Limoges is excellent also. I love living in this area as I have everything literally on my doorstep including a fantastic hopital.
All areas and regions carry their own merits but it's up to you to spend time in different areas to appreciate these merits or otherwise.You can't really appreciate the ins and outs by spending hours in front of a computer screen.
I would suggest somewhere in a band just above Bordeaux - driveable in 5h, pleasant climate. Don't worry about broadband, you might find that you could be near the end of the line so although you have it, it is very slow. Go for internet satellite. I would suggest that a "renovation project" isn't a good idea, given your age. Sorry, don't mean to be insulting! We renovated about 15 years ago, hubby still half fancies another renovation project, but at 64 admits he probably wouldn't be up to it. And labour costs over here can be very high if you had to bring people in to do the work. Consider spending a bit more for a house that maybe needs a new kitchen or bathroom and a lick of paint but not too much more. You might find something with a barn to convert which would give you a bit of a project but could be done slowly and wouldn't affect your daily life - new wife might get fed up living among dust, dirt and chaos if you buy a renovation project. Good luck with your search and your new life - you will love it here.
my dad has a place for sale near Tours, price has been slashed as he's ill, it's ready to move into ;-)
have a look here
...and Saumur is absolutely lovely! just a big enough town to have everything, and quite a vibrant english community if that's a requirement. Also near to Angers which is a beautiful city. ( we very nearly bought a house there) x teresa
You can find houses and land at this price in Central Brittany. An agent called Sylvie Mayer in Huelgoat has some properties at this level (under 100k euros). Don't under estimate the time and money it will take to get yourself set up. However remember that immediately you see the right property it will be speaking to you!
Hi Robert. A friend of mine has a house for sale near Saumur. If you are interested in further details, could you email me on sheila.walshe@gmail.com and I can put you in touch with each other?
Thanks, Sheila
Oh come on now you really know you want to move to Peru don't you?