Well I dont mean give…We are a professional couple relocating to the Dordogne from the US, We plan on renting a furnished place for 3 months while looking for a longer term unfurnish rental. We are stable have income and two wonderful dogs-one lazy greyhound and another not so lazy pointer. We will need the rental for our visa application just to add another layer of difficulty. I am currently checking the immobilier sites and have found a few possibilities, but if someone has a better idea or advise that would be appreciated. I am sure this topic has been beaten to death so apologies…We plan on making the move on October 1st…
We did 3 separate one month AirBnBs when we arrived. Then be sure to put your best foot forward using Dossier Facile and Garant.me. I would go directly to particuliers and try not to waste time with immobiliers.
We also searched for a home in France over late Autumn. It turned out to be a good time to do so because the tourists had mostly left and the tourist venues were shut, so we could get a much better idea of what life was like.
Agreed! I came over in March and one estate agent was telling me how much I would like a particular village as it was full of artists and so interesting. In March, the one restaurant was shut with a man up a ladder painting and not a soul to be seen.
We did our searching in October, and it was revealing how very cold some places were likely to be over the winter period. We went from paddling in the med to bitter cold in the Cantal that really surprised us.
Bonjour. Sorry I can’t help with the rental situation, as I live in the wrong department, but Kudos to you for upping sticks and leaving America!! Well done! I used to work over there for many years, but I could not bear it these days, as the country has been hijacked by a bunch of crooks. I have friends who are leaving Kentucky to live in Spain, and some more in San Diego, who are coming to live in France. All my numerous Canadian friends have stopped flying to Florida ( snowbirds) and now over winter in Portugal. I am sure that you will be warmly welcomed in the Dordogne. Good luck!
We are very excited, and it is only now starting to feel real that this is actually happening.
We have lived outside the US before and have always valued the chance to experience another culture properly, rather than just passing through as tourists. France — and especially the Dordogne — feels like the right next chapter for us.
The US has changed a great deal, and to be honest I find myself relating to it less and less these days. So while this is a big move, it also feels like something we have wanted for a long time and are finally able to do.
We’re really looking forward to the new experience, the slower pace, the culture, and hopefully becoming part of the local community in some small way. Thank you again for the encouragement!
Where are you coming from in the US (I’m a token American, btw)? What attracts you to the Dordogne? Have you visited France often? I have been in France 3 years- no regrets except I would move even further north and not Dordogne… (simply due to heat)
Good call that! We moved up from the crash hot summers of the Aveyron to Mayenne, where we are very happy and settled. Great cycling country as well. Lovely climate too.
We are currently in Ohio, and yes, we have been to France several times, and even have a group of Parisian Friends. We looked all over, and for us, we feel the Dordogne is the right place for a myriad of reasons. We are not 100 percent set on that and plan on using the first few months to explore! We lived in California for many years and are used to the heat, as long as it stays within reason!
Isn‘t Californian heat dry heat? Humidity makes all the difference. Also some places in Dordogne, being inland, don’t cool down as much at night. So will ‘feel’ much hotter in Dordogne.
Yes, fair point the weather there right now does look pretty nasty, and we are definitely paying attention. We don’t want to be cavalier about the heat, especially with the dogs.
At the same time, every region has its trade-offs.
So for us it’s probably less a question of “Dordogne or not Dordogne” and more a question of choosing carefully within the Dordogne: elevation, shade, airflow, shutters, thick walls, nighttime cooling, and a house that actually works in summer. We’re planning to use the first few months to explore rather than rushing into anything, so this is exactly the kind of thing we’ll be watching closely.