Selecting a Property in France

french property for renovation

If you have already taken the big decision of buying a home in France for residential or investment reasons you will already be conscious of the vast array of property out there available for purchase. If your interest lies in the second hand real estate market you will also know that some of the houses on offer are in a good state of repair and others are not. Those that are suffering from neglect will need renovation. They will appear at knock down prices that lie well within your budget, but how to do them up still remains a quandary. Either you can do the renovations yourself or you can find somebody else to do them for you. If you have decided to move to France to seek the good life, do you really want to spend a year or two of your life working hard to resuscitate an old building? It might look like fun at the beginning but will it still be fun two years down the line when you are struggling to replace a leaking roof so you can all enjoy a warm and dry family Christmas?

There is a way out. You can always buy a house that has been renovated. Many buildings have been restored to a very high standard, and all you have to do is to move in. But surely that approach is likely to be very expensive is your likely reply. No, not necessarily when you consider what your three bedroomed house in say Deptford is likely to fetch on the open market. Your English property is likely to release a lot more money than the beautifully renovated village house that you have seen in South West France. Thus you will be able to afford it easily without having to do a stroke of work in the restoration process. This is certainly a better option if your intention is to retire to France and enjoy an easy lifestyle that includes long and leisurely lunches washed down by a bottle of local wine.

Don’t think that by moving to South West France you are going to isolate yourself in the depth of the countryside with nothing to do. There are lots of things to keep you occupied and these interests will largely determine where you choose to settle. Biarritz is the surfing capital of Europe. It also has a fine golf course. However, you will find many other golf courses scattered throughout the region. There are plentiful rivers so fishing is another hobby that you might like to indulge. On the coast there is sea fishing as well as boating. The mountains offer climbing opportunities as well as plentiful skiing in the winter. Or perhaps you would like to spend your days gardening or painting or learning to cook in the local style. The choices are huge and varied and it all comes down to you So you need to consider what is most important for you and your family as this will determine where you buy your property in South West France.

Oh, and before you make yourself a slave to an enormous and costly renovation of a tumbled down cottage in the next village decide carefully what is really the best option for yourself and your loved ones. It will save you a lot of time and possibly a lot of money.