Finding a property in France to call home has long been a dream for many a francophile. The reasons come down to each individual, but it is usually a combination of factors. The top 5 reasons we tend to hear from our clients are:
* The ability to work remotely and France's superior high-speed internet roll-out
* The relative affordability of beautiful houses with lots of space to enjoy spending time with family and friends
* Easy access without having to fly. Swerving the chaotic and unreliable airports for the significantly more civilised rail and ferry options
* Being able to spend extended periods of time enjoying the warmer, sunnier weather & a base from which to explore more widely
* Fresh produce, great food and wine - Enjoying the french way of life that is impossible to replicate anywhere else in the world
France is a huge and varied country and most peoples' research starts online. There is lots of valuable information you can collect from the comfort of your armchair that will mean that when you do get to France, your viewing trip is as productive as possible. Here are some useful resources to help get started:
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION…….
As important as the house itself is the location. The local town and villages, the surrounding scenery and amenities. You might find your perfect dream home, but if it’s right next to a motorway and a poultry farm, you’re unlikely to go for it. You might already know where you want to go, but for many the draw for buying in France is love of the lifestyle, culture, countryside and space. France is a huge country and it can be tricky to hone in on specific search areas.
For most people, buying a house in France takes a couple of recce trips before being ready to go ahead and make an offer. If you have yet to decide where you'd like to be in France, it is worth focussing your efforts on researching areas rather than properties, whether that is remotely on your computer or in person on a recce trip. Our top piece of advice would be if you are planning a trip to France but know this trip will be more about research than starting the buying process in earnest, spend your time in France exploring the area, rather than racing from one viewing appointment to another. By all means identify local agents that have a portfolio of properties that look interesting, but arrange to meet them in their office and speak to them about their local patch. Find out which towns and villages are going to have the kind of community you are looking for, where are the good tennis/golf clubs, great walking trails or places with thriving year-round communities and a particularly good selection of restaurants in the vicinity. Perhaps you have a preference for how immersed you want to be and a good local agent can tell you which areas you might find a concentration of other international buyers, and where would you look if you want more french integration. You can then go and explore the different areas and see which have the potential you are looking for.
This step in your research means you can assess whether the agent is someone you would trust and be happy to work with during the buying process and they, in turn, will appreciate your honesty that it's not the right time for you to buy but they will then be sure to give you extra attention as and when you are drawing up an itinerary of properties to view in preparation for your buying trip.
By doing this exercise, you are able not only to focus your online search for properties when you get home. You can take a more targeted approach and focus on specific agent website rather than scrolling through endless pages on advertising portals. You can also rule out places from your search which, in the long run, could save you miles and miles of unnecessary travelling when you are on your buying trip.
We work with a network of fantastic english-speaking agents across France and would be more than happy to recommend and put you in touch with our partners in whichever areas you are thinking of exploring in more depth and I'm sure they would be delighted to tell you all about what makes their particular home patch special.
So, France is a huge, varied country. How do you go about narrowing down where to start? Here’s a few things you might like to consider:
THE WEATHER
Better weather is one of the key reasons many people want to spend more time in France. The south of France is indeed very hot in summer. It’s important to consider whether you would actually enjoy the very hot weather on a permanent basis. What is lovely for pool lounging, is perhaps not so pleasant when you have to go to work, or study for school.
Many areas of France have more extreme weather than the UK. So whilst it’s generally warmer and sunnier in the summer, it can also be extremely cold in winter.
If you’re looking for a second home for somewhere to go to effectively shorten the winter months, it’s also worth bearing in mind that you don’t always have to keep heading south for the sunshine. For example, the Charente-Maritime in western France often claims to be the third sunniest area of France. Similarly, the Morbihan area of Brittany and Vendée in the Pays de la Loire have similar microclimate benefits.
TRANSPORT LINKS
Is the ability to return the UK regularly, or for friends and family to visit important? The northern areas of France and proximity to channel crossings are a popular choice for just this reason, but rail travel is becoming increasingly popular and good access to TGV train stations is becoming increasingly important. The anticipated new route from London to Bordeaux will really open up the south-west from this point of view.
You can get a good indication of travel times and prices between London and TGV stations in France here:
And a TGV route map is a useful resource
AMENITIES
Carefully considering what amenities you need is obviously high up on the list of things to consider. France has so many beautiful villages and towns, but if you are looking to move to France on either a permanent or semi-permanent basis, it may be important to find the ones that have shops and amenities that are useful for residents, rather than places that are flooded with tourists in the summer with lots of souvenir shops.
Schools, hospitals, wild swimming spots, leisure lakes, good walking trails, think about what will be important for you to do while you are there and the amenities you will need nearby.
There is a really useful website here - it gives a good overview of towns and villages worthy of note in areas across France. It’s a useful resource for picking out towns to explore in more detail.
https://www.frenchpropertylinks.com/morceaux.html
GOOGLE MAPS
How did we exist without google maps? Google maps and street view is an invaluable resource for getting an idea of a town or village. However, it is important to look at the date in the bottom right hand corner that shows when the car went through town. In some cases, it can be over 10 years ago.
COMMUNICATION
For many clients, a good internet connection is fairly high up on the list of priorities. The french government has set an ambitious target that every residential property will have a minimum of 30Mbps by the end of 2022. COVID may have set them back slightly, but there is a really useful map of internet speeds available in different areas in France - you can really zoom in with remarkable detail:
COMMUNITY, ACTIVITIES & FRIENDSHIP
If you are on Facebook, there are lots and lots of community groups across France where you can get a good idea of what’s going on in a certain area.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS
We'd love to hear all about your plans! If you find yourself with a spare moment and a cup of tea in hand, do give us a call and talk through your thoughts so far and we'd be happy to discuss your property search criteria, the pro's and cons of different areas of France and help come up with a plan of action as you prepare for a viewing trip. If time is a little more pressing, you can give us a general overview of your plans via the link below and we can get the ball rolling on your behalf:
BLOGS, & SOCIAL MEDIA
There are a a wealth of resources out there from expats in France writing about their french lives in the form of blogs and social media posts. If you can find a couple of authors that resonate with you in an area you’re interested in, you may find really useful information on places to consider or discount. Here are a some examples to check out:
http://athomeincorreze.blogspot.com/
https://mannyatkins.wordpress.com/france/
https://vanessafrance.wordpress.com/
https://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/
http://fiftyshadesoffrugallivingfrance.blogspot.com/
https://francetaste.wordpress.com/
https://moisfrenchadventure.com/
FINANCES
Get finances sorted, you are in a much stronger position to negotiate if you are in a position to proceed quickly.
Currency exchange
The fluctuating exchange rates can have such an impact on your budget. However, it is possible to manage the risk and fix a rate so you know exactly how much money you will have when it comes to considering making an offer on a property. To find out more, click here.
Mortgages
For international buyers, it is very difficult to secure a french mortgage. At the moment, there tends to be a minimum lend of €200,000 and the lend criteria are significant. If you do not want to take out that much, most buyers raise the finance in their home country in order to become a cash buyer in France. If you are looking to take out a mortgage in excess of €200,000, do let us know as we can put you in touch with an english-speaking broker that specialises in French mortgages for international clients.
THE FRENCH PROPERTY BUYING PROCESS
And last, but not least, get to grips with the french buying process. Similar to the process in Scotland where you exchange contracts at the beginning of the process, buying property in France is transparent and (usually) straight forward. If you’d like a copy of our buying guide that gives an overview of what happens when, do let us know. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We hope there are some useful pointers in all of the above. If you'd like to take a look at our portfolio of properties, all you have to do is click here
