Sharing France with you

Facelift for our team in Verteillac!

Our hard-working team at the Verteillac office are getting a well-deserved facelift! Well, the office is getting the facelift to be precise.

New panelling is up, the lovely Beaux Villages green paint is going on and we'll be adding new signage any time now.

During the works it's business as usual so, whether you are buying or selling, drop in an see the team, have a coffee and meet the Property Consultants.

Properties in and around Verteillac can be found by clicking here. 

The B word

In light of 31st October - Halloween in more ways than one this year and potentially more Brexit bad press - our Beaux Villages team have been reflecting on how we’re coping with battling the Brexit blues in France.

Whilst the situation remains uncertain, we do know that there are 39,000 British living in Nouvelle Aquitaine (south-west France) and approx. 400,000 French in London (according to the French consulate in London). Therefore, we are confident that even if there is a no-deal Brexit a reciprocal agreement will be made.

What a Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

A noisy rooster called Maurice is taken to court!

A rooster named Maurice has been put on trial in western France after his early-morning crowing got under the skin of his neighbours.

The copper-feathered cockerel is the defendant in a court battle where he is accused of causing noise pollution by a retired couple.

The case was heard by the court in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime on Thursday.

A verdict is not expected until September 5.

(Source: Evening Standard)

You'd better baalieve it!

From the 4th to 7th July 2019 the World Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling championships are coming to France for the first time.

The event is taking place in Le Dorat, a village in the North of the Haute-Vienne department.

Competitors from some 35 countries will be present during the 4 days of competitions.

A wide variety of side events and activities have been programmed alongside the competition: herding dog trials, logging demonstrations and competitions, a farmer's market..., and live music....throughout days and evenings...

Image: Sent from agent Ray Metcalfe right amongst the action!

Click for information source and tickets still available.

Coming soon in the Gers...

...Hens to peck at your household waste!

If you thought that your local council had thought of everything to reduce the mountains of household waste - you were wrong! We have all been proposed recycling bins, different coloured bin bags and compost bins, but in the Gers a new idea has just been hatched, following in the footsteps of a few other departments.

Summer night markets are back!

Hoorah, it's July! That means the night markets, or 'marchés nocturnes', are beginning this week through to the end of August in a village near you!

A wonderful way to spend a summer's evening, taking in the smells coming from local food stands, sampling local wine, listening to bands, having a dance and making new friends.

What’s more, there is no washing up to do!

You can take a look here to find which day your village is hosting theirs: https://www.flanerbouger.fr/events/marches-nocturnes

Image source: Sarlat Tourism

So, what's your budget, then?

How do you know how far your money will go? Tim Williams, Finance Director of Beaux Villages Immobilier, gets down to the pounds and pennies.

Scroll down for our budget calculator.

Is it just me? I dislike that question. It feels intrusive. And I’m an ‘insider’. I work in the industry.

What I like to hear is, ‘How much would you like to spend?’ I’m a sensitive flower. And of course my standard response would be, ‘As little as possible!’ We’re no further forward………..

So - truthfully - how is an estate agent expected to help me (you) if they do not know the answer? (Let’s put aside for now those agents who do know the answer and promptly ignore it……..)

Now - what IS your budget? Maybe this all seems obvious. Possibly patronising? Conversely, it is quite possible you do not actually know. I didn’t. Looking back and with the great gift of hindsight.

Perhaps it varies greatly according to fluid personal circumstances. ‘Buying on a budget’ is all relative, whether you have €50,000 or a million. You will have expectations. You will have more, or less, local knowledge.

Be a Sport!

When does sport become leisure? When it makes its way onto your wishlist for your new home in France! Fishing, swimming, riding, walking and more can all play a part in everyday life.

Golf
As a national passion this is less established in France than, say, the UK or USA.
But it is accelerating and well supported at grass-roots level, and in practice this currently means affordability and accessibility.

Meet the Agent: Nico Janssens

The routes to being a sales agent are many and varied. ‘I moved to France from Belgium in 1996 and, with my parents and siblings started an ostrich farm,’ explains Nico. ‘We sold eggs, feathers, meat, ostrich leather. We did open days and attended markets almost every day.’

After several years Nico decided to try a new career and branched into immobilier. Now, with 11 years experience, he combines selling property from the Eymet office with running ongoing sales for the local team as the liaison between Beaux Villages and the notaires.

At least I can vote in this one!

European elections are being held in France on Sunday 26th May.

One of the few frustrations of being a local councillor as a British national is having to man the voting office when I don’t have the right to vote! As a British national, if you have registered on the electoral register, you may only vote for your local council or in the European elections.