The perfect property wishlist

If you’re serious about buying a property in France you’ll need a plan of action…starting with a clear idea of what you are looking for.

You’ve dreamed for years about buying your own little pied-a-terre in France and this looks like the year when the dream could become a reality. So far, so good and SO exciting! You probably already have in your mind’s eye just the sort of property you are looking for but there are a few things you can do to make the search a pleasant voyage of discovery.

First up, and most important, is to get a grasp of just how huge France is. Roughly three times the land area of the United Kingdom, but with the same population, this is a big country where you can cover considerable distances if you are not sure in which area you want to end up. Before you start booking viewings take a road trip and check out a few of the areas you have earmarked as possible. Have a good old-fashioned paper map with you and circle the possibles and cross out the places you dismiss.
Once you know roughly where you want to be (and you don’t have to pin it down to a precise village or even one département but start with a rough area with a radius of an hour or so’s drive), try to refine the sort of location you are looking for. If you want to turn up, park the car and not drive anywhere for the next week, proximity to a village will be key. Bear in mind that competition for edge of village properties is keen and you will be one of many asking to be able to walk to the nearest baguette. A village with a bakery and a bar will attract even more attention and if you throw in a restaurant and grocery store, competition really starts to hot up.

Many people have a wish list that starts with ‘edge of village’ and goes on to list ‘no near neighbours’.

On the whole, you don’t get the one without the other so perhaps you’ll need to buy a bicycle or decide to consider neighbours as an aide to learning French and integrating into the local community.
At the other end of the spectrum, splendid isolation can seem the perfect antidote to UK city or suburban living. You want your own space, to be able to play your music loud and not worry about disturbing anyone. Here we come back to how big France is. It is perfectly possible to find a property that is absolutely isolated. But that might mean a 20km drive to the nearest village shop and even further to medical support or emergency services. Isolation can be a lonely way of life, especially if you are used to having shops and services in a nearby town. And if you are hoping to rent your property out for part of the year, your guests will appreciate a shorter drive for the weekly grocery shop.
Privacy, on the other hand is a different issue, and there are countless properties that will give you the best of both worlds. Consider properties that are a short drive from a town or village but with a good-sized garden and not overlooked by neighbours. They’ll offer the privacy you seek but with the convenience of a community and services close to hand.

Property must-haves
Enough about the area; one of the most satisfying things in this process is deciding exactly what you want from your property. This is where you need to start some lists. The first one should be things that are absolute deal-breakers for you. So, if you wouldn’t consider a property that didn’t have a barn, put that on your list. Have a think about condition: would you renovate, change kitchens and bathrooms, do a bit of decorating? Or do you just want to turn the key and move straight in?
What about property style? Traditional stone, detached; modern low-maintenance bungalow, with room to expand? And then there is land. The temptation is to go for as much as possible as land in France is relatively cheap. But do you prefer to spend your days sitting on the mower or relaxing in a deckchair? Lots of land, even a big garden can be a burden if you are not there to maintain it all the time. If your move is full time then it’s less of an issue and a couple of sheep or goats will take care of much of the mowing and you’ll be there to care for them.

List 2 is your Nice-to-haves. If a feature would be a lovely bonus, but isn’t absolutely essential for your property search, put it on this list. If outbuildings would be handy, they go on this list. If you would like a pool but would put one in given enough space, put it on this list.

List 3 should be the absolute barriers to a purchase. You might want a property completely on its own so neighbours would be the bar or, alternatively, you might want the security and social interaction of being in a community so isolation would be the no-no.. If you have horses, being on a main road could rule a house out, and so on.

Compromise is not a dirty word
In all of this list-making bear in mind that every ‘absolute’ that you add to a must-have or a must-not-have list reduces the choice a little more. Until you have actually viewed some properties and got a feel for how much choice there is at your chosen budget try not to limit yourself too much. Time after time we see people start with what feels like a very clear idea of their ideal French home only to end up buying something completely different.
And talking of budget, keep an eye on the exchange rate and how that might affect your search. It makes all the difference to how far your money will go and if rates are fluctuating it’s never too early to get some advice on how a currency broker can help you get the best value. Smart Currency Exchange will be happy to help.

Armed with this planning and your well-crafted list you are now ready to brief you chosen agent(s). The more information you can give them at the beginning of the process, the better. It will save you time going through unsuitable properties, it will save them time looking at places that just aren’t of interest. From all of this comes your shortlist to actually go and view and this is where the adventure really starts. Good luck!

Take a look at the latest properties on our website to whet your appetite!

Feature first appeared in Living France magazine