What should I consider when buying a French property with land?

Dreaming of buying a property with acres and acres of ground? Many people do, but is it the right move for you? These are the realities of owning lots of land in rural France to make sure you land on your feet!

So, you’ve decided to make the big move and put down roots in France? An exciting decision, and now the fun can really begin as you start hunting for that dream property of yours! You will most likely already have a property spec for your new house, but what you may be wondering about though is how much outdoor space you need. The longer, warmer summers mean you will most likely desire at least some outdoor space, but there are many different aspects to keep in mind when property hunting in the French countryside.

Rural France is a beautiful mix of small towns and villages, remote hamlets and secluded properties surrounded by miles and miles of countryside. Each setting offers its own unique living experience and it’s a good idea to sit down and have a think about which one corresponds best to your needs, wishes and family. Towns and villages mean more commodities when compared to hamlets or fully secluded properties, whilst hamlets and secluded properties often mean more privacy and outdoor space. But which one is right for you?

How much land do you really want?

I remember my parents showing me the photos of the first property they bought in France and being amazed at how big the garden was - especially in comparison to the tiny garden our cottage in the UK had! The property was in a small hamlet of three houses, neither of our neighbours had children of a similar age to myself or my siblings, but the relative seclusion of the property was appealing to my parents, and it was only a short drive to the local schools and supermarkets. Whilst we have great memories at this property, within a few years, we ended up moving to a small village where there was slightly more on offer in terms of socialising. That dream of having lots of outdoor space wasn’t necessarily the right reality for a young family, and the property we moved into came with a much smaller and far more manageable garden!

It is a relatively common occurrence to see people moving over from the UK and wanting to buy a property which comes with lots of land and no neighbours as these are hard to come by in the UK. The reality of having multiple acres doesn’t always match up to the expectations of it though.

As you start looking at properties and see the range of options available, it’s important to think about how much space you really need. Of course if you have a specific reason for needing a field or two, such as you want to keep animals or you have horses, then yes you are going to need land, and lots of it! In these cases, you are most definitely going to want to start searching for a fairly remote property which has enough grazing to cater to your specific needs. If you are adamant that you don’t want any neighbours, then looking for a secluded property with plenty of land surrounding it, a large garden, an adjacent field or two or even some woodland to give you a privacy barrier is likely to be the best option for you also. If this is what you go for, then just keep in mind that you will most likely need to drive everywhere, it is highly unlikely you will have any commodities within a reasonable walking distance.

However, if you don't have a specific need for lots of land, then it’s a good idea to carefully consider where you want to live. If you wish to be in a small town or village, then you are likely going to have to go for a smaller sized garden. Most villages in rural France offer properties with some sort of garden or terrace, just maybe not a large garden offering endless possibilities! On the outskirts of a village, you may find properties with decent sized gardens and still be within walking or cycling distance of that lovely boulangerie, delicious restaurant or buzzing bar that your village has to offer. This could be the best of both worlds perhaps - sufficient space and privacy without being isolated.

Too big for your gardening boots?

So we know it’s important to keep our expectations realistic, and we know that unless we really have a specific need for lots of land, then maybe we don’t need to buy acres and acres just because we can. But that begs the question of how big does my garden actually need to be?

If you are buying a holiday home, then consider a smaller garden, otherwise you will be mowing the lawn, weeding and tending to the general upkeep of your land for the majority of your holiday! You will also most likely have to hire a gardener to keep the garden in check whilst you are away. Maybe not the ideal solution for a stress-free holiday home that you just want to enjoy. Lock-up-and-leave properties in small villages are a good choice when it comes to holiday homes; you will get the best of both worlds: no additional cost or bother of maintaining a garden, but you’ll still be surrounded by beautiful countryside where you can go for long, leisurely walks, bike rides or relaxing picnics.

If your move is permanent, then really take the time to consider how big a garden you should go for. Ask yourself, do you really want to have to put on your hiking boots just to mow the lawn? Are you actually an avid gardener with a green thumb who has a real passion for gardening? I was adamant last summer that I could make some lovely hanging baskets and keep them alive despite having watched my newly purchased spider plants and cacti whither throughout lockdown…I tottered off to my local garden centre one Saturday morning and spent a small fortune on flowers I’d never heard of, pondered over which soil to get (who knew there were so many types!) and picked out some lovely wicker hanging baskets. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a knack for this sort of thing and my hanging baskets ended up much like my lockdown plants… I’m sure your gardening skills are far better than mine, but it is still a good idea to not bite off more than you can chew!

Gardening is a skill which you need to dedicate time to learning. If you have lots of land, you will need to know how to deal with certain realities such as damage caused by wild animals, for example. Wild boar and deer are plentiful in the countryside but can make quite an impact on a garden overnight! We find that most people tend to want a relatively big garden, one where they can have some outdoor living space, parking, a vegetable patch (and maybe some chickens), parking and a swimming pool. Gardens like this are of course far more manageable than acres and acres of land, but will still require time and investment to keep them looking pretty all year round!

What to do though if you have fallen in love with the property of your dreams but it comes with more outdoor space than you were originally planning for? This could be the perfect opportunity to redesign the land and create a wildflower meadow. Relatively low maintenance, excellent for ecosystems, often very pretty during the summer months and likely to harbour a few surprises, a wildflower meadow might just be a wonderful addition to that dream home!

Create your own garden spec!

Whilst gardening knowledge is of course important, you will also need plenty of spare time to dedicate to your garden.

If you are working full time, your days are already likely to be quite busy and the last thing you may want to do is spend your precious spare time pruning roses or deadheading flowers. Or, perhaps that is exactly what you’d like to do, in which case, go and find that big garden to landscape and care for to your heart’s content! Or, maybe you are recently retired and in search of new hobbies to keep you busy, in which case, gardening can be a lovely pass time and an opportunity to learn heaps of new things. But even in this case, it is rare that you’ll need acres and acres of land, even just one acre is a large plot of land that will keep you occupied.

A good idea to help you in this important decision could be to write a detailed garden spec, like you would for your house requirements, but in this one you would list what you’d like to have in your garden. If you already have a clear idea of what you want, then you’ll be able to envision this when you visit properties and make appropriate choices with your head rather than your heart!

A few key points to keep in mind when considering how much land you want:

•   If you want to buy a property with a lot of land, then make sure you have a valid reason for doing so such as you have animals, or you are adamant that you don’t want any close neighbours.
  
  
•   Living in a village with the social life this has to offer might mean opting for a smaller garden or maybe a terrace.
  
  
•   In a house with little or no garden you are still likely to have beautiful countryside easily accessible and where you can walk, picnic or relax.
  
  
•   Always keep in mind how much spare time you have to dedicate to gardening and how much of a green thumb you have!

Looking for your dream French property? Start your property search here.

Article written by Jessica Randell at Beaux Villages Immobilier for French Property News magazine. Published in in the July/August 2023 edition.