Semi-retiring to South-West France
Semi-retiring has become the trend amongst 55-64 year olds, with 9 out of 10 people who have already done this, saying they are “much happier,” according to the Sunday Times.
Many clients of this age moving to France at semi-retirement age decide to set up gîtes or B&Bs to allow them to work part-time in the run-up to full retirement. Juliette Bailey from the Beaux Villages Cénac office, talked to the Sunday Times last week about her experiences. She said “Many clients acknowledge they’re too young to take their feet completely off the gas and they need to generate some revenue and keep their minds and bodies active.” She adds “The Périgord Noir has always offered a rich source of touristic activity, and provides the revenue stream people are looking for, as well as the lifestyle they crave. They’re mostly looking for a main house with a rental opportunity, but I’m finding that this age group is increasingly innovative - bike hire/tours, caravan wintering, walks with alpacas are just a few of the ideas being developed.”
Jacqui Reddin-Williams from the Beaux Villages Jonzac office agrees, stating that about 70% of her buyers both British and French are in the semi-retirement category, mainly due to the fact that “you get a lot of house for your money in the area, and can get a property with income potential or a gite or two particularly to boost their UK pension.” In the South West France, renovation projects in the area start at around 60,000€. Jacqui adds that in her experience, “most of our semi-retired buyers are looking between 350,000€ and 600,000€, and this would buy them an elegant townhouse or renovated country home with land, pool, gite and outbuildings.”
The Sunday Times goes on to say that there are so many options now - “whether you fancy trying your hand at a new part-time career in France, switching between desks at your UK and French homes, or working fewer hours in the UK and spending your downtime in France” anything is possible. Take a look at the article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/7aa4d880-1023-11ee-83b4-bcf21a379e6a?shareToken=7e229386b7d17497310d8f499d38c81e
If you’re looking to semi-retire to France, why not get in touch to find out more. Whatever your budget or criteria, we would love to talk through your property plans. Contact us at info@beauxvillages.com
