Property France, property in the Dordogne, moving to the Dordogne, investing in property in France, advice about living in the Dordogne

If you are thinking about buying a property in the Dordogne or anywhere in France, I am going to take you on a journey explaining all the pitfalls and the mistakes I have made before and since moving to France. Property in France and in particular the Dordogne has risen in recent years; so if you are considering moving to France; learn from my mistakes rather than making your own.

Start of article about property in the Dordogne France.

As explained earlier, I bought our first property in the Dordogne in France in 1989 as a present for my wife for having our third child. Previous rewards had been a cottage in Wales and a Toyota Spacecruiser. She had wanted a Mercedes Sports (which came later) but for a new young family, the Spacecruiser made more sense.

I drove down overnight, walked into a Dordogne estate agents, explained that I was a cash buyer looking to buy a property and didn't have a lot of time to spare. My brief was simple; I wanted a large farmhouse that was isolated and remote and cost no more than £30,000. (Bear in mind this was two decades ago before property prices in France started to rise). I was driven around looking at various, unsuitable properties for most of the day and when I thought I wouldn't find a suitable property that was for sale and within my price range I laid my eyes on the house we still live in.

We had parked on the top of hill and the house in question was nestling in a large deep valley amongst woods and sunflowers. "I'll buy that one." I said, to which the estate agent said "you haven't viewed it yet." I replied. "Well unless it is a complete ruin, I will buy it."

We drove down the steep lane and pulled up in front of the property. The grounds were overgrown with waist high grass and brambles and obviously neglected and had been uninhabited for some time. The property was immense and the estate agent explained that it had originally been an old Manoir (Manor) but the current owners had knocked most of it through to create barns. I pushed my way through the undergrowth and walked round the property to get a feel for the location. The setting was stunning but the property was in poor repair.

• Self-catering accommodation in the Dordogne
  
  
• Dordogne Estate agents
  
  
• Bed and breakfast accommodation in France
  
  
• Cheap car hire in France
  
  
• Property for sale in France
  
  
• Low cost ferries to France
  
  
• Cheap removals to France
  
  
• Furniture storage in the Dordogne
  
  
• Cheap Euro mortgages
  
  
• Discount airport parking
  
  
• Travel insurance
  
  
• Best currency exchange rates

OUR DORDOGNE PROPERTY

There were two additional barns that accompanied the property, ideal for development into Gites to help generate an income and finance the renovations I concluded but it was the setting I fell in love with. As Dordogne properties go, this one was not pretty. Some of it dated back to the 14th century but subsequent occupants had blocked doors and windows up and made new openings, on more than one occasion.

The living accommodation that remained was very sixties and cheaply done and only included a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom/toilet. Everything else had been destroyed in order to create space for sheep, cattle, hay and farming implements and machinery.

However, the building seemed solid and I concluded that if it had been standing for the best part of six hundred years, despite the ill repair, the property was unlikely to fall down for another few hundred years.

I made an offer on the spot which was accepted, was whisked round to the Notaire's, where I signed the Compromis de Vente; declined the offer to buy more land on the basis that I believed it would be a millstone to look after, was walked across the road to the bank where signed a mass of paperwork and deposited my funds and drove home that night.

• Buying property in France
  
  
• Moving to the Dordogne in France
  
  
• Buying property in the Dordogne
  
  
• Living in the Dordogne
  
  
• Investing in property in the Dordogne
  
  
• Setting up a Gites business

This might appear to have all been very simple, which in fact it was. I was a cash buyer, a decision maker, earned shed loads of money even by today's standards, the perfect client and as it turned out, a total twat.

Back then I walked on water; everything I touched turned to gold and I have to say my arrogance got the better of me. I had bought a huge property in the Dordogne for less than I could have purchased a flat in Brighton. It stood in five acres, had stunning views and fantastic potential for development; what could possibly go wrong? As it turned out, loads and my problems were just starting.

In those days, money burned a hole in my pocket and there was plenty more where it came from and time was money. The property had cost me £28,000 (280,000 Francs) plus about £4,000 in fees. I was keen to get home and surprise my wife with her gift for presenting me with our third child. (Not that anything I have ever done has ever surprised her). I had bought her a cottage in Wales near to where her sister lived for having our second child and the property in France was really because I didn't like Wales. We had looked at buying property in the Dordogne before but I had bowered to my wife's wishes to have a retreat close to her sister.

So on presenting her with the photos and ground plans of our latest property project all I got was a "That's nice darling; have you eaten?" which was pretty much what I expected, having driven down to the Dordogne overnight, spent a day driving around the Dordogne, purchased a property and driven back the next night. All done and dusted in 48 hours, I was pretty pleased with my achievement and also very hungry if not a little fatigued.

Events in my life were to lead me to move to the Dordogne and despite all our problems turn regret into a passion for buying property in France.