The most popular places to buy property in France
< Back
Articles on France
Mark Twain was rather sniffy about it: “France has neither winter nor summer nor morals – apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country.” British owners of homes overseas do not agree with him. Almost 60 per cent of foreign buyers of French property are Brits, according to latest figures from the Notaires de France (the legal officials responsible for the conveyancing of all French property transactions). Moreover, the data shows that when it comes to buying property in France, we are surprisingly consistent in our tastes: five geographically close, rural, sparsely populated areas in the south-west are where we head for.
Want to buy a property in France in the same patch as your fellow countryman? Head for the Creuse (just over a quarter of UK buyers of French homes opted for this département, making it by far the most popular). In closely contended second and third place come the Charente (18.13 per cent) and the Dordogne (17.71 per cent), followed by the Haute-Vienne (15.02 per cent) and the Lot (13.48 per cent).
Although the five property hot spots in France are within striking distance of each other, they fall across three different regions and each has its own distinct style. If you want to know which area might suit you, read on. Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to rub shoulders with expats – well, you’ll know which places to avoid!
CREUSE
Département number: 23
Region: Limousin
Main towns: Guéret, Aubusson, Bourganeuf, Crozant
Nearest airports: Limoges
Population: 123,000 – and with only 22 inhabitants per square kilometre, there is certainly room to swing a cat.
Known for: the tapestry museum in Aubusson, sheep and cattle farming… er, that’s about it.
How much bang for your bucks? A budget of €165,000 will buy a two bedroom stone farmhouse with barn, 1.5 hectares of land and countryside views, while €200,000 says you’re the owner of a spacious, renovated house with character features, outbuildings and garden in the heart of a village – ideal as a family home. Zoë Holt of Holt Immobilier says: “Creuse is made up of lakes, forests, footpaths and grazing: it’s the essence of rural tranquility. Communities are small and widely dispersed – the largest town, Guéret, has a population of only just over 15,000 – and the crime rate is the lowest of all French departments. Most people live in small villages where their families have lived for generations, and housing is very affordable: average family houses in good order, with large gardens, are selling for around €140,000.”
CHARENTE
Département number: 16
Region: Poitou-Charentes
Main towns: Angoulême, Cognac, Confolens
Nearest airports: Poitiers, La Rochelle, Limoges – and Angoulême, from spring 2008
Population: 344,000 (58 inhabitants per square kilometre)
Known for: Cognac, golden stone buildings, a landscape reminiscent of parts of the UK, and the second highest number of sun-hours after the Côte d’Azur.
How much bang for your bucks? Charente offers good value for money. Near Angoulême, Leggett Immobilier is selling a two-bedroom character home, fully renovated and ready to go, for only €141,700; the same budget buys a cottage plus a period house to renovate and an acre of land on the Charente/Dordogne border. Double your money and you’re looking at an imposing 17th-century longhouse with three bedrooms, original features and heaps of living space, for sale at €275,000. Comments Leggett’s Jonathan Haynes: “The market is currently excellent for buyers as it has started correcting itself on the back of modest growth in 2005 and 2006; prices that were set high by owners are now being reduced, sometimes quite sharply, in order to sell.”
DORDOGNE
Département number: 24
Region: Aquitaine
Main towns: Périgueux, Bergerac, Sarlat-la-Canéda, Nontron
Nearest airports: Bergerac, Limoges, Bordeaux
Population: around 400,000 (and about 44 inhabitants per square kilometre)
Known for: Ducks, geese and foie gras. With 2.6 million visitors a year, Dordogne is France’s most popular inland region for tourism, and it is home to several official Most Beautiful Villages. It’s also the most popular target area for British migrants.
How much bang for your bucks? Antony Mair of MCM Dordogne Property observes: “The Dordogne's popularity has driven prices up in recent years. One source indicates a rise from €1,770 to €2,070 per square metre for a house in Périgueux in the 12 months following April 2006, so British buyers hoping to find a renovated property for less than £100,000 are likely to be disappointed.”
If your budget won’t stretch to Dordogne character home prices, consider buying a plot of land and building your own home. Cluttons Resorts are selling fully serviced plots of around 2,500 square metres in the countryside, near the world-famous wine village of Saint Emilion. Once completed, Le Clos des Charmes will be a secure community of 25 homes; plots are being sold for an average price of €150,000, with build costs estimated at around €300,000 for a 200 square metre house with terraces.
View property for sale in Dordogne
HAUTE-VIENNE
Département number: 87
Region: Limousin
Main towns: Limoges, Bellac, Rochechouart, Eymoutiers
Nearest airports: Limoges, Poitiers
Population: 364,000 (around 66 inhabitants per square kilometre)
Known for: Porcelain and a lush landscape (Limoges has more green space per head of population than any other major French city)
How much bang for your bucks? According to Alice Angle of St Leonard Immobilier, the area east of Limoges is becoming increasingly popular with British buyers, many of whom are seeking permanent rather than second homes. South-west of Limoges is a hot spot, due to its proximity to the A20 motorway, the airport, the city and the Dordogne border. Here, €150,000 to €200,000 will buy a two-bedroom farmhouse in reasonable condition, with outbuildings and land; at the other end of the scale, a well-renovated, large character property can command €400,000 to €500,000. It would seem that despite its low profile, in comparison with the over-exposed Dordogne, Haute-Vienne’s time is coming…
LOT
Département number: 46
Region: Midi-Pyrenees
Main towns: Cahors, Figeac, Gourdon
Nearest airports: Rodez, Bergerac, Toulouse
Population: 168,000 (32 inhabitants per square kilometre – so plenty of space for a few more Brits here)
Known for: Rocamadour (a spectacular medieval village built into the cliffs), Autoire and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (Most Beautiful Villages), and Cahors’ Pont Valentré (supposedly France’s most photographed monument). Like the Dordogne, Lot has a distinct anglophone presence (think pubs and cricket clubs), so for second home owners who want to keep in touch with Brit culture, it is an ideal choice.
How much bang for your bucks? With the average price per square metre hitting the €1,300 mark for character properties, house hunters will need a budget in excess of €100,000 to purchase a comfortable holiday home in habitable condition. Double your money and things start looking good: €199,000 secures a spacious, five-bedroom barn conversion with a large garden, 90 minutes from Rodez airport. For the brave, there are renovation projects: €210,600 is the asking price for an attractive stone mill with river frontage, near Brive-la-Gaillarde, but plan on paying double this amount plus some blood, sweat and tears. For lovers of new build, a brand-new detached four-bedroom house in a quiet countryside setting commands a price of around €320,000.
View property for sale in Lot.
Read our other articles about buying property in France:
as well as overseas property news stories affecting the property market in France, the Homes Overseas Guide to Buying Property in France or view our range of property for sale in France.
First published in Homes Overseas Magazine March 2008.
Some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published. Homes Overseas strongly advises you to seek current legal and financial advise from a qualified professional.
