I love to spend time searching on the internet for bargain properties in France. I can’t help it! There are some amazing houses at great value prices just waiting for someone to come along and fall in love with them and live the dream!
Years ago I watched a TV programme called Grand Designs and it featured a couple called Demi and Doug. They saw a house on the internet, a miniature chateau, and bought it without even visiting it. Call me crazy, but I can totally identify with that. I bought my French farmhouse 15 minutes after I first saw it – and I was supposed to be buying wine! And yes it was an absolute bargain, it cost less than a Hermes Birkin handbag!
As happy as I am here – I still look at other houses, in fact I’m seriously looking for a place in the sun at the moment as I’m in the far north where the weather is much like the UK and a little bit of sun would be nice. But, I have a teeny tiny budget so bargain hunting – here I come!
Now I love to share, so here are the three properties I’ve totally fallen in love with this week – all of them under €50k! I never thought I could afford Provence but I found a bijou studio for less than £45,000 (US$60,000). I also fell for a lovely house in Normandy in Orne which is renowned for its gorgeous landscapes. And, finally a little beauty in Brittany in the heart of a bustling little village…
An absolute bargain in Provence
In the picturesque village of Quinson on the banks of the Verdon, near the gorgeous Verdon Gorge and the lavender fields, this is a Provence property that’s going to be snapped up!
It’s very bijou, but would make a great holiday base for a couple. A ground floor studio apartment with the obligatory Provencal blue shutters! The village has all the amenities you need from restaurants to bars and shops and even a museum. At a just reduced price of €50,000, If I didn’t have 3 dogs and 6 cats to take with me – this would have my name all over it!
Details: www.frenchestateagents.com/quinson
Picture perfect Plumieux – a Brittany bargain
This large village house has loads of potential with 4 bedrooms and room for more! It definitely needs modernising but has heaps going for it including new windows, shutters and a good roof. The village has shops, bars, restaurants and a weekly market. It’s just 15 minutes for the popular tourist town, medieval Josselin. It comes with a garage, and a plot of land and a small courtyard garden next to a river. At just $46,000 this will definitely float your boat!
Details: www.frenchestateagents.com/plumieux
Normandy beckons?
This lovely town house on the edge of Perche National Park in Orne is in a really pretty village. Spacious, light and airy with 3 bedrooms, the house undoubtedly needs modernising but at £44,500 it is a real bargain. It doesn’t have a garden but it’s on the edge of a forest and with a Chateau as your neighbour, it’s a really charming possibility. With my animals, a garden is a must but for someone who doesn’t want the upkeep of an outdoor space – this is ideal.
Details: www.frenchestateagents.com/french-property-for-sale/orne
