Found - the classic French house

I think I have just seen a house which could legitimately be said to define the 'classic French house', something that many of my clients ask me to find for them. I still get excited during a search when I come across a property which I know at once matches exactly my client's brief and also their dream (not always one and the same.)

As soon as I turned up the drive to this house and glimpsed it ahead of me on the hill, I knew I had struck gold. Here was a picture-perfect house; the type that a child would draw with entrance in the middle, windows each side, blue shutters, a chimney and roses around the door (yes it did even have roses around the door) and perfect symmetry. Inside the house didn't disappoint either; it was packed full of original features including a large open fireplace, terracotta floor tiles, exposed beams, elegant staircase and original floor boards. Admittedly it was not luxurious by any means with dated decor and basic facilities but I know that most of my clients are happy to do internal decoration, bathrooms and kitchens to put their own stamp on a property.

Moreover, the house was set perfectly in the middle of its own land, completely private with views to the Pyrenees in the distance and yet it was within walking distance of the village.

This house ticks the boxes for so many of my clients and matches the brief exactly for this particular client. Which means it is likely to be many people's dream home and hence I am going to have to move fast on this one even though it is not yet officially on the market. Luckily my clients are due out next week to view the short-list of properties I have put together and, because I am in the fortunate position that I often hear about properties first, before they are officially for sale, we are at a great advantage here and I am confident that I will be able to secure them their dream home in France.

Sunshine and snow

November was one of my least favourite months when we lived in the UK but here, despite Autumn being well and truly upon us, we have just enjoyed lunch outside in the sunshine and now I am almost  too hot sitting at my desk with the sun blazing through the window. Even better, I can’t resist peaking out of the window every few minutes because over the weekend we had the first substantial snow fall on top of the mountains and they are now sparkling white against the blue sky. We have been here for eight years and yet I still find this sight quite magical.

Autumn colours and fresh snow

I am often asked what it is we like about living here and why we chose this region and I always struggle to answer that question as there are so many things and so many reasons but certainly waking up to the ever-changing view of the mountains is one of the most special aspects about living here – even though it wasn’t one of our criteria when searching for a property.

It is only in retrospect I realize that we probably fell for this house because of the mountain views and I am very thankful that we did. A view of the mountains is something that it is very hard to put a value on in property terms but, for me, it is priceless.