The Property Market in South West France in 2012

Fresh snow on the Pyrenees in time for Christmas

I have just been reading through the swathe of end-of-year reports from various estate agent groups, notaire’s associations and finance companies in order to get an overall picture of how the French property market has performed in 2012. They make interesting and confusing reading which pretty much sums up the property market in this part of France. Having started the year with low expectations of client numbers, I have in fact been hugely busy but there has been absolutely no pattern throughout 2012 either in types of buyer or the sort of property I have been asked to find. And budgets have also been right across the scale. So what is going on according to those in the know?

Well the latest figures published by the ‘Notaires de France’ show that prices have fallen nationally by 3% in 2012 although this figure hides some notable falls in certain areas and rises in others (prices around Toulouse have actually risen by 4.5%). Over the past year, FNAIM, the national association of French estate agents, reports that house prices have fallen by an average of 1.3%. There has also been a substantial fall in property sales with both Notaires and estate agents reporting a slump of around 20% in the volume of sales despite the record low mortgage rates, at around 3.3%. Much of this is to do with the banks who have introduced tougher lending criteria with the result that mortgage lending is down by around 30% in the past year, a record fall and this is keeping the market subdued. Those departments that have continued to show positive growth in house sales over the past four years are Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Indre, Savoie and Haut-Savoie.

In this region, there has certainly not been a noticeable drop in prices actually asked this year but I have noticed that sellers are being more realistic about accepting offers below their asking price and this seems to have revitalised the market here and kept things moving. This means that 2012 has been a buyers’ market which is ideal for my clients and I would guess that this will continue into next year. Village properties have also been very popular this year, perhaps because of the generally lower price range and properties needing total renovation are also in the frame again as are part renovated properties which are habitable though in need of some finishing, as long as the price is realistic and reflects the work to be done. In addition, demand for luxury and high end properties in good locations is also strong, thanks to a lack of domestic buyers which has opened up opportunities for British and international buyers to snap up desirable properties.

So how to sum up the property market in this region in 2012? Well, despite the continued uncertainty in the Euro-zone, France stays consistent in its appeal to foreign buyers and I can’t see that the wish to own a small part of this beautiful country changing any time soon. Certainly the lower risk factor of buying property here keeps buyers and investors interested and the very low mortgage rates, tight controls and the weakening Euro mean that French houses are still very good value. And while property in this region hasn’t been reduced to bargain basement prices, it generally remains well under UK averages with plenty of properties available within any budget.

So despite the widely varied reports on the market from different sectors of the industry, 2012 has been a relatively stable year for French property in my region. Sellers have become more realistic about the price they are likely to get and buyers seem to be more flexible in the kind of property they are looking for and the compromises they are prepared to make. This is keeping the market moving and property here has been a very good investment in 2012.

I don’t have a crystal ball and I hesitate to make any predictions for 2013; I don’t think anyone knows what is going to happen in the financial world and European crisis next year but I have every confidence that, for anyone who wants a beautiful French house in a stunning location combined with a fantastic quality of life and a lovely climate, this part of the Midi-Pyrenees is one of the better places in the world to spend money on property. But that’s not a prediction, just a personal viewpoint...!

I am taking a break over Christmas and the New Year and I shall be ‘un-connecting’ from every type of communication device! I wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year and look forward to unearthing some more dream properties in 2013.

House-hunting out of season

Autumn in the foothills - Betchat, Ariège

Traditionally late November is the start of the low-season in the property world; summer and autumn house hunters have usually found the home of their dreams or, if not, have decided to wait and try again in the New Year and somehow our thoughts turn to hibernation and home comforts rather than new horizons and starting over.

In this part of France however, late autumn and winter is a beautiful time of year with lots of sunshine during the day, followed by chilly evenings that provide the perfect excuse for hot chocolate in front of the fire. It is also an ideal time of the year to visit the region and discover it laid bare; no roses around the door, wisteria over the pergola and shimmering swimming pools to distract from the actual property and your list of must-have criteria which can all go out of the window on a perfect summer’s day.

The lovely thing about this area is that there are many thriving, all-year-round communities unlike so many places in France which literally shut up shop in the winter months. Before arriving here, we spent a winter living in an area that went into complete hibernation from November–March; every house was shuttered and abandoned, every restaurant closed and the few locals who remained barely ventured out. Hence it was a relief to find a region that does not rely just on summer trade and tourists, where people actually live and work all year long. Here of course we are only an hour from numerous ski resorts which means that the winter ski season is about to begin (it is beautiful weather down here but I am looking at fresh snow on the mountains). We are also only an hour from Toulouse which, like any city, has something going on at all times of year and whatever the weather.

The property market has been very busy here since the Spring and there are still a great selection of properties for sale at all budget levels, as well as some good deals to be had with sellers keen to accept an offer before Christmas so that they can move on in the New Year.

Finally, here is a list of the Top 20 property blogs which I discovered quite by accident – and as I am on the list (albeit at the very bottom!) I thought it would be a shame not to pass it on: Top 20 property blogs:

Toulouse, 'la ville en rose'

Central Toulouse with the Pyrenees in the distance

People choose this region for many and varied reasons but an oft cited one is the preference to be within striking distance of a vibrant and thriving city and Toulouse fits this bill perfectly.

Toulouse is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and the fourth largest city in France (after Paris, Marseille and Lyon). Toulouse has been a major success story since World War II and whilst much of the world is seeing stagnation and unemployment, companies in and around Toulouse are expanding fast. The city has attracted a vast range of investment from companies in the high tech sector, the aeronautical industry and the medical world, including public and private sector investment in the largest cancer hospital and research centre in Europe, the Toulouse Canceropole.

A young and vibrant city with a strong economy, Toulouse is an important centre for education with a world famous university and more students than any other provincial city in France. It also has a strong Latin vibe thanks to its close proximity to Spain which inspires its architecture and its temperament.

Also known as ‘la ville rose’ due to the predominant colour of the bricks, Toulouse is a major cultural centre, packed with museums, galleries and interesting architecture. This is a city that is a pleasure to visit; its transport system is exemplary, with a clean and efficient metro line and plenty of underground parking while much of the old centre has been given over to pedestrians and a popular bike hire system implemented. More and more of my clients are looking to be within an hour of this great city and it is easy to understand why.

It's never too late

I just met a lovely couple, both in their 70s, who wanted some advice about moving out to France and buying a property here. They have always dreamed of living in France for as long as they could remember and they had talked about it many times. But each time they seriously considered making the move, something seemed to happen that persuaded them to put if off for another year or two.

So here they are now 75 years old, determined to finally fulfil that dream. Their children are grown up with lives of their own and there really is nothing to stop them making the move – except fear. But they have now admitted that it was exactly this fear of the unknown which has prevented them taking the plunge year after year and they refuse to let this fear control their lives any longer; it is time to turn that dream into reality.

They have decided to embrace the unknown with all the adventures such a leap may involve. Bad things and good things happen wherever we live and whichever path we choose but allowing fear to dictate the course of our lives means that we will never experience the highs and thrills that come with embracing new and unexpected opportunities; “if you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same...”

OK so I tend to leap first and then look but this couple have filled me with optimism for whatever the future may hold because, as they have proved, it is clearly never too late to just leap, follow your dreams and take charge of your life so that you never end up regretting un-followed paths and wondering what could have been.

Heating your house for free

Eco-friendly, future-proofed house near Aurignac, south west France

A few years ago nobody was really interested in central heating systems when house hunting, especially not in southern France. The only question occasionally posed on viewings was whether a house had heating or not and whether it was actually necessary (yes). How things have changed – heating systems and energy efficiency is now recognized by sellers, buyers and governments as one of the major considerations and high on the list of criteria when viewing and buying property, even out here in sunny south west France.

Nowadays we are all looking for alternative ways to heat our houses that don’t involve increasingly expensive fossil fuels and finally we are all beginning to understand the importance of living a more ecologically friendly lifestyle. Worryingly, I am clearly getting old because I find myself now really quite fascinated by the various heating options that I am starting to see appear in many of the houses I view for clients and I have to admit to sometimes even getting a severe case of heating- system envy.

Old fashioned, stand alone oil or gas central heating systems are becoming rare; almost without exception (ruins excluded), most houses I view now have at least one wood burner and often a selection, usually with means of heating other rooms simultaneously. More and more houses also now have solar panels for hot water and increasingly for running low level heating systems, under-floor being the most usual. This makes so much sense in a region where we get a very high number of sunshine hours throughout the winter months and warm sunny days even in February but cold mornings and nights. And, more recently, I am seeing both geo-thermal and aero-thermal heating systems which appear to be fantastically efficient and cost effective, at least over the longer term.

Big properties clearly present the most difficult challenge when it comes to finding an affordable method of heating but are coming up with solutions which might well benefit us all in the future. In the last few months I have viewed three châteaux all with completely different heating-systems, each apparently effective and economical as well as ‘green’:

The first had a state of the art, wood-fuelled central heating system; effectively a huge wood-burner but on a much larger scale than usual (we are talking twice the size of a standard oil tank located in the outbuildings) connected to a huge boiler. The burner was filled with logs from the grounds once a week and then comfortably heated a 20 room Château.

The second was a large biomass boiler linked to a huge storage tank in the ground that was filled with all sorts of natural forest waste, branches, leaves, walnut shells, bark etc collected from the land around and belonging to the Château. A huge cork screw system ensured that there was a continual supply of fuel pushed through the system, controlled by a thermostat; hence heating this huge property to a really comfortable level all winter practically for free.

Thirdly, just last week, I viewed a huge manor house/château that had decided on the pellet burner option but on a far grander scale than I had seen before, with an enormous storage hopper for pellets in the adjoining barn that was filled a couple of times a year directly from a delivery lorry to fuel the heating system that was fed automatically by a pump, heating the house at a tenth of the cost of the previous gas system.

Of course, none of these options are cheap to install; each cost well over 30,000 Euros and all rely on an abundance of large outbuildings for boilers and hoppers and, in the case of the first and second property, land and trees to provide the fuel. But, as a long term, ecologically friendly and affordable way to stay warm, these systems all have a lot going for them and will undoubtedly become more refined, efficient and cheaper over time.

It again makes me realize how lucky we are to live in this region with its plentiful wood supply, year-round sunshine, an abundance of spring and mountain water available for hydro-electric systems and masses of available land for growing and providing natural fuel. More by luck than judgement, we live in an area where we have the resources to heat our houses sustainably and in harmony with the environment as long as we learn to innovate and make the most of and replace what nature has so kindly provided us with here. 

State of the art, wood-fired central heating system

Autumn is beach time in the Pyrenees

It’s that time of year again when everyone is back at work and school and hence the beaches, both Mediterranean and Atlantic are now empty. Which means that it is also the ideal time of year for a day at the seaside. The difficult thing living here is not just the decision which beach but, firstly, whether it will be Mediterranean or Atlantic beaches, both being almost equidistant, a bit over two hours and a very easy drive along almost empty motorways; I can never get over that - living somewhere that gives us the choice of not  just one but two oceans to visit.

The forecast promised much better conditions on the Atlantic when we looked the night before so it got the vote on this occasion. We always set off early to make the most of the day and arrive in time for coffee and Gateaux Basque in the sunshine at one of the many lovely cafes in St Jean de Luz before heading off to the sandy beach for a day of swimming, sandcastle building, cricket (just to keep the locals guessing) and people watching, all of course punctuated by a delicious seafood lunch. By the time we arrive home in the evening, it really feels as if we have had a mini-holiday and certainly recharged our batteries, ready for another (not so manic) week in the foothills of south west France.

Organic wine from the Ariège; delicious and good for you – santé

Philippe Babin

Most people have never heard of the Ariège – and that includes most French people – which means that very few people have ever tasted an Ariège wine despite the fact that the region now occupies the top spot for organic winegrowers in France, making up 25% of the total. However, the wines of the Ariège still tend to be ignored because the number of vineyards is minimal and the production is very low so it is actually very hard to get your hands on a bottle of wine from the Ariège. At the end of the 19^th century, there were 20,000 hectares of vines in the region but thanks initially to industrialisation and depopulation followed by Phyloxia and World War 1, the vines were gradually abandoned until by 1979, there were just 2000 hectares of vines under cultivation and today there are fewer than 100 winemakers in the region.

We were recently lucky enough to meet the charming Philippe Babin, one of the best-known organic wine producers in France, who produces the delicious Côteaux d’Engraviès. His vineyard is situated in little village of Vira to the east of Foix in a beautiful pocket of rolling hills tucked below the higher peaks of the Pyrenees. He started growing vines in 1998 on land which had never been treated with chemicals and thus was able to secure a subsidy to grow and produce organic wine. He took us on a fascinating tour of his vineyards and is an eloquent and entertaining host, clearly with huge passion for his wine and immense knowledge which he is happy to share. He insists that it is perfectly feasible to produce delicious wine organically and argues that it is only by growing without chemicals, that it is possible to get the true flavour of the grapes and the ‘terroir’; that all important hidden ingredient in every wine – the flavour provided by the land and position on which the grapes are grown. He also points out that the Ariège is a magical area for wine because it sits on the climatic cusp between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, with influences from both as well as from the mountains and thus he is able to use both traditionally Mediterranean grape varieties and traditionally colder climate varieties from the Atlantic region to create a truly special and unusual wine.

Philippe makes just three wines and I can confirm (after some serious tasting both in situ and since) that they are all delicious. If you are lucky, you might be able to buy his wine from his website but it is very much first come, first served because demand for Côteaux d’Engravies now outstrips supply. Even better, pay him a visit. Here’s the link: http://www.coteauxdengravies.com/index.php?store=18&erase_records=1 

The reality behind the photos

I thought this photo perfectly illustrated one of the many reasons why it pays to use a property finder out here, especially if you don’t have the time or money to make endless trips to France to view properties which look perfect in the photos but then turn out to be very disappointing in reality.

Of course, I am sure that there are plenty of people who wouldn’t mind living under a high voltage power line – I have even seen new houses built right underneath so that you can hear the hum of the electricity passing overhead. Others may be happy to have a huge pylon as a feature in the middle of their garden. But I know from experience that the majority of people moving to France are looking for a better quality of life and a healthier lifestyle and there is no way that I would ever recommend a house in this particular type of ‘hot-spot’ for any of my clients.

Hence the 90 minute round trip to view this property was a complete waste of time. But at least it was my time, not my clients’ and this is, after all, my job. Although these wasted viewings are very frustrating they are a large part of the search; the process of sorting the wheat from the chaff and making sure that I have seen every apparently suitable house for sale before drawing up a short-list of the very best properties on the market that match budget and brief. It is a time-consuming and frustrating process but also immensely satisfying when I know that I have found the ‘one’. 

How much is a French property really worth

I am sure I am not the only one drawn to Estate Agent’s windows whenever I visit a new country or region; of course houses are my business so perhaps I have more interest than most but I think many of us are fascinated to see the different sorts of property for sale in other places and the prices that are being asked. This is of course why estate agents put their most photogenic and seemingly best value properties in their windows - a sort of juicy worm to hook people in. But I know by experience how very misleading such properties and prices can be – it is the same on the internet with beautiful shots of tightly cropped and apparently very cheap houses for sale giving the impression that property in France is as cheap as chips. Well property in this region is certainly very good value but I think that many people window shopping for houses this summer are likely to be disappointed if they are thinking that they will be able to pick up something for almost nothing and, if it looks too good to be true, more often than not, it will be.

Although it has now become a buyer's market in France, there is as yet no general agreement that the reduction in the level of sales will be accompanied by any major collapse in prices and the general strength of the market over the past two years has surprised many analysts.

The difficulty for buyers in France right now is of course is how much a property is really worth and how much they should offer? It is usually said that a property is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for it but it is human nature to want to get the best possible deal. The difficulty is working out what the best possible deal actually is and what the ‘right price’ should be? Is a house in the middle of nowhere worth more than a house in the middle of a village or vice versa? And is it better to buy a rundown property and spend money on improving it or buy one at a higher price where someone else has done the work? Is an old house worth more than a new? How much value does access to big towns and good transport links add to a house? And, in this region particularly, how much more does a view of the mountains add to the price of a property?

Although I have a good feel for what price a house should be in my region, I do still always look at four basic things when calculating if the house is correctly priced and deciding at what level to start the negotiations for my clients:

Firstly it makes sense to get an idea of what other similar properties are for sale in the vicinity and at what price. If the property is far more expensive than anything similar in the area then it has probably been priced at that level by the owners who think that is what it is worth rather than an estate agent or Notaire who will have a better idea of the real value. You need to be particularly wary of private sales for this reason and do your research well.

Secondly it helps to find out how long the property has been on the market as this will allow you to judge whether or not a lower offer seems plausible. A low offer on a property that’s only been on the market a few weeks is less likely to be accepted than an offer on a property that has been on the market for a year.

Thirdly it is very useful to find out whether there have been any price reductions. If a property has been recently reduced in price then it is unlikely that the owners will drop the price a lot further. Again, do your homework and find out if offers have been made in the past and, if so, what level were they at if you can – although this information can of course be difficult to get hold of.

Fourthly, it is always useful, if at all possible, to find out the personal circumstances of the seller and whether there is any urgency to sell. To find out the truth however is not always easy and usually takes a great deal of detective work.

A lot of people think that the current economic crisis in Europe means that French property prices are free falling. This just isn’t true. Whilst there are fewer properties being sold, there are also fewer properties for sale and prices are remaining stable. So by all means make an offer but be realistic or you are likely to be disappointed and tread carefully before making a lowball offer; the French tend not to take kindly to low offers and can feel insulted, meaning that chances of further negotiation are slim.

Dare I say that, of course, the very best way of ensuring that you are only paying what a property is worth and not a penny more is of course to employ a property finder...

Oh and a final word on all the scaremongering in the press about increased taxes on second home owners in France. For a start these are all still proposals but should they become law, they will have little or no effect on the vast majority. First rental tax only applies if you let your house commercially and the majority of second home owners don’t – they simply accept contributions from guests. Secondly UK tax payers are already liable to UK CGT on foreign property and tax paid in France is in any case off-settable against any UK liability and that will remain the case.

Up and Over to Barcelona

The longer we live in this privileged location, the more I realize how lucky we are to be in reach of so much.  Both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coasts are an easy day-trip; skiing at a choice of resorts is just an hour away; fabulous walking, cycling, kayaking and just about every sport is on the doorstep; we are also just an hour away from the lovely city of Toulouse and, for a weekend of a very different city culture, Barcelona is just a 3 ¾ hour drive, up and over the mountains from us.

Hence we have just come back from a perfect weekend in one of my favourite cities where it is equally possible to visit fantastic museums and exhibitions, eat some of the best food and drink some of the best wine in the world and spend time on the beach or just wandering the maze of historic streets and enjoying the very Spanish architecture.

We left home on Friday afternoon and set off over the mountains for what must be one of the most stunning cross-border drives, winding up the green French valleys and over the Pyrenees down into the plains of Spain. Just four hours after leaving, we were enjoying a chilled cava and seafood tapas watching the sun go down over the yachts, illuminating the city and hills behind. Barcelona really comes alive in the evenings and at weekends and you can’t help to relax and enjoy the party mood. People were incredibly friendly, service excellent and, of course, the weather was perfect, the cooling breezes from the sea keeping the temperature at a very comfortable level. We saw lots, visited lots, walked lots, talked lots and ate and drank lots; perfect.

The drive home was equally stunning; it is always a great feeling to leave the baked Spanish plains and come back over the mountains back to our unspoiled and very beautiful little corner of France, having had our fill of Catalan culture, a country so close and yet so different. After just two days away, we arrived home feeling as if we had been on holiday and hugely appreciative yet again that we discovered this very special location with so much so close.

Anyone for tennis?

The French Open (or Roland Garros as it is known in France) is over and Wimbledon is about to start which seems the perfect time to take a look at the differences between the game of tennis in both countries. And now that I am the chauffeur of a budding tennis champion here in France, I am beginning to understand why tennis is such a popular and thriving activity in this part of the world, far more so than I remember it being in the UK where it only seems to capture the collective imagination for those two famous weeks in June.

Tennis seems to be a completely different sport here in France than it is in England. Well obviously the hitting the ball back and forth over a net is the same but that’s pretty much it, in terms of similarities. In the UK I would suggest that tennis is an elite sport whereas in France it is an activity open to anyone and everyone. Even the smallest village seems to have at least one tennis court and the bigger towns often have a selection of clay and hard courts as well as one or two covered courts.

Membership of a tennis club here costs practically nothing and the price of lessons (for children at least) is also minimal. Tennis whites are rarely seen and the plumber and doctor play happily with or against the Notaire and postie. Class, status or occupation are completely irrelevant, the only thing that matters is technique and winning; make no mistake, the French are extremely competitive and play to win – another obvious difference to their English counterparts (I’m asking for trouble here I know!)

The advantage of all this for French tennis of course is that the talent net is spread wide and so every budding champion is spotted young and gets the chance to practice locally – after all, even the best players will get nowhere without the opportunity to practice...and practice.  And of course they need to play matches, compete, win and lose which is another great strength of the French system. Even the youngest players are ranked and this continues throughout their tennis career so everywhere they go, they can play against similar ranked players and they improve their rankings through competing and winning. Believe me, to a teenage boy, this competitive spirit is hugely important in motivating them to train and win and hugely satisfying that they have the chance to reach their potential.

For anyone moving to France or looking to spend time out here, tennis is also a fantastic way of integrating into the local community. Because every club is open to all, you simply need to go along, sign up and add your name to the ladder and you will soon get the opportunity to play. And if you start joining in competitions you will get your ranking which means that wherever you travel in France, you can turn up and offer to play someone of similar ranking (or lower obviously if you like to win!) In fact any type of sport is a very levelling and inclusive and certainly one of the easiest and best ways to become part of a community here.

Having said all that, my money isn’t on a French win at Wimbledon any more than it is on an English one but what is important, I think, is that at least everyone should have the chance to learn and play if they want to, wherever they are from and whoever they are.

The work/life balance in France

Much as I absolutely appreciate the luxury of modern technology which allows me to work in this beautiful and rural part of France and still be connected to the rest of the world, I do somehow still hanker after that simpler way of life which for many is only a distant memory but which, here in the foothills, is still very much in evidence - as you can see in this photo of my neighbours getting around as they always do; husband at the wheel, wife precariously balanced on the back. Such style!

Luxury is all relative - at least she doesn't have to walk up the hill anymore!

Perhaps it is the pace of modern life that is drawing more and more of us to France and the French lifestyle where the simpler things in life still matter. Hence everything still stops for lunch – at least in this part of France – and families still make time to eat a meal together around the table at least once a day and often more. The market is still the main source of everyday foodstuffs, fresh bread every day is vital (bakeries are the only places that open on Sunday and Bank Holiday mornings) and business is still best done face-to-face in your local town. Being in a rush here is almost an admission of failure and can be used as an insult if you were to suggest that someone is perhaps pushing in front of you in a queue because he is pressé.

I am by no means suggesting that everything in France is perfect; we all know that everywhere has its bad aspects as well as good. Nor am I suggesting that I really want to be transported around on the back of my husband’s tractor! I am certainly guilty of getting the balance wrong much of the time and working too many hours at the expense of leisure and family time and then beating myself up about it just like everyone else. However living here is a good antidote to this – I just have to drive up my hill and see my neighbours sitting on the bench putting the world to rights with all the time in the world and it puts me straight back on track as to what is really important in life.

If I lived in London I would be so carried away by the rush and stress that I know I would never take an afternoon off to walk in the mountains, plant my tomatoes, picnic by the river or go cycling with the children. I think it is living in France that has saved me and kept me sane and has taught me that there is lot to be said for the traditional way of life - despite how incongruous it might look in this very modern world. I certainly have never seen two more smiley and contented people than my neighbours pictured here so they are certainly doing something right!

Good question...

This is an article recently published in the Telegraph which attempts to answer something I am asked very frequently:

The first question we are often asked when people discover we live in France is why did we move, lock stock and barrel with three young children to a place practically nobody has heard of? It is an obvious question and most people are probably expecting an interesting answer, but usually the best we can come up with is: "Too much red wine one Saturday evening."

Perhaps that's a bit trite but our move here certainly wasn't particularly well considered or well researched. It was really just one of those ideas that we had vaguely discussed for many years.

It wasn't that we weren't quite happy where we were in Dorset; in fact, we were incredibly content but we just felt that we were perhaps slipping too easily into a comfort zone from which we would never dare move. We had a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle, good friends and beautiful rolling countryside all around us.

Our neighbour was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who had just installed himself in River Cottage and was about to launch his television career on the back of living the good life, the life we were already living. So what possessed us to give it all up?

Maybe we just felt that it was all too narrow, all too predictable. Suddenly we could see the next 20 years mapped ahead of us. Discussion about "which school" had been going on at dinner parties since the children had been in nappies and the house-price discussion was part of every conversation. It wasn't that we wanted to escape, nor that we wanted something more, rather that we wanted to challenge ourselves, get out of that comfort zone and feel alive again.

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We were lucky: our children were still young enough to adapt to pretty much anything we could throw at them and we both had jobs that we could continue from anywhere in Europe.

I would like to say that we then did copious research before we decided where in France to stick our pin – but I would be lying. We actually put our house on the market, accepted an offer, put most of our belongings in storage, packed two cars with our suitcases, the children and our long-suffering black Labrador and headed off in convoy to the ferry for a new life in France.

That was nine years ago and we are still here in our beautiful, hidden corner of South West France, the Ariège, where only the most intrepid fellow Brits dare tread. Well, I might be exaggerating somewhat, but it certainly feels like La France profonde here, tucked away, hidden and unspoilt, with open mountain valleys, rivers and soaring mountain peaks as our daily backdrop and not too many Brits taking The Telegraph with their morning crème.

In the respect that we are living a country lifestyle, our life here is not that different from Dorset but the fact that we are doing it all in another language and culture makes every day an interesting challenge that makes us feel alive again. There are no discussions about house prices and school fees here; it is rare for anyone to even ask us about work. The stereotype of good living and emphasis on food is right – people here are more interested in how you are going to cook your mushrooms for your supper and what wine you will choose to go with them.

But the French also love debate. Discussions about the important issues of the day and on all levels of politics are the norm – everyone has an opinion and there is definitely a feeling that people want and expect to be involved in the running of their community and country.

And that for us is one of the many reasons we love living here. Our French friends and neighbours have different backgrounds and different ideas but what is also very evident to us is that people here have their priorities right. I believe the quality of life here is better in general than in the UK; the schools, the health care, the food and wine and the community spirit are all fantastic. There is practically no crime (except terrible driving); our children are bilingual; and then there's the climate. We spend most of our time outdoors, we cycle along the valleys, swim in the clear rivers and have easy access to the mountains for walking and skiing. We shop for fantastic fresh produce in markets, eat outside half the year, and we are surrounded by fabulous views.

Of course not everyone can just up sticks and move to France; we know that we are lucky. My husband is a pilot and commutes to Heathrow and I have for many years worked freelance in marketing and PR and as a copywriter.

Three years ago I set up my own fully registered property-finding company here in France so that I can combine my professional skills with my personal experience of finding and renovating old properties and living and working abroad to help others make the move. I work for private clients, with the aim of finding them their dream home but, unlike many similar property search agents in the UK, I work with all budgets from €30,000 upwards.

Agents here are really behind the times; many don't have websites and those who do rarely update them. French estate agents also work differently from English estate agents and are not interested in taking your details to tell you of suitable properties as they come on the market.

They expect you to visit them and then will show you what they have available on their books at that time: a very frustrating and time-consuming business. Here the agent's details contain only the most basic facts, so it is impossible to tell what a house is really like – let alone whether it's near a noisy road, dog kennels or rubbish dump.

So I do all the time-consuming initial trawling thorough property details, then visit all possibilities before drawing up a short list of houses that meet my clients' needs exactly, complete with photographs and in-depth description so that they do not waste time and money viewing unsuitable properties.

Of course there are things that I miss about living in England and there are aspects of living in France that drive me mad (yes, the paperwork thing is true) but it has been a fantastic experience and I would encourage anyone to try living in another country and culture if just for a short time.

If there is one thing we have given to our children (now numbering four!) by bringing them out here, it is freedom and space to be who they want to be as well as tolerance, self-confidence and adaptability to take whatever life throws at them and do something with it.

Nadia's company is at foothillsoffrance.com.

This article was originally published in the Telegraph Weekly World Edition.

La Vie du Château

La Vie du Château is a dream that many people still have when they start the house hunting process in France and ‘how much for a Château’ is a question I am often asked. There is definitely still a perception that it is possible to buy a French Château for next to nothing so I often have to disappoint people by telling them that, in this region at least, a decent small Château starts from around 800,000 Euros.

That is not to say that I can’t find you one for less; in fact I have recently viewed a pretty Château for a client, on the market for just over 600,000 Euros and another of even more ancient origins (Knights Templar allegedly) at around the same price. I think I could probably secure either for not much over the 500,000 Euros mark. But – and there is always a ‘but’ – both need money spending on them. The former is structurally in very good condition with a new roof, windows and state of the art wood-fired central heating system and has already had a few hundred thousand spent on it. Inside however, it is a different story with a fair bit more investment needed to restructure and re-fit it to make it comfortable and more appropriate for modern day life. The second is structurally sound but also need re-organization of the interior plus has very little land – the majority having already been sold off to pay for its upkeep which is another familiar story.

The advantage of both of these Châteaux however is that neither are money-pits as is the case with so many of these historic properties and I do try to steer my clients away from any property that is going to need continual, on-going substantial investment; unless they have the same to spend on the property as they have to buy it and a very good, long-term source of funding. The last thing I want is for my clients to buy their very own albatross when there are so many lovely, character French houses available which will be a good investment and a pleasure to own rather than a drain on finances and energy. The properties which work best for modern-day living are the Châteaux and manor houses which are small enough to feel like comfortable homes but large enough to have the high-ceilings and feeling of historic grandeur.

We are lucky in this area; there are some very beautiful Châteaux and manor houses here (of a much more manageable size than, for example, the grand Châteaux of the Loire) which can make excellent homes. The Gers region has apparently the highest concentration of Châteaux in France, the majority of which are tucked away out of sight and many of which, when for sale, never reach the open market so finding them is far from easy. But that is of course where I come in...

Let them vote – the race to the Palace

The Foothills of the Pyrenees this week in the Spring sunshine

The French do not believe in simplifying anything more than necessary, particularly when it comes to any official process; bureaucracy – and one’s ability to deal with it – being the basis of the French class system (not that the French like to admit to a class system.) 

Hence, the French presidential election process is complex and full of rules and regulations; even to get on the ballot, candidates need signatures of 500 elected officials. Once this has been achieved, there is not just one round of voting but two. For 2012 the official candidates are Eva Joly, Marine Le Pen, Nicolas Sarkozy, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Philippe Poutou, Nathalie Arthaud, Jacques Cheminade, François Bayrou, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and François Hollande. The most notable name missing is Dominique de Villepin, who didn’t achieve the necessary 500 signatures. The first round of the election is April 22nd, with the second on May 6th. At the moment, Hollande is leading the race with Sarkozy a close second.

During the first part of the official campaign period - March 20th to April 9th - candidates have to be given the same amount of coverage on television and radio. This sounds fair but in reality what actually happens is that for some of the lesser known candidates, media channels run repeats of interviews or rallies late at night or early in the morning to ensure that the rules are met. However, from April 9th to 20th all candidates also have to be given the same type of air time; in other words if one candidate is interviewed on the evening news, then all the other candidates have to be interviewed for the same duration and at the same time.

The recovery of the French economy seems to be the main concern of this 2012 campaign although security and immigration are also a big focus. The property market in general remains an important topic mainly focusing on public housing and low energy-consumption buildings, whose number should be – according to all candidates – dramatically increased.

Although the loss of France’s triple A rating in January didn’t seem to have an effect at all on the property market, usually a forthcoming presidential causes a slight decrease in property sales and in the number of new properties coming onto the market. So far this time however, the market seems to have generally ignored the elections and property sales are strong, perhaps because France seems to be a much safer bet than most of its neighbours during the current economic crisis. Plus of course the interest rates here have remained low and stable and no candidate has proposed any drastic change in estate laws.

Whatever the outcome of the election– which I certainly would not dare to predict – it seems safe to say that French property remains as good an investment as ever and the country still offers the best available mortgage rates in Europe. Most importantly, here in this lovely part of South West France, much as everyone loves discussing politics, what really matters is family, friends, good food and good wine and enjoying life each day as it comes. Whoever wins the election and even if Europe goes into complete financial meltdown, I don’t really think much will change here.

It's all in the detail

This is a bit of a méli-mélo or hotchpotch of a blog today because I have one snippet of information that is fascinating but useless and another which is boring but highly useful! So with which to start?

Let’s get changes to french inheritance law out of the way first which will have an important affect on Britons and non-French EU nationals. Previously (and thanks to Napoleon), everyone owning property in France was subject to France’s inheritance laws which meant that, on the death of one spouse, their half of the property was automatically passed to their children rather than to the surviving spouse. This rule was introduced to prevent children being disinherited by their parents and although the surviving spouse was allowed to continue to live in the property, he or she did not fully own it and could not sell it without agreement of the children and giving them half of the proceeds.

While this is still the case for French citizens, the European parliament has now passed a regulation which allows expats in France to dictate in a will that they want the law of the state of their nationality to apply to their estate and not French inheritance law. This, in effect, means Britons in particular can leave their estate to whoever they wish and not be bound by France’s strict inheritance rules as at present, which is great news for my clients as it takes away one of the last complications of buying property in France.

So onto something far less useful but a little more interesting: Did you know that Beethoven used to keep 60 coffee beans on his desk. Why 60? Well apparently 60 is the magical number of beans that it takes to make 7 grams of coffee - which in turn will give you the perfect shot of coffee. Of course the exact formula of coffee beans make the difference, the degree of roasting and no doubt the side of the bush that they were picked from. I have never had much time for bean counters but a cup of coffee is far more important than the bottom line (I hope my accountant isn’t reading this) and this is one theory I am certainly looking forward to trying out.

Give me my daily café and croissant

The smiliest bakers in the Midi-Pyrenees in Salies du Salat

If I had a Euro for every time someone has explained to me that what they would really like is a house on the edge of a village or small town, within walking distance of a boulangerie and café, I would be able to retire. I keep thinking that I should be setting up a chain of boulangeries with attached cafés all over South West France, as there is clearly a huge demand.

This is part of the dream of living in France for many of us; the morning stroll for coffee and croissants in the sunshine. France, like everywhere, has lost many small, family run businesses that did indeed used to provide exactly this service in practically every village in the country; all down to changing lifestyles, more families where both partners work away from where they live and lack of customers thanks to the ease of just popping into a supermarket on the way home from work to stock up on just about everything.

Luckily, however, in this part of France at least, it is still possible to find small towns and villages that do still have some kind of amenities - so here you can live that dream. And things have also adapted; the local boulangeries have realized that, if their clients don’t have time to come to them, they must go to their clients. So there is now, just about everywhere, a boulangerie on wheels; a van that drives around to even the remotest hamlets delivering bread at a set time most days of the week. This is why, when you are passing through villages here, you will often seen a bag or basket hanging on a gatepost or left on a front step – this means that the owner is out at work and requires the daily bread delivery. It is a very similar system to the milkman in the UK but, in France, bread is king and the French cannot survive without a fresh baguette (or two) every day.

Hence, on my searches, uppermost in my mind is always how far my clients are going to have to travel for their daily bread, croissants and local café (they say once you have found your café, you have found your home) and the closer the better. There is a lot to be said for living in a village community where you get to meet your neighbours everyday in the bakery and also a huge advantage in being able to walk to get basic supplies. This is why places such as Aurignac, Castelnau Magnoac, St Lizier, Salies du Salat, Bagnères de Luchon, Aspet, Arbas, Castillon, Cassagnabere, Betchat, Monleon Magnoac and many others, nearly always make it to the short-list for my clients; location really is vital. And I am very pleased to say that one of my favourite villages has just announced the opening of a new village bakery/shop. This makes me think that perhaps, with the ever-increasing cost of driving and the rising number of people working from home, perhaps the tide is turning and that we are about to see the rise and rise of the village bakery, store and, of course café. I really hope that is the case.

In the meantime, I will continue to ensure that my clients are as close as possible to a place where they can enjoy a coffee, croissant and chat; spending time in the local café and boulangerie is, after all, the first and probably most important step to integrating into the local community here in the Midi-Pyrenees.