Top Tips For Buyers

Diary Years

Here are our top tips on buying a holiday home in France.

1. Read All About It.

There are plenty of books and magazines available on the subject of buying and renovating a holiday home in France.

There are also French Property Exhibitions held annually in various part of the country and there are plenty of French agents with details of properties for sale.

There is even the odd web-site containing some friendly advice!

2. Decide what it is that you want.

Work through all the various factors to consider (see our Research page) and arrive at a clear picture of what it is you want.

Be realistic about distances, travel times and costs.

3. Decide on your budget and stick to it!

Only look at properties within your price range - which you have already decided upon as a result of steps 1 and 2 above.

Do not get carried away by the lovely chateau just up the road that is only a little bit more expensive.

Do not forget to budget for taxes and utility costs when you have bought your home.

4. Obtain estimates for any major renovation works before making an offer.

Unless you are buying a new or fully renovated property, the odds are that your holiday home will require some renovation.

Roof, floors, electrics, drainage and water/plumbing always cost more than you think!

Be clear about how much of the DIY you are willing to do, and capable of doing.

5. Check out the shops

Where will you have to go to buy bread, groceries, petrol and DIY supplies?

If you have chosen a rural setting it is a great help to have a good range of shops within, say, a ten-mile radius.

We forgot this point in our master checklist and only realised after buying our house that we were five miles away from a very pleasant small town with three supermarkets, a DIY store, a builders' merchants, a great bar, a good pizzeria and restaurant, a swimming pool, etc.

We were lucky. You may not be. Make a point of checking out the nearest town.