Buying Property in the Region

If you have visited and fallen in love with the area, you will possibly be considering buying a property here. You are not alone. Almost every visitor at some point finds themselves drawn by the estate agent windows, and spends some time reflecting on whether they could live here permanently or maintain a second home in the area.

The answer is yes on both counts! Contrary to what you will hear, the buying process is quite straightforward and most estate agents will be able to talk to you in English.

ADVERTISEMENT - click below to see a gite complex for sale in the region

Gite complex for sale

You can see some examples of houses for sale in Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne in the advert box on the right of this page. Click on any of the property details to see more information. The agent covers the whole area.

From time to time we hear of houses, barns, gite complexes etc for sale in the area. feel free to contact us with your details if you would like us to let you know if we know of anything currently available. We also have access to an agent with a list of some

If you are thinking or buying a property to renovate I suggest you take a look also at www.france-renovation.com

Your Requirements

Think carefully about your requirements.

Do you want a ruin to renovate, a building plot, a chateau, a gite complex, a small cottage and so on?
How much do you want to spend?
Do you want somewhere in a town/village, somewhere in the countryside, or somewhere very rural? There is a good reason why very rural properties are significantly cheaper, as you will discover when it takes you 30 minutes in the car to buy a loaf of bread.
Do you want lots of land with the property?
Do you need to be within 30 minutes of an airport?

Don't be tempted to buy somewhere huge simply because it is huge! Heating and maintenance costs will not be funny!

Make sure you see several properties, so you get a feel for the right price for a property.

Don't be tempted to buy somewhere 'in a rush' - if you have any doubts, don't go ahead - there are lots and lots of nice properties in the area. There IS somewhere else just as nice but without the geese farm down the road / building plot next door and so on.

Prices

Prices are broadly similar across the region. Eymet has the reputation of being very English; Monpazier can be very quiet in the winter when there are no tourists; Villereal and Castillones are more 'year-round' towns. Try and find the characteristics of your nearby town. Preferably visit outside peak summer. A rainy day in February is not the same as a sunny day in June. Several of the smaller, attractive villages have a high percentage of second-homes - if you are going to live there all year, you might find yourself in a ghost-town.

I have listed a couple of estate agents with websites below - there are others, sometimes more than one, in most of the towns and large villages.

Broadly I would expect to pay:

Ruin in poor state with planning permission: 30-70,000 euros
Small traditional house, garden, countryside, renovated: 120,000 - 170,000 euros
Traditional stone house, land, renovated: 250,000 - 500,000 euros
Group of semi-derelict buildings, land, for renovation to gites: 150,000 -250,000 euros
Up and running gite complex with track record: 500,000 euros+
Fine country house, chateau, etc etc: 500,000euros+++

You will pay less for a property that is more than a few kilometres from amenities, and less for a town house. It is the properties in the country but near a town that are the most sought after.

The Buying Process

If you are considering buying a property in the area, you should preferably contact one or two estate agents before coming to France to tell them your intentions, rather than just turn up on their doorstep. In France the estate agent will insist on showing you each property themselves, so they need to have set aside some time to do this.

The main difference with the English system is that binding contracts are entered into at an early stage of the process. The contract will then be binding unless a condition within the contract is not met - for example, if lead, asbestos or termites are found in the property. you can ask for additional conditions to be added.

This contract will be signed and witnessed at the notaires - you will not find yourself accidentally buying a property because you gave a friendly smile to the seller of the property.