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The French Senate has voted to relax the 90-day rule for owners of second homes in Britain, giving Francophile travelers and property buyers alike cause for hope.
However, whether the rules are relaxed or not, our nearest neighbor is still the choice for people who want an easy drive to their holiday home, as well as some of the most affordable places to buy.
In addition, as British house hunters find it difficult to secure a French mortgage on a property under €300,000, not to mention higher interest rates in both countries, agents report stronger demand for lower value homes from cash buyers than the “pressed core” market. .
The most searched locations on the Rightmove portal during October and November were Normandy, Dordogne, Brittany, Poitou-Charentes and Languedoc-Roussillion, all of which can offer great affordability.
Here’s proof that you don’t need to go deep into the French countryside to find beautiful village houses on a budget of around £100,000 (€115k).
Lower Normandy/Maynne
Accessible, affordable and with a wide range of properties to suit all tastes, Normandy remains a favorite with British buyers. This is also a great place to rent with tourist attractions such as the D-Day beaches, Bayeux and Mont-Saint-Michel Bay.
Avoid the expensive coastal locations and drive 40-60 minutes inland to the market town of Gorron and historic Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët – an area bordering the Mayenne department but close to the British capital of Rennes and the ferry port of St. Malo and Caen.
A small habitable village property or a larger rural conversion can still be had for less than €50,000 but be prepared to do some serious updating.
For €115,000 you can expect to get a two/three bedroom house with a garden. There is even one currently for sale with a lake in a small town near Gorron for €112,230 (via Cle France).
North Charente
Competing with the Dordogne for the most popular patch of south-west France among British residents, the Poitou-Charentes still offers good value for money, with the second best climate after the South of France.
The northern Charente, where it borders the Deux-Sevres department (another area worth exploring), is a great base for driving to the Atlantic coast and historic cities such as Angouleme, Niort, Saintes, La Rochelle and Cognac.
About four hours drive from the nearest ferry ports, it is also easily reached by four different airports.
Take Ruffec, a popular market town, surrounded by forests and fields of sunflowers and typical Charentaise honey-colored stone houses with sky-blue shutters.
You can get repairs for less than €80,000, but you’ll get between €95,000 and €105,000 or a two/three bedroom property with a garden close to a village, says James Rolt, regional sales director at Beaux Villages.
“While Ruffec has all the facilities you need, there is plenty to do in the area and walking, cycling and kayaking and stand-up boarding are popular,” he says.
The agent has a ready-to-renovate four-bedroom property for sale with a barn for €84,000.
Central Brittany
Taking up a third of the French coast, with rugged cliffs, bays and sandy beaches, Brittany is a sunnier version of Cornwall with properties at a fraction of the price.
This is particularly true of Central Brittany, which is a great base from which to explore the entire region and a typical budget of €115,000, says Lisa Greene, regional director of Leggett Immobilier.
But there are also lakes, and Greene suggests that Glomel, sitting between two lakes, is a good base, with shops, places to eat and water sports, and 10 minutes to the larger Rostrenen with supermarkets, a cinema and lots restaurants.
“On a sunny day, if you want the beach, you can be on the north or south coast in just over an hour.”
For less than £100,000 you can expect to get a two/three bedroom house with a bit left over for improvement. For sale through the agent for €67,500 is a two bedroom stone house with pretty blue shutters.
Haute-Vienne, Limousine
The Limousin region in south-central France is quite sparsely populated, but the key is to find more accessible parts – and many buyers are doing just that.
The beautiful medieval market town of Bellac is now a popular spot for bargain hunters with its artisan shops, restaurants and festivals.
TGV arrives from Paris within three hours, or 38 minutes to Limoges, where there are flights to the UK, or Poitiers.
Nearby are river walks along the Vincou River up to the Monts de Blond hills or boating on the Saint-Pardoux lake.
Chris Summers, property consultant at Beaux Villages, says: “Prices start at around €75,000 for a three-bed ready-to-move-in detached property around 15 minutes from Bellac, or you’ll pay €85,000 for a village property.”
The agent is selling a nice two bed cottage with barn for €96,000.
Pézenas, Occitanie
Without the cachet of the Cote d’Azur or Provence, a much smaller influx of wealthy international buyers has kept prices real in the Languedoc.
But it ticks the boxes for those looking for a holiday home that offers a “South of France” feel, with historic villages, easy access to the coast and Lac du Salagou, a huge lake with its own beaches.
“Using Pézenas as a base, you’re within an hour’s drive of whatever you need,” says Simon Kerridge, of Languedoc Property Finders.
“The Cap d’Agde area has around 14km of golden sandy beaches, including upmarket beach clubs, nature lovers can explore the Languedoc Regional Park, and there’s the buzz of the city of Montpellier.”
Béziers airport (30 minutes) is even closer than Montpellier. Mr Kerridge says €115,000 will buy you a flat in the historic town of Pézenas, or a larger house inland.
Among the prettiest villages around are Cazouls-d’Hérault, Caux, Tourbes, Nezignan-l’Eveque and Neffies.
A pretty renovated two-bedroom village house is currently for sale in medieval Puimisson for €99,000 (via French-property.com).
North Dordogne
The Dordogne is a much-loved stretch of south-west France but if you’re priced out of the fashionable area around Sarlat or Bergerac, look north for better value.
The towns and villages of the Perigord-Limousin regional natural park, which straddles two departments, traditional and essentially French – or free france,.
There is the beautiful town of Brantôme, canoeing on the Dronne, and it is all about 40 minutes from Limoges airport.
“The lifestyle is very rural, laid-back, with lots of outdoor living and peace and quiet,” says Helen Dawson, Beaux Villages agent.
“People come for the scenery, and Piégut-Pluviers is a good base: it’s famous for its ancient Wednesday market selling organic products but it’s also a very welcoming town with everything you need and many different nationalities in it live there.”
You will pay around €95,000 for a renovated two-bedroom village house with garden or €115,000 for a three-bedroom house near town.
Mazamet, Tarn
For dramatic southern French beauty, great outdoor recreation and the Unesco walled city of Carcassonne within easy reach, check out the area around the town of Mazamet, a former textile town where Napoleon’s uniforms were made.
At the foot of the Montagne Noire (Black Mountains) and surrounded by lakes, medieval villages and a few vineyards the area is a year-round playground for cyclists and nature lovers.
Foodies love the three weekly street markets in Mazamet – in summer there’s one where 200 people sit down to feast on local produce. Access is via Toulouse airport (90 minutes) but only three hours to go skiing in the Pyrenees or 2.5 hours to the Costa Brava.
“You can find a lot of cheap properties in the old warehouses of the town, even a maison de maître [double-fronted bourgeois house] at low prices,” says Sonja Marks-Terrey, of Leggett Immobilier.
The agent is selling a three-bedroom terraced house, which requires easy renovation for €89,000, or a four-bedroom house in need of updating is for sale for €109,000 (green-acres.com).
