Hi! We%26#39;re considering moving to the dordogne in 12-18 months time and are trying to decide which is the best area to move to. We would like to be in the countryside, but relatively near to a small town (like we are here in the UK). A lot of people have said that we will be plagued by mosquitoes, but I guess that would be nearer to the rivers/Lakes??
We are going to be taking early retirement (my partner will be approx 53 when we move) and we are trying to decide whether to invest what money we have left from our house purchase and live off the interest, or alternatively buy some gites. We realise that the gites will entail a certain degree of commitment and that it won%26#39;t all be plain sailing. I just wondered if anybody has had to make a similar choice and could let us know what decision they came to and why - and also how it has worked out for them.
Also, is it best to buy a refurbished property or a property that is cheaper but requires renovating. We%26#39;re not particularly into DIY so would be needing to hire people to do the work.
To complicate things we also have a 16 year old son who wants to finish his A levels before moving over with us for a gap year initially, but with a view to staying there if he likes it. Would he find it easy getting work? Is it easy to build up friendships - for example, sports clubs etc.
I hope this isn%26#39;t too much of a ramble - but I have so many questions! We have been considering this move for a long time now, and have come to the conclusion that if we keep putting it off because we can%26#39;t be certain how it will work out, we%26#39;ll never do it. You have to take risks in life I guess.
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Unless your son speaks fluent French he can%26#39;t do his education in France, or do much work outside any family business you start. Even quite small villages will have a few sports clubs, so friendships will come with time.
If you want to renovate somewhere it%26#39;s better to be an enthusiast to be able to do plenty of work yourself and save some money. Whatever make sure you have a very good survey. Remember that running a business is a lot of work and incompatable with retirement. If you want to swap jobs go for it, if you want to stop work don%26#39;t.
The big question is whether to move and you should only do it if you want to. If you do want to you won%26#39;t need to ask anyone else. To find out if you want to you could try renting a house for a few months (during the winter) to see how much life there suits you.
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We purchased a house in Sarlat nearly 2 years ago and had to rennovate the entire interior of the house. It is not an easy task as we too were not DIY people. We engaged local workmen (some of whom spoke English) to redo the plumbing throughout the entire house, replace the all the windows and doors. It was a hard process as we had to do a lot of the communication from Australia.
Fortunately my brother-in-law was able to do alot of the work and he was able to team up with tradesmen from England who had re-settled in the area. We were able to rewire the house and re-plaster all the walls (and not feel like we had been ripped off) and even added 2 bedrooms and a bathroom in the attic.
18 months later and we have spent 50% the original cost of the house. It has been worth it though as Sarlat is a jewel in the Dordogne crown. The house is now renting this year so it has been a great achievement I think and shows what can be done in a short time.
I can%26#39;t say I have seen mosquitoes where we are. The general Dordogne area is picturesque and will always attract tourists in large numbers. We haven%26#39;t spent a grat deal of time getting to know the locals.We have been so busy everytime we visit. So much work having to be done.I believe there is a large expat population in the Dordogne so initially you should be fine meeting people...I suppose the smaller towns will let you integrate with the French people easier too.
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We purchased a house in Sarlat nearly 2 years ago and had to rennovate the entire interior of the house. It is not an easy task as we too were not DIY people. We engaged local workmen (some of whom spoke English) to redo the plumbing throughout the entire house, replace the all the windows and doors. It was a hard process as we had to do a lot of the communication from Australia.
Fortunately my brother-in-law was able to do alot of the work and he was able to team up with tradesmen from England who had re-settled in the area. We were able to rewire the house and re-plaster all the walls (and not feel like we had been ripped off) and even added 2 bedrooms and a bathroom in the attic.
18 months later and we have spent 50% the original cost of the house. It has been worth it though as Sarlat is a jewel in the Dordogne crown. The house is now renting this year so it has been a great achievement I think and shows what can be done in a short time.
I can%26#39;t say I have seen mosquitoes where we are. The general Dordogne area is picturesque and will always attract tourists in large numbers. We haven%26#39;t spent a grat deal of time getting to know the locals.We have been so busy everytime we visit. So much work having to be done.I believe there is a large expat population in the Dordogne so initially you should be fine meeting people...I suppose the smaller towns will let you integrate with the French people easier too.
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Is there a a particular reason why you chose the Dordogne? It%26#39;s full of Brits! And most of them have gites too!!
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From what I have seen, like Tuscany, many areas in France are full of Brits. It%26#39;s very hard to avoid them, and most of them have gites or B%26amp;Bs, about which they complain endlessly. Evidently they all thought that owning and operating a business in the hospitality industry was easy and entailed little commitment of time and effort. Somehow it was supposed to look after itself.
My suggestion is the oldest one there is: rent before you own. I think it must be terrible to buy in an area that turns out to be 10 or 15 miles from the area you discover to be ideal only after you%26#39;ve been there a few months.
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I agree with 1BC completely -- not only do you then get a free chance to change your mind about location, you get a free chance to change your mind completely. Give yourself a year to test the waters before diving in headfirst.
Living in France is entirely, completely different than holidaying here (been there, done that) -- and you could find out that a) you absolutely love it, and can%26#39;t wait to be here full-time, b) it%26#39;s absolutely horrifying, and you can%26#39;t wait to move back, c) it%26#39;s nice enough, but I don%26#39;t think I want to do this forever, or d) it%26#39;s nice enough, but I wish I was in %26lt;insert location here%26gt;.
There will be days that you would happily class as any of the four categories, and only by staying put for a year or so will you decide which category is the one which makes the decision.
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Upon re-reading your post -- have you visited the Dordogne? It%26#39;s not clear from your post, but it almost seems as if you%26#39;ve never been there.
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I agree with you Sunshine. Far too many Brits decide to come to France for the wrong reasons.
They think %26quot;lets move to France%26quot; then think %26quot;where%26quot;? We have only heard of the Dordogne because so many Brits go there on holiday as it%26#39;s a beautiful region so let%26#39;s go there.
Janey needs to spend some time in France and visit various regions and do some research on costs of houses/maintenance/travel/airports etc.
It%26#39;s not a decision to take lightly. Besides, this year will be very difficult for many gite owners everywhere. Even as a hobby, empty gites have to be maintained.
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and to add to that, Buzet, the exchange rate between the pound and the Euro is sending an awful lot of Brits home with empty pockets.
I also know quite a few people who have made the move, only to find that they HATE doing renovation work, the kids are unhappy in the schools (particularly those who don%26#39;t speak French), don%26#39;t like shopping in markets and small stores, and have a hard time meeting friends because of the language barrier. Quite the tragedy to put your life%26#39;s savings on the line and have your dream turn into a nightmare.
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Hi Janey,
agree with a lot of things others have said but would also like to say that we have made the move 2 years ago and we absolutely love it here.
However, as most things in life/business it is important to do ones homework properly. We%26#39;ve wanted to start a B %26amp; B for many years and started checking out areas more than 10 years ago;
First, we wanted Côte d%26#39;Azur/Provence but realized that it was either to expensive for us or to hot in the summer. We spent a couple of summer there.
We have now settled by the Garonne river, in fact we%26#39;ve got the canal at the back of our garden (not a bigger mosquito problem than anywhere else we find) but have checked out a big part of Lot et Garonne, Gironde, Dordogne, Charente and Charente Maritime and also Loire.
The nice things here are the milder weather (I%26#39;m a Dane), food, wine, people are very friendly, closeness to Bordeaux (1 hour), etc. etc. but one also has to realize that the winters here can feel just as long and wet and that you need to get away sometimes.
So yes, for such a big move take your time.
Some mention too many brits. I guess that all depends? For some that is a positive thing - for others the opposite. Up to you.
Here, we have an english speaking community as well but it is relatively small. However, it is always up to you to mingle if you want to use your french. We go to local events and participate as much as we can and see as many French as English speaking people.
We wish you will find your dream place somewhere.
Keld
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