French property region guide

POITOU-CHARENTES

Charente-Maritime (17), Deux-Sevres (79), Vienne (86), Charente (16)

 An excellent area with a great climate.  Very popular with the British looking for it all: countryside, coastline, ambiance.  Still plenty of renovation projects to be found. The Charente is an ideal relocation destination with rural villages, a fertile river valley and sophisticated towns.  House prices are typically higher in the coastal Charente Maritime which has always been affluent due to the maritime trades and of course the world famous wine and Cognac industries. It is an attractive area for buyers who own boats or who simply just adore the coast. The Charente benefits from one of France’s sunniest climates, over 2250 hours per year on a par with Provence. The Charente is already very popular with foreign house buyers due to media exposure in recent years following the discovery of its charms - notably its microclimate and lower property prices. It is a large area with plenty of rural life to help buyers enjoy the pure French experience, but also with large vibrant towns for those needing music and life, plus some expat lifelines available if needed. If you like rolling hills and dales the area bordering on the Dordogne maybe the area for you, but the north Charente features the beautiful meandering Charente river and the dozens of gorgeous mill hamlets and villages that it has spawned over the centuries - lovely. Largely a holiday region, the area is unspoilt.  The departments of Deux Sevres and Vienne are worth looking at for British buyers as they are less well known and may have more opportunity to buy renovation properties at bargain prices. Excellent area for investment with good rental potential. Airports with low cost flights are La Rochelle, Limoges, Bordeaux, Poitiers, and in Spring 2008 Angouleme Brie Champniers airport is opening for low cost flights from Britain and Holland. TGV services are excellent giving the opportunity to catch the Eurostar in London or Kent and come down, via a change onto the TGV at Paris or Lille, direct to Ruffec, La Rochelle or Angouleme.  

Alexis Goldberg is co-author of The France Buying Guide published by the Overseas Guides Company.  Alexis owns a second home in the tiny bastide of Montjoi, in the Tarn et Garonne department of the Midi-Pyrenees, South West France.  Alexis is passionate about helping others follow in her footsteps to France.  The France Buying Guide was created to help people step by step to successfully buy a property in France.

To get more information on the France Buying Guide please go to www.francebuyingguide.com/france.htm