French Country Property - Tips To Find Your Dream French House

It's not difficult to see why French country property is attractive to so many people. From small cottages in tiny rural hamlets (which nevertheless often have substantial gardens) to grand manors and even chateaux, there's a French country property to suit nearly everyone.

What's more, unlike the UK for example, there are plenty to go around. If you visit France for the purposes of buying a French home you'll find no shortage in rural areas no matter what your budget. Visit any small town in France and the local agents will invariably have plenty to show you.

A few words of caution though, from someone who has been there and done it.

I know how easy it is to get carried away. It's all too easy to get caught up in the romance of buying a home in France and forgetting the things you would never miss out if you were buying at home. Just like buying any property you need to keep your wits about you.

You need to be very careful about your budget. If you're buying a house that's in excellent condition this is less of a concern - as long as you check everything works as they claims it does - but if you're buying to renovate things can add up rather quickly.

There's a common belief that renovating a property in France is cheap. Sadly that's just not true. Admittedly it may be cheaper than where ever you currently call home but you can't buy a tumbledown cottage for forty thousand Euros and then think you'll get it up and running and habitable for another ten thousand. Think of at least doubling your investment and you'll probably be nearer the mark.

But I certainly wouldn't want to put anybody off. Searching for French country property can be a joy in itself and the thrill of finding the place that's right for you and eventually moving in are wonderful experiences. I'm just advocating a little clear-headed thinking in amongst all the fun!

Buying country property in France isn't quite the same as buying a French town house or a flat in Paris, for example. Much of the process is the same, and the paperwork, and I'm sure you'll do your research and get the right advice and help. However, there are one or two things that you'll only come up against with rural French properties.

For a start you may well find you own bits and pieces of land that are not attached to yours - we didn't find out until after we'd bought ours that we had a small garden half a mile away! Now this need not necessarily be a problem, but with land sometimes comes responsibilities - fencing for example - you need to check this kind of thing.

Then there's sanitation. Frequently French country property is not on mains draining. In itself that's not a problem but there are new rules and regulations that could prove expensive to some unwary buyers.

Then there are rights of way, rights of access and 'chemin rural' (kind of a footpath although they can be driven down sometimes). This is something that should be checked during the buying process but it's wise to do your own investigating just to be sure. You wouldn't want to find that your dream French house had a farmer's track right through the middle of the garden. Don't think it couldn't happen - one of the houses we looked had exactly that.

The French house buying process is complicated. It's not rocket science, but for most of us it's different to what we know. There are different regulations and different legal practices.

Added to that there's the language that, unless you're fluent, is another hurdle to overcome.

However, it's my experience that if you do a little research and a little reading, and can maintain a sense of humour for when things go a bit astray, you'll be fine. Your French agent will normally go out of their way to make your search for a French country property as painless as possible. It's worth your while to go out of your way to help them.

Jeff Seems is an Englishman living in France. He is author of The French Property Buyer's Guide which is vital reading for anyone wanting to buy a French country property.