Montrez moi l'argent rosbiff

[Old Hack]

That's what I heard, but found it hard to believe. Apparently most French much prefer to live literally on top of each other packed into appartementes, or however one spells it, in crowded cities. Barking mad the lot of 'em ..

What the main difference, for me, is that the French don't renovate homes, they can't stand the idea of old, and like new shiny white square lots of glass buildings. If you go to a town, you will see so many old houses, some 2-300 years old rotting, when on the outskirts of town you will see heaps, and heaps of brand spanking bugalows.

In the non coastal areas, places like Auvergne, Limousin, Vienne, you can pick up an acre of land, and 4 bed detached for less than 80k, that just need some love, a new kitchen and bathroom. Look at a new bunglow in these areas and they're 200k.

I really don't understand it. If you are buying, too, don't buy off a French person, as they dont budge an inch, the price they have been told the hosue is worth, is what they will expect. However, ex pats understand that the price will reflect how quickly they want to sell, and how desperate they are. It's not uncommon for houses to take 5 years to sell in France, in the rural areas.

We paid around €150k all told, for a 4 bed with 4 acres, a car was thrown in, and it's about 45 mins to the coast. It started on the market 3 years before we bought it at about 280k, and the owner was begging us to buy it in the end. He's now back in the UK and couldn't be happier.

Wait 12 months and watch the prices in South West France plummet if he gets his way.