Limousin, Poitou-Charentes and Provence are the top regions generating buyer enquiries in France and they are looking to spend 8% less than a year ago with an average budget of €291,000, new data suggests.
Overall buyers are looking for a wide range of homes, from rural areas to the coast and the Alps, according to the research from agents FrenchEntrée but traditional favourites such as Paris and the Côte d’Azur have been overtaken by these areas.
According to Alistair Lockhart, the firm’s property director, it is as this time of the year that British buyers in particular start to come forward with more serious property enquiries.
He explained that the Limousin is known for providing excellent value for money. Located in France’s hilly southwest, it has been part of the new Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes region since the start of 2016. And its three departments, Corrèze, Creuse and Haute-Vienne, are some of the most sparsely populated in the country.
Stone houses with plenty of land can be picked up for well under €175,000, including added features such as outbuildings, fruit trees and even a swimming pool. But the firm warns that the remoteness of the region can mean that internet connections are not that fast.
Neighbouring Poitou-Charentes, has always been popular with British buyers and is known as the home of vines, sunflowers and friendly locals. The larger towns such as Angoulême, Cognac and Saintes, offer year round entertainment options.
As well as its coastal areas, Poitou-Charentes is also home to a number of leisure lakes, offering swimming, walking and water sports. Properties near the lakes include some impressive rural residences. Some €300,000 is needed for a four bedroom house with 11 acres of land and stream, with stables and grazing land.
‘The four departments of Poitou-Charentes provide buyers with plenty of choice. There are communities of all shapes and sizes, from tiny, pretty hamlets to vibrant Medieval towns that are bursting with life, presenting buyers with an impressive range of property options at prices comfortably below those found in some other parts of France,’ Lockhart said.
Next to the pricey Côte d’Azur, Provence is said to offer a more laid back alternative and has a range of properties from coast to the mountains of the Alps.
‘What’s interesting about the top three French hotspots for autumn is the variety. However, the fact that Provence is one of France’s three most popular areas indicates that many British buyers remain confident in their budgets and in the French property market, despite Brexit,’ Lockhart added.
