Derkins Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Are Gites easier to run and less work than B&B? Are they more profitable?We are thinking of doing one or other and not sure which to do - in Limoges area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pun Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Hello Derkins,nice to see you are in the same boat as my wife and I was not long ago,We had this very same question in our heads and decided on a gite, We did this for two reasons (1) by having a second property and the prices of property going up all the time (Limoges has the air port so property in this area is going up quickly) and if or when you decide to grow old without working you would have built up a nice nest egg. ref the property selling price.(2) B.B.,s you have to be there every time you have a guest, and lets be honest with all the good intentions in the world some people will not be to your own liking, but with a good well cared for gite you should only see your guest on arrival and good by,s except if needed for any problems,We,re not that far away from Limoges really, (approx 70mile or 1hr 30min) so as I said the area,s are very much on the increase ref holidaysWe have friends who both gite and do the B.B.,s so we have looked at both,hope this has given you a thought or two as to why we,ve decide on the gite,good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 B&B - do you really want to share your house with strangers? Or have you the chance to make the business part separate?B&B - more money for the initial cash investment but more work, longer hours and commitment required thereafter. Suits sociable, houseproud types who don't mind being stuck to their house most of the day. Horses for courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chauffour Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 ...we will know it soon:... we run a gite in Dordogne from April to October, and we are opening a B&B in Cape Town that we will run from November to March... [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derkins Posted August 27, 2006 Author Share Posted August 27, 2006 Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad to hear positive things about Limoges, most agents slag it off for being too wet and damp and out of the hub. We are coming to visit the area more soon so will be looking at gite properties for sale, I agree having people in your house day and night will soon start to grate, at least gites is only one day a week to work.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeb Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 If you want a regular income, forget the gite - you'll only get a 10-12 week season. Buy a separate property (with heating!) and let it out longterm unfurnished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimportequoi Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 [quote user="Derkins"]Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad to hear positive things about Limoges, most agents slag it off for being too wet and damp and out of the hub. We are coming to visit the area more soon so will be looking at gite properties for sale, I agree having people in your house day and night will soon start to grate, at least gites is only one day a week to work....[/quote]I don't run B&B, but I agree with the others, it is daily work, often very hard and you have to be sur place most of the time, which doesn't suit everyone's lifestyle. You certainly have more freedom with gites, however, I think you will find that most people who manage to make a living out of them, usually have at least two or three properties and the 'work' consists of more than just changeover day, especially if you have a large garden, swimming pool etc. and you do your own laundry. Then in the winter there is the redecorating and maintenance of course - and a lot more bills to pay than if you have one property in which you let out rooms! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 [quote user="Derkins"]at least gites is only one day a week to work....[/quote]Yes, quite a lot of people think that when they first consider running gites as a business. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Whereas we all know it's only half a day a week if you roll your sleeves up and get on with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Absolutely Cass, my Old Sausage. We did have one yesterday that I hadto look at very carefully to find any dirt. It was great! I waved themoff and then went in to find the kitchen absolutely spotless. Ditto thebathrooms. We still had to clean them to make sure, mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chauffour Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Jon,have you finally found Lewis & Clarke? [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Zeb has the right idea. That is what I did - having a horror of hard work - and it worked out perfectly for me. One of the properties I bought was a house divided into three flats and it had paid for itself in less than five years. Prices being cheaper in the 'old days'.During a red hot summer when it was empty, I did B&B. What a game! All that washing! All that ironing! All that cleaning! All that smiling and being nice! All that being in ear shot of the phone!Never again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Poor Jon won't find 'em either, Bill & Meriwether are sadly, long time now, brown bread ...........Alexis, It's not for the fainthearted, I'll give you that [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Yes, but what an adventure they had! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 We thought about buying property to rent outbut were put off by the number of empty properties and the return seemed pretty paltry based on current property prices v. rental prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 [quote user="Chauffour"]Jon,have you finally found Lewis & Clarke? [;-)] [/quote]Well I had hoped that they were hiding under the dresser, but it turned out to be a sock I lost some weeks ago. Miki is, of course, quite right in that William Clarke (or Clark -spellings differ by source, but I don't suppose it matters much) andMeriwether Lewis are long gone: 1838 and 1809 respectively.My reference is actually to the song by the Long Ryders (who? - see here and here)of the same name, which has been bouncing around inside my head afteran absence of many years for some weeks now. From about the same timeas I lost the sock, in fact.Does this help at all? [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hastobe Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 [quote user="zeb"]If you want a regular income, forget the gite - you'll only get a 10-12 week season. Buy a separate property (with heating!) and let it out longterm unfurnished.[/quote]Is there still a market for gites? There are three in our village - all french owned, one at least I have seen and its lovely - but hardly anyone using them. Our neighbour was telling us in July that she had virtually no bookings this year..they have a farm so the gite is just a sideline for them but nevertheless.. I certainly wouldn't want to be reliant on gite income to survive.Kathie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 I think it depends where you are, what you're offering and how much competition there is. I know someone who rents a gite, this is their first year and they say they have been almost fully booked up from May to September. They have taken 5 bookings for next year already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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