What is a bad area

[Joanne]

Ive been reading the posts on buying and financing a gite business (some of them posted in the finance section). We are looking to buy a house in France (isn't everyone?!) and to eventually have a gite or two for family and friends to stay. As we might want to rent them out in the future I was wondering what would be considered a "bad area" We have seen a property we like but it is about 7km from a sensible sized village. Would that be too far? do most people prefer to be able to walk to a restaurant etc? would be grateful for any comments/advice

[Liz]

We are about 6 km from our village. I am sure there are people who would prefer to be nearer and they presumably don't book with us. In the circumstances you describe I would go for what suits me and my family. A comfortable gite in pleasant surroundings and at a modest price can always be let out for a reasonably long season. If you want to make a business of it and your income depends on it there are rather different considerations.

Liz (29)

[Camille]

Clearly this is something that is far too dependent on tastes and preferences (as well as on any physical limitations), but on the average, I'd venture to say that unless people want a booming metropolis (in which case they'd be in Paris and not in any gite!), it is safe to assume the following:

1. The village in question should have a decent number of cafe options, that stay open later. The village should be roughly equal parts catering to tourists and catering to locals. (If it's entirely workaday, it probably lacks appeal for the visitor, and if only to tourists, you're perhaps going to have a hard time finding basic essentials and services like optometrists, without going very far) It is important to note that some villages are okay or even fabulous in summer but dead (literally, i.e., hotel closures and restaurant closures) from fall to April. If you rely on fairly year-round income options (or at least from February/March through end of October), you'll want to be near a village or market town that is more lively year-round and not so specifically seasonal. And don't forget your own needs in this way!! (Do you really want to have to drive 40 minutes to get to a restaurant in the middle of winter?) The best thing to do is shop for your place (or at least visit the area) in the dead of winter. Right now is not a bad time to test certain areas and see for yourself. And do the homework on what it's like in the height of summer.

2. The house/gite itself doesn't have to be in that village per se. So long as the options within the village are plentiful and don't close up at 8pm, I would tend to think most active renters will not mind a 7km drive or possibly 10km for dinner/cafe scene or shops (some may want their croissant much closer; I'm personally not that picky). Basically, anything within a 10 minute drive or so should be okay (after all, they are probably in the countryside for a respite). But being 30km or 40km from any kind of services, on a windy tiny road, is really pushing the envelope for all but a few who want to get away completely. If the property is "in town," for peace and tranquility you probably don't want to be on the main drag or at major crossroads, yet you want to be close enough to walk and it should be in a reasonably pretty environment. Otherwise, there's not particularly any advantage to being actually in the village unless it is literally in every way and in every corner, "picturesque" (whereas some have picturesque quarters and humdrum outskirts) or one literally must have immediate (as opposed to within 20 minutes) access to doctors.

3. Most importantly, again for all but the most reclusive type of traveler, it is important that any immediate neighbors are friendly. If you've seen the cult classic film Withnail and I (where "I" goes in search of coal and wood in the Lake District, you know exactly what I mean!). Equally, there should be a number of interests to cater to within easy distance (like within 1/2 hour or at least within 1 hour and a few can be further out, within 1-1/2 hours), whether outdoor activities (such as boating, fishing, cycling etc.), or notable national park, or interesting touristic sites such as chateaux, castles, churches, museums, caves, great architecture, famous villages, or slightly larger small cities within an hour drive with shops, or cultural activities such as concerts (doesn't have to be a major concert hall; even small villages of 500 have culture, but not all of them certainly, hence you have to do your homework and check out neighboring villages also). You don't have to have everything (some areas are richer in sites than others), but you must seriously ask the question: What is there to do and see and is there reasonable quantity and variety? Is it attractive from a tourist's point of view? Does the visitor also have the option of not doing those touristy things, and have the option of simply having a tranquil and enjoyable stay in a nice environment or maybe somewhere nice and scenic to go for a walk?

[letrangere]

Joanne,

I so agree with what Liz has said on this. We have friends who have a "second home" on the 24/46 borders. It's not luxurious - no pool or even dishwasher - just very comfortable, cosy in winter, stacked with books and a nicely equipped kitchen (good crockery, few old le Creuset pans, etc.). There are walking sticks and maps of the local area, they encourage guests to treat the place as home. It's also over 5 km from the nearest village, which on a good day has only a small poorly stocked alimentation/ boulangerie. A mini Casino is about 10 km away, shopping proper is 30. Yet they're full for all the weeks they aren't there themselves and for years have been renting successfully from just before Easter until the October half term holiday. I personally feel they undercharge a bit, especially when you consider the area and the quality of the house, their furnishings are reasonably good - some old local antiques, nice bric-a-brac - and it doesn't have that half empty, holiday-home feel about it. But their bookings speak for themselves and they get a lot of repeat business, especially from couples travelling out of season. They sleep six incidentally.

Liz is right, there will always be those who don't want to cook in the evening and want to be able to drive a restaurant or walk to the shops. But there are others (ourselves included) who relish the quiet and complete privacy of the isolated countryside and also quite enjoy taking it in turns each morning to do the 5 km "bread run"!


Margaret