Starting a business in the Limousin

[Bartbag]

Dear All,  What a great site this is!  This is my first time on it.  My husband & I are flying out to Limoges on 19th April for our first visit to the area.  We are hoping to move to the Limousin and start a business and are deliberating as to whether it would be best to buy a building that we could use as a chambre d'hotes out in the country or buy somewhere closer to Limoges that could be divided up into apartments and let out long-term to French people.   We're coming out mainly for a holiday and to explore the area but might spend an afternoon or two looking at some properties as well.  Does anyone have any experiences of either of the above?  All advice welcome!  We're very cautious people & would hate to make a disastrous decision!  We've been studying French for a couple of years & are improving but it seems very slow-going at times.  Thanks.  Wendy Barton

[Paris]

A chambre d'hotes or appartement business.  Former - very much depends on where i.e. more business if you live near a main road ( in this area, not necessarily a main road).  Can be tough if sited in the heart of the countryside.  Easter Sunday the proprietiere of a French restaurant in central Creuse told me of English friends of hers in the next village who were thinking of diversifying into gites as well, as they were getting insufficient trade. Chambres d'hote not so popular as hotels in some areas.

remember - holiday season here can be very short.  French out mainly in July, August, us loteaster - October.  But could get more trade, as I mentioned above if sited on main road.  Winter weather can be hard - neighbours here just recovering from a few weeks of snow so deep they could not get out of our shared drive by car, and roads covered in black ice.  It is not usually quite this bad! Also check out that there are not already several chambre d'hote businesses in the area you fancy. 

Appartments - our little house is in the middle of a village and next door to the old gendarmerie, now converted into appartements by the commune.  Never yet all been let at the same time, but always someone there.  Village is 20 km from the nearest town and about 1 1/2 hours East from Limoges.  So, yes, nearer limoges might be better, but research what appartements the area already provides.

I feel either project might offer promise in the right area provided one had another source of income e.g. pensions, to tide one over in the lean months. 

these are just some thoughts from a second home owner on the Creuse/Haute-vienne border for the past 13 years.

Julia

[Leschenauds]

We own a small campsite/B&B near the Creuse/Haute Vienne border and have found business very variable, last year was very slow but 2003, we were full for a lot of the time. There is a lost of off season rental property available here at very reasonable rates so the income may not be quite so high as expected. The holiday season is short although the pleasure of living here makes up for any shortfall in income.

www.leschenauds.com.

[Me0wp00]

My mum's french neighbour is selling her gite and main house but thats to move nearer to her birth town, she hires her gite out for only 8 weeks in the summer although she has an inground pool and good facilities. We kept telling her that she could rent it out for longer but Gites de France didn't seem to manage it. I honestly can't see people making a decent living from gites or rental properties alone, as previously said if it's to top up a pension and it doesn't really matter if your full or not then fair enough. Problem is I think supply is starting to outweigh demand in the limousin/creuese/indre area as it has done further south.

[Chris Head]

I agree with meooww(?), the gardeners, tefl teachers, odd job folk, caretakers and 'translators' are also flooding the self employment market, certainly in the Creuse. To create a market for your goods or sevices here is not at all easy, it's sooo important to have really researched the market as much as possible before committing or have a safety net that minimises or negates the risks involved.

Chris

[Bartbag]

Thanks to everyone for your replies and helpful advice.  Yes, that's what concerns us about gites, chambres d'hotes etc. - whether supply is going to start outweighing demand.  That's why we're wondering whether a better bet would be to let apartments out long-term to French people.  We've heard that it's still the case that a lot of French people rent apartments in (or near to) town and buy their houses out in the country for when they retire - does anyone know if this is still the case?  The advantage of long-term lets is a year-round income, of course (that's if you can let them out!).  Unfortunately, we don't qualify for any pensions yet so need to earn enough to live on.