Why are house prices falling in Dordogneshire?

[Chancer]

I shall be going down to Dordogneshire next week on a working holiday to help out a pal, anywhere will be better than being here at the moment wondering where in the ether my savings have disappeared to

The village is called Eymet, will I need an English phrasebook?

I shall of course be deep undercover and will report my findings on my return [;-)]

[Scooby]

Though I love the Dordogne, Eymet is one place we avoid like the plague!  Eymet is not like other parts of the Dordogne...  Measuring a whole region by reference to one town is silly...its like saying the Lake District is a terrible place because you went to Whitehaven and hated it.

[Chancer]

You have got me worried now so I did a google search on Whitehaven and Eymet, they both look nice to me!

I know that Eymet cannot be an ex_mining town as only last week I learnt where the coal reserves were/are in France, in any case I like the mining areas in the North of England and the Nord pas de Calais.

Is there a nuclear reprocessing plant beside Eymet?

[Scooby]

Nope - just a Brit ghetto!

[woolybanana]

Actually, there was serious talk a few years ago of storing nuclear waste in that area. It has recently been revived I think

[mint]

Well, if not Eymet, then where in Dordogneshire?

Positive suggestions please and, if you know of a house that's going begging, do point the way!

Cheers everybody!

[woolybanana]

what is wrong with where you are? It is rather palatial I understand[6]

[mint]

Dear Wooly, nice of you to post. 

Want to know what's wrong with where I am?

Well, there's lots the problem at Chateau Sweet, I can tell you.

The house itself has been renovated by some Brit DIY-er and I do think it's gross to replace the marble fireplaces with gaz instant heaters, don't you?

The flagstone floor kitchen with the original stone sink is now a state-of-the-art pièce de resistance with fitted units from Hygena.  The old Godin cast iron range has been ripped out and we now have a gleaming stainless steel electric oven.

All our old shutters have been replaced with maintenance free Upvc ones and the old windows and doors are also Upvc.

As for the sweeping staircase in the lobby, well, that does remain but, I mean to say, when you have seen one sweeping staircase, you have seen them all, n'est pas?

The old oak floorboards are now laminate and wipe-clean.

As for the bathrooms (all 13 of them), they now have matching "4-piece" suites brought over from B & Q.  Tasteful they certainly are not!

I could go on but it would be a rather fruitless exercise.

As for the outside, it's not easy for the OH to go around 20 hectares with the hover mower.  And the electric cable with the BS kitemark power plug isn't nearly long enough!

The swimming pool too; what good is an Olympic sized affair when I can just about do half a length without getting out of breadth and having to cling on to the sides!

The tennis court?  Andy Murray did say he'd like to practise on it but I think Andy Murray is all mouth and brag and, if he thinks he can come to my house to practise his brattish behaviour, he's got another think coming.

No, no, Wooly, this house is entirely unsuitable.  But, what to do, until such times as I find a more suitable abode, I will have to put up with all its discomforts!

Have you read my latest PM to you?  If not, why not and, if you have read it, why don't you have the manners to send me a reply?

After all, you're the one complaining I don't answer your messages!  

[Tressy]

Sweets if you're worried about the cold in the winter why are you thinking about Dordogne? It's flipping freezing there!  I know this because I have been there in the winter. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get home, what with all the snow and ice.[:'(]

If you don't like your house then I understand you wanting to move, but why not stay in Charente Maritime?

[mint]

Tress, you're right, I should really move not too far away.  We have a lovely doctor and nice friends.

Really not keen on the house though it does tick a lot of boxes (as they say!)  Mainly it's the busy road and one or two other issues which it would be imprudent to name on an open forum.

Wouldn't mind moving a bit further north

I mean near Pons and towards Saintes might be nice or even further north again to the Pays de la Loire.  If the latter, then I think the Western Loire rather than further inland.

I don't mind the cold as such but I think we need to be sensible about heating costs, etc, that aren't going to come down.

Why, have you anywhere specific in mind, Tress?  I trust your judgement so advise away!

[woolybanana]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

 

Have you read my latest PM to you?  If not, why not and, if you have read it, why don't you have the manners to send me a reply?

After all, you're the one complaining I don't answer your messages!  

[/quote]

Oh, you mean that mail, the one in which you..... nah, no me lovely, there are too many ears.

But your chateau sounds just perfect. Why move? There must be loads of expats who will do your lawn for a few quid in their pockets.

But if you wanna move this way then I'll advise you provided there are no more banana jokes[6]

[Kingdingaling]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Dear Wooly, nice of you to post. 

Want to know what's wrong with where I am?

Well, there's lots the problem at Chateau Sweet, I can tell you.

The house itself has been renovated by some Brit DIY-er and I do think it's gross to replace the marble fireplaces with gaz instant heaters, don't you?

The flagstone floor kitchen with the original stone sink is now a state-of-the-art pièce de resistance with fitted units from Hygena.  The old Godin cast iron range has been ripped out and we now have a gleaming stainless steel electric oven.

All our old shutters have been replaced with maintenance free Upvc ones and the old windows and doors are also Upvc.

The old oak floorboards are now laminate and wipe-clean.

As for the bathrooms (all 13 of them)

The swimming pool too; what good is an Olympic sized affair when I can just about do half a length without getting out of breadth and having to cling on to the sides!

The tennis court?  Andy Murray did say he'd like to practise on it but I think Andy Murray is all mouth and brag and, if he thinks he can come to my house to practise his brattish behaviour, he's got another think coming.

[/quote]

And you replied to mine -

I accept the fact that you have every right to your opinion of my post.  More than that, I will defend your absolute right to rubbish what I say.  But, PLEASE, if you have to call my post "ridiculous", have the grace to spell the word correctly.

So, you slag me for my spelling, yet you buy what seems to be a chateau (13 bathrooms) with laminate flooring and upvc windows and a Hygena kitchen
I don't need telling for my spelling, you need telling for your eyesight!

All that aside, I wish you all the best selling it

 

And, whats all this about -

The tennis court?  Andy Murray did say he'd like to practise on it but I think Andy Murray is all mouth and brag and, if he thinks he can come to my house to practise his brattish behaviour, he's got another think coming.

Heres a tip -
when posting, make sure you can remember how many glasses of wine you have had or BRAG somewhere else.
And, once you have corrected someone elses spelling, do not make any mistakes thereafter

Also, we have a property with a smaller pool you might be able to swim from one side to the other, no reasonable offer refused.

[Kingdingaling]

Or

This is a wind-up because everyone loves a moan (negativity) and will get a response!

Time this post was put to bed.

[Tressy]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Tress, you're right, I should really move not too far away.  We have a lovely doctor and nice friends...

Why, have you anywhere specific in mind, Tress? [/quote]

Nowhere specific, Sweet, but I do think being near Bordeaux is a big plus, and if you have established friendships and other significant relationships, well, those are big (huge?) 'plusses' too, perhaps more important than the physical location?.

I would be very wary of moving far, far away under the circumstances you describe. I think if I was you, and I was generally happy, I'd look around for a more suitable house nearer to 'home'. 

Then again, Saintes is such a nice place. It has a really nice 'feel' to it. I feel very comfortable in Saintes in a way I don't feel in Cognac, Pons, or St Jean D'Angely (which are all really nice places to visit).  There's some really nice countryside around Saintes and St Jean (not so much near to Pons). It's nowhere near as pretty overall as Dordogne, but here winter temperatures are milder, and we can get to the sea easily.

I like to be able to get to the ocean easily, all year round, and I can.[:D]

[Tressy]

 [quote user="Kingdingaling"]

Or

This is a wind-up because everyone loves a moan (negativity) and will get a response!

Time this post was put to bed.

[/quote]

Time you went to bed, matey![:D]

You 'got' Sweet17 wrong, in my opinion.[:)]

ETA: I 'moan' and am 'negative' - Sweet isn't moany, and doesn't tend to be negative, in my experience, but what do I know? [Www][:D]

[mint]

Thanks for sticking up for me,Tress. 

Kingadingalong, I see my previous post really got under your skin and, for that reason alone, I am not sorry for having sent it!

You silly so-and-so, of course I haven't got a chateau.  After Wooly posted that he thought my place was quite "palatial", I had to reply in kind in order to keep the conversational ball rolling.

I was only having a bit of a tease and a joke with Wooly (which I often do and he never misunderstands me) and then we laugh ourselves silly.

I no more have a chateau than Wooly has a twin brother and a sister called Randy. LOL!

Next, you'd be telling me I was sounding off about my Learjet, which I joked about with Jonzjob on a recent thread.  Anyway, if you didn't read the thread, Jonz has promised to fly it for me and take it wherever I want to go provided that I don't worry about where the parachute is kept!

You just don't do humour, irony, pastiche and sheer good-natured fun, do you?

Nevermind, you might grow to enjoy the forum one day, so stick around for a bit and you might even learn something to your advantage![:D][:P] 

[woolybanana]

sweets, you are at it again.

Remember I have seen the chateau, down the long gravelled drive, imposing, beautifully restored outside though rather spoiled by the satellite dishes, down a long alley of lime trees. The inside is however a bit lacking in taste as you suggest.

She does have a chateau guys, and even bought the title of chatelaine with it, so don't let her kid you. And she has met Randy.

For the plane I cannot be sure though there were fotos of a plane on the LouisXIV desk in the corner of the study.

[mint]

You naughty banana!

You were a privileged guest at my pile and I didn't expect you to tell all and sundry about it on an open forum like this!

If I'd wanted everyone to know about my chateau, I'd have got the "Hello!" people in to do a full-colour spread and been paid for opening my doors to the hoi-polloi.

Anway, please give my regards to dear Randy and tell her she must come for a stay on the very next mutually convenient weekend.

In the meantime, I'll contact Jonz to see if he's available to take us in the Learjet to somewhere nice and warm.

I know dear Randy so loves to expose all her bits in the sun and adores the admiring crowds who never seem to tire of oggling her..............

[flunch]

"Actually, there was serious talk a few years ago of storing nuclear waste in that area. It has recently been revived I think"

NOT the case.   Eymet is a pretty bastide and lots of Brits live there, the choice has to be an individual choice, some people like being near so many Brits, some people don't.       There was never talk (to my local knowledge) of "storing nuclear waste", it was for the building of an incineration plant and it was proposed for OUTSIDE of Eymet, it was knocked on the head, and (to my knowledge) will not be resurrected.

[lorna]

Hi sweets,  just spotted this in another place [;-)] and wondered if it might be of interest to you:

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51734&highlight=&sid=04da528437cda9a843dacee186b943f3

[Gemini_man]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Gemini Man said

GM, what part of the Dordogne do you recommend?  You see, I know nowt about the area at all.  From just looking at the map, I'd say I'd prefer the southern bit, around Perigeux, Bergerac, etc.

I am a bit nervous of the north because I have heard about the weather in the Limousin and I'd rather not spend half our pension simply on keeping warm.

I might be completely wrong in my assumptions and I would welcome and be grateful for any views that posters can come up with.

It does surprise me that an area that would normally have been a bit out of our price range is suddenly looking such an attractive option.

Please, GM, give me an answer if you see this post.  I could PM you but I don't like to "deranger" people without sufficient reason.

[/quote]

Sweetie Old Girl,

I had intended to invest a fair bit of my invaluable time in replying to you despite having already answered this question in a far distant post. I had intended to try and explain to you why I thought the North West of the Dordogne would probably suit you. I had intended to try and explain to you why I think that South of Bergerac is fine if you like the idea of living in a museum or a tourist hot-spot. I had intended to try and tell you why I think North of Perigueux is also a good place to live but maybe a little Hillbilly'ish.

I had intended to but I won't. Simply because having read your subsequent posts in this thread it's plain to see that you haven't really a clue what you want to do short of moving from your existing house and I'm sorry but I have more important things to spend my time on than other peoples daydreams.

However, if one day you are actually sure what you want to do and if it involves Dordogneshire I will be happy to oblige, not that I have any vested interest whatsoever. One last thing - just looking at the map may be good for day dreaming but it adds nothing much to reality - the answer is get out there and spend a day or two looking around.

PS. Sorry to hear about the Chateau, it must be hell living there. You have my sympathies.

[B][B][B]

[mint]

First things first.

memb, it's great to hear from you again and I was looking at a house in Eymet.  BTW, my scones are now the talk of the town.  In fact, I only made some yesterday for visitors and the compliments came thick and fast.

Lorna, thanks for the link.  I will try and join up and see if I can contact the person.

Gemini Man, I stand chastised [:(].  You have already given me a clue as to your thoughts so thanks anyway.

You're quite right, of course, I don't know the first thing about where I want to go other than to leave my chateau.  But, aren't I doing the right thing by asking around and doing a bit of a search?  You surely can't disapprove of that?

Of course, I'll be driving around at a later date.  Just trying to eliminate the no-noes first; in my book that's as important as the yes-yesses.

OK, the drink's on me.  Don't tell me anything you don't want to but, I'll find out anyway, so there![:D]

 

[flunch]

HI S17, good to hear the scones are still going down well.   Quote from Gemini-man "I had intended to try and explain to you why I think that South of

Bergerac is fine if you like the idea of living in a museum or a

tourist hot-spot."    Opinions, opinions, everyone is entitled to one but just to confirm I neither live in a museum or a tourist hot-spot.    Remember that just 1 mile from a "tourist hot-spot" you may as well be a million miles away - you need never visit the hot-spot  if you don't like being amongst tourists.

[Chancer]

[quote user="memb"]   Remember that just 1 mile from a "tourist hot-spot" you may as well be a million miles away - you need never visit the hot-spot  if you don't like being amongst tourists.[/quote]

I hope that is what I will experience next week, I need a break and deserve a holiday.

It will sure be strange to be in France and speaking English for the first time, my friend speaks very good French, in fact he was my inspiration for coming here, his partner is still learning so for her sake we will be speaking speaking English.

I think that my mate has chosen the area for the benefits that it offers him as a French speaker having lived here for many years.

[flunch]

I hope you enjoy your holiday and the area, beauty spots are too numerous to mention, but do take in other bastides, Monpazier, Monflanquin for example, try and visit La Roque Gageac and Domme and Rocquefort and St. Emilion and Sarlat and ........well, thats a few anyway.  Enjoy.