So Where to Start ?

[maude]

where are the moderators re advertising!

my post was deleted for this very same reason.

[Russethouse]

If you have a concern about a post you should use the report button.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

If my post was edited because of advertising, just to be clear, I was not advertising. It was all tongue in cheek, hence the offer of the property for €10k above the stated asking price.

Besides, I won't be able to sell the place for at least another 8 months as it is in joint names with my wife.

I have to go down the very expensive and nightmarishly difficult road of getting it put into my name only over the coming months...

[MallyAlly]

Thanks for all the replies

Maybe I should have explained a bitmore in the original messeage.

We are a live for now couple but also have a dream we want to fulfill and you can never be too prepared. Hence this thread.

We are holidaying every year from now to pinpoint an area and we are learning the language which we know is paramount. We also intend to rent if we dont find anywhere and try to give ourselves more of a what it is like to live there.

I was kind of hoping for a this areas has this but lacks that that would go toward the dossier we are compiling.

We are first booked in Vendee in the Pays De La Loire as that Dept is the first that has peaked our interest.

[Russethouse]

 When I first went to the Vendee I loved it and thought I would end my days there, however I think you have to pick your spot, in some parts it is very flat (recently there have been dreadful floods ) some parts of it are very different in summer and winter and I suspect that you have to be easily able to entertain yourself. A resident told me it was a 'cultural desert' and spent her winters in Brazil (!!!!) Some parts of it are very popular with the retired.... on the other hand it is south of the Loire and that can mean better weather.

Several forum members live in the region so I'm sure you'll get some good advice

[Pommier]

We're now living in the Vendee after previously living in Normandy and Lot et Garonne.

We've not been here long but used to holiday here for many years.

We chose this area for the climate, and because we wanted to live in a busy town at the seaside with plenty going on all year. It's also not too bad a journey to the UK.

[PaulT]

Perhaps you need to look for a place to live not to holiday.

A holiday and it is for, say, 2 weeks. A home a place for life so it requires more to hold you than just 2 weks.

Will admit at the start of our search we drew up a list of requirements which do not mirror what we bought.

We toured a great chunk of the SW to the Med. For us it came down to a major factor being a view of the Pyrenees and a quiet location (currently we have some very noisy neighbours).

So think what will it be like in Winter when the weather is poor and nothing much going on.

Paul

[mint]

[quote user="P2"] So think what will it be like in Winter when the weather is poor and nothing much going on. Paul[/quote]

Better still, visit in winter!  We loved the idea of living in Normandy, so we went one January and it was absolutely freezing with several centimetres of ice on the car every morning.  Also, many of our favourite restaurants and haunts were closed.

I had problems breathing (because of an asthmatic condition) and we decided we'd live elsewhere and just enjoy Normandy in the summer months [:)]

[BQF]

My house is in Orne, which is very 'horsey' - the departement has a horse as it's symbol, and there are hundreds of racehorse breeders in the area.  There are many race meetings at the racecourse in Bagnoles de L'Orne.  There are 3x Golf courses within 5 miles of my house (near Flers), and land/houses are still fairly good value.  So, from a description of your interests, and that fact that the South isn't an option, I'd definitely visit the Orne......so thats the upside.....

.....On the downside, it's absolutely rubbish weather in the winter.  The rain seems like a constant 'pizzle' - it's exceptionally cold (it was minus 13 the winter before last), and outside of Caen (an hour away) there isn't really much of a cultural life.  You'll easily be able to embrace the French lifestyle - it's primarily a 'country' area and the pace of life is very different to the UK.  For example, I paid my neighbour to build a fence for me, and he put up the posts two years ago, and we're still waiting for him to complete it by fixing the grillage (!).  The lazy bugger!!

Seriously though - do rent places, travel widely and be prepared to be disappointed many times before you find a lovely place that is special to you.  Don't wait for too long though - 'carpe diem' and all that.  Bonne Chance!

[Sprogster]

BQF has highlighted an interesting point and that is the generally awful weather in much of France during the winter, with average temperatures in many areas colder than England. So make sure you visit in Winter, as heating costs can have a major impact on budgets.