bourgogne

seems not

i've been in France since 2000, my mother moved here in 2004. I have met only ONE english couple since I came! I lived in Paris, then Bourg en Bresse, and now the Bresse part of Burgundy.

Hard enough as mother speaks no french whatsoever, and reads even less. My french is laughable STILL Its not been easy as she decided to have a house built here! oh boy the regulations and guff i've had to try and understand. House is almost finished, so i think i got most of it right?

Would like to discover hidden ex-pats, if only it would be someone else to communicate with for my mum

CorAnglais

Well I'm not a hidden ex-pat, not even a visible one yet. You only met one English couple in 4 years? -- Wow, you can't get out much!

I'm reading this forum to try and get an idea where I'd like to retire to this or next year. France is on my shortlist, along with Spain (slightly inland, not the costas) and Cyprus. For France I'm sort of zoning in on Poitou-Charentes as the climate is pleasant and it doesn't look too expensive yet. Burgundy property is cheaper, but the weather is obviously not so nice.

I don't think I would have too much problem getting by in French after a while - I was top of my class on the subject at school - mind you that was a long time ago!

Why did you choose Burgundy? What's it like living there? Do you work? Shouldn't think so if you don't speak the lingo. What do you find to do?

bourgogne

Hi there my mother who had retired some years ago and was "pig sick of england" moved out here, to where I am as a base to look for property. However, although i do agree the weather is not HOT, she does not like it that hot, and we do get some scorching summers, and equally freezing winters (-17° +40°) I have an old house that is a wreak but got a huge barn and 45,000m2 of garden, land elsewhere is very very much more expensive. The dutch and swiss tend to buy any house going out here

The benefits are being central in fact. an hour east and you are in the vinyards and close to Morvan nat Park, go north and its rolling country like the cotswolds, go east and the Jura mountains. I am only an hour and a bit from a few ski resorts, Geneva is about 150kms away etc etc. Dole, Dijon and Chalon sur Saone are each 30-50mins away. South does not offer much until you reach Lyon, thats an attractive city. There is a nice english couple in this village, and they chose here because it is not only one of the very few with a supermarket, but also its crime free (i have never locked my cars), its quite a nice area........ however fishing (hate it) seems the tourist industy?

Many people i have spoken to (french) are amazed how many english are here, often in the bank i get the next round of 2 more english moved blah blah and another 2 are in etc etc . WE ARE INVADING even my doctor gives me a regular rundown LOL she is amazed, but it still better than the UK. There is a astounding amount of houses being built here in the last year, and every day you see another under construction. House prices in france have lept up, there are some still reasonable priced ones, but some getting close to Uk prices even here !!!!!!

French from school is 'okay' but you'll find very quickly the french use so much slang you'll have to learn it all over again, not to mention local dialect (which can differ to the extent you cant understand at all)

Spain??? I know a couple that made the move, and 3yrs later moved back to england. They could not stand the amount of english out there. She said it was like a clicky little club where EVERYBODY is SOMEBODY. That environment I even would not enjoy.

enough of my gabbing on

if you would like any help or advice 'if i know the area that is " please ask be happy to assist.

CorAnglais

Hi, I don't blame your mother for being pig sick of england, it's getting worse all the time. Crime soaring, nhs and education collapsing, and decent normal working people subsidising an ever-increasing culture of social layabouts and spongers.

Your place sounds quite interesting. I have to admit I do like a warm climate, but the chance to buy a nice rural place with a bit of land at a good price sounds attractive too. The new houses sprouting up sounds worrying - a major attraction for me of France is the quiet unspoilt rurality. Are these new places being built only in the villages? Surely they are not planning to concrete over the French countryside like Prescott is in S England?

I'd be interested in your opinion of which are the lowest priced (for property) regions at the present time. My impression is that it would be Pays de la Loire, Loire Valley, Bourgogne, and Limousin?

bourgogne

Houses being built;

well yes there are quite a lot! nothing even close to the like prescot has decided of course!, there are 'estates' lottissements' these can get quite large near to cities, otherwise are normally only 10/15 plots. and builders dont build estates they only build a house per customer, so you dont get speculative...... execpt in cities. 1000m2 of land can vary a lot from say 15000€ to 50000€ depends where it is. I have seen a scrap of land covered in trees going for 90000€ !!!!! then you have to build the house!

Here the building regs have changed, and the houses have to be inkeeping with the local area! no WHITE PVC windows, no concrete roof tiles, the pitch of the roof has to be no less than 38°

together with the house colours no longer can be white, and even the wooden shutters have to be beige or similar! That only applies to this area, other areas have other rules as i seen a differing treatment to rules? Here we where also 'ZONED' in 2003, thus is now fixed as to what is possible for housing, agriculture and industry. They cannot be changed. My own garden (its quite long) starts as housing, then argriculteral and then protected trees! No one asked me!!! but its impossible to change it, and has ensured that no other house can be slipped in.

côte d-or, saone et loire, doubs and jura are all on the up about 10% last year, Rhone-apls is staying quite high. anywhere close to a city is very high. but i have to admit it does seem burgundy/ is have a lot of people move this way. Jura was very cheep until last year or so and is now very expensive in places.

the popular locations on the med??? silly prices! perhaps aude and pyrenees orientales are still not bad but lept up last year about 10-20%

I am sorry i know nothing about the west coast of france, haut vienne etc

i'll find some links for you and post them later.