Could I really do it?
 

Hello I'm female single, no kids & no parents still living & I'm thinking of moving to France. I have funds to buy a property outright & thinking of starting up a gîte in the Limousin région. Could I really do it as a woman on my own or would I be biting off more than I can chew? Any thoughts/opinions welcome 😊

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Hello Shirl1, welcome to the forum.

If you have the money there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to set up a gîte in Limousin. Then, if you're going to rely on the income to live on as opposed to doing it for fun and a bit of pin money, the challenge will be making a go of it in the long term, which will depend on your hospitality skills / determination and willingness to graft / business acumen, with regard to which good language skills will help a lot in getting your head round the business side of things. Only you know whether or not you have those qualities :sneaky:

I moved to France 10 years ago as a single female, and I don't recall ever feeling that being a lone female put me at a disadvantage particularly. Mind you the term 'Brexit' hadn't been coined back then.

From your post I guess you're considerably younger than I was, but if you feel you have the self-belief and self-confidence to do it, then you probably have. But, you shouldn't really need to rely on reassurance from other people (who don't know you from Eve, and therefore aren't qualified to comment). What doubts do you have, specifically?

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Well I'm not that young - I'm 51. I have hospitality experience & I've seen a property with a separate building that I could convert. It's just friends put you off with their "advice" & I suppose I just wanted some feedback from people who'd actually done it.

Re: Could I really do it?
 

You're exactly the same age I was when I moved, then :lol:

The thing is, as I'm sure you realise, it depends on so many things. One hears success stories and the occasional horror story. Nobody can say Yes come and set up a gîte in Limousin, you can't go wrong, it will be a success. But if you plan carefully and get all your ducks in a row, then yes, a well-run gîte in the right location should succeed. Whether one moderately successful gîte can provide enough income to live on year round, is more debatable - maybe for a single person it would, depends on your lifestyle I suppose. The peak holiday season for the French is quite short, say 6 to 8 weeks in most areas, and I'm not sure what attractions Limousin has to attract visitors out of season. If you had another source of income you would be more secure.

Converting a building is a topic in itself. Does the building already have residential status or is it classed as agricultural, does it require renovation / extension or just cosmetic changes? Have you had quotes yet? Building work tends to cost more and take longer in France than you would expect to pay for similar work in the UK. But again, provided you've planned realistically, that needn't be a problem.

Things to bear in mind: healthcare is not free at the point of delivery in France, and the cotisations you'll pay on your business income to qualify you for state healthcare may seem quite high. There is a certain amount of bureaucracy which at first can be a pain; it takes a while to adjust to the French mindset and realise that the red tape is designed to make sure that everyone follows the rules and ultimately to make life run more smoothly for everyone. All in all as a self employed person I have to say I don't find France a particularly cheap place to live. On the other hand, if you choose the right place and you enjoy the French lifestyle, living in France is well worth everything it throws at you. If it's what you want to do, it would be a real shame not to give it your best shot. You only live once and regrets tend to be the things you didn't do, not the things you did do. But if possible don't burn your bridges just in case.

By all means come back with specific questions, but without knowing the location of the gite, what market you're targeting, how dependent you will be on the gite income, I don't see how anyone can say a lot more than that.

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply I really appreciate it. You raise a lot of valid points that I've touched on in my research so far. The gîte would really be just to give me a small income as I've only myself & my dog to keep. The building is agricultural at the moment & would need complete renovation etc & I think it's that that is making me doubtful. If I were just moving to France to retire I wouldn't hesitate but I will need to make a little money so that I don't spend all my capital just to live. I'm also thinking of installing a pool as an extra draw for potential guests & because I personally would love one :-)

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Pools certainly add value to a gîte as well as being great for you when there are no guests. But they will push the property taxes up.

If you decide to go ahead, make sure the notaire is aware of your intentions when he draws up the compromis de vente, so that he makes the sale conditional on obtaining a permis de construire to convert the building. If it's close to the house it shouldn't normally be a problem but don't take any chances. Also don't underestimate the cost of the renovation. I suspect a complete renovation would have to meet the current building normes in full, including the energy normes which are pretty strict and if that's the case, definitely try to get a ball park figure for the project before committing yourself - architect's fees, project manager if you use one, artisans, getting utilities connected - can you connect to mains drainage or will you need to install a fosse system?
Then once you have a figure, work out how many years you expect it to take before you get your money back...
There is also the question of, if you move to France before the gîte is ready, would you qualify to affiliate to France's state healthcare system as an economically inactive immigrant? Living in France with no healthcare is a no-no, and especially with Brexit coming up you can't risk being caught in an "irregular" situation as it could impact on your right to remain.
I'm not saying any of this to put you off but I think you need to have the answers to all these questions before committing yourself. Lots of research and planning to do :sneaky:

Come on folks, where are you all? Having your Sunday naps? Shirl1 will think there's only me active on the forum :eek:

Re: Could I really do it?
 

I'm still gobsmacked by the revelation that you're female. It never crossed my mind before. :unsure:

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Yes I had planned on going to view the property & have the agent arrange tradesmen to give me quotes etc & info on permission to do the conversion. The house does have a loft conversion I could let out until the gîte is completed. There's certainly plenty to think about & thank you again for all your input 😊

Re: Could I really do it?
 

And why should I not be female :confused:
Always have been, always will be...

Re: Could I really do it?
 

No reason at all my friend. This is actually good to discover. The internet is full of pleasant surprises.

Re: Could I really do it?
 

I'm gobsmacked too by the same revelation! Funny how one tends to put a face to a name or to a persons posts over a period of time. I could have sworn ET was a

Don't take this hard ET. We may even become closer.:o

Re: Could I really do it?
 

Funnily enough, I, too, thought you were male for a long time, until you gave a clue in the distant past (which, with galloping Alzheimers, I've forgotten), indicating the opposite! :)

Re: Could I really do it?
 

haha yes I assunmed Eurotrash was also a chap. Dunno why, the name? Funy what assumptions we make.

Re: Could I really do it?
 

... and I've just seen, next to my name, a little symbol for female!