Brucey

Hi All, posted here years ago re a move down under and got great advice so hoping for the same. Last time we used this site I had a three and four year old, now they are 18 and 19, so its time for our next stage of life. My wife and I are considering getting out of the rat race. We are currently in Ireland and have EU citizenship through Ireland. Im 51 and she is 54. We are really keen to move to France but are also considering Spain. Because we are "getting out of the rat race" early we are open to where life takes us in terms of what we do but ideally in a dream situation we would like to buy a three bed house with up to an acre of land in good nic with an above ground pool for about €270k all in and go down the route of growing our own veg, keeping our own chickens and leading a simpler life. Im not talking about being self sufficient. We still see ourselves going to Lidl and getting 90% of our groceries. We plan on running one car, we drink about 4 bottles of wine a week between us, we would like to be able to go out to an average restaurant once a week. Outside of that we enjoy hiling, cycling, and dont have any expensive hobbies (the gym is about the most expensive pass time. We have a campervan so would use that a couple of times a year for breaks etc. Sorry for going on but my question is coming. We are looking at Limousin\Charente. As a starting point and bearing in mind what I have outlined above in terms of our lifestyle, will be be able to live life as we plan on a single pension of €27k if we are mortgage free. We will have some savings in addition of about €100k. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

Nand

Yes.

cyrian

Hi
You have lots to consider but first why don't you come with your campervan and visit several areas that interest you.
Don't visit like a visitor but as a potential resident and examine the property market.
The property market is very different from the UK and I assume Ireland.
Rural property doesn't usually sell fast because the French prefer newbuild properties near to towns and other services.
You could consider a newbuild with land and there are many companies that will build these for you.
You would benefit from modern building standards including double glazing and insulation.
You should also look at inheritance tax which would affect your children eventually.
Not having to work and having a substantial regular income (in euros) makes a move to France much easier.
How is your French?
Buying a house and other administrative situations can be challenging even if you have modest ability in French.
You need to investigate health insurance until you qualify for the French system.
27k € a year is more than enough for your lifestyle.
HTH

Listen Very Carefully

I know that I live there but may I suggest Brittany in particular Finistere You have a long coast line and also the Monts D'Aree for walking hiking etc and of course various beaches We chose Finistere having visited several regions of France and it suited us because like you we wanted to grow our own fruit and veg etc You can pick up a fermette in good nick very reasonably If you avoid Central Brittany and concentrate on being not too far away from a reasonable sized town eg Morlaix Quimper etc you will still be close to civilisation and amenities eg hospital shopping restaurants etc
WE looked at both the Limousin and Charente and to be honest the Limousin although having stunning countryside is devoid of life frankly and the Charente seemed to be populated by Brits which we did not want In our village we are the only Brits-we found the Bretons incredibly warm and friendly and the fact that that we were not Parisians helped
But I think Cyrians suggestion is spot on Visit especially out of season and see what each region is like

Brucey

Many Thanks for your reply, yes French is something I have just started to begin learning again, I did it in school many years ago. Im surprised a new build would be within our budget. It may well be a mistake but I like the character of older houses and was hoping to pick one up with all the updating done. Somebody told me that you never offer the asking price, is there any truth to that.

Brucey

dmu

+1
If they are young retirees, therefore "inactifs", they would have to take out private healthcare insurance from Day 1 in order to qualify for the French System after 3 months' residence.

scrubbedexpat056

I've mentioned this before on a few threads here. There is no prerequisite for health insurance to qualify for the French healthcare system after three months for inactifs, it would just be brave and or foolish not to have it in that period. The excellent english speaking helpline at AMELI (09 74 75 36 46 from France) will explain everything they need to know about joining the system.

Listen Very Carefully

Well I can tell you that CPAM Finistere want to see proof of health insurance for the three months wait prior to joining the system They will not accept EHIC I suspect that most local CPAMs will tell you the same If you move to France or any other country your access to NHS immediately ceases although if you have an S1 your healthcare is funded by the NHS so in theory you could get NHS treatment
If you go to a French hospital the Bureau des Entrees will want to see a Carte Vitale/Mutuelle a private health insurance certificate or failing that a credit card
Note that the EHIC is not a payment card you have to pay up front and then claim it back from your local CPAM who will want to see proof of address outside France and a non French bank account to pay into
The other thing to bear in mind of course is that newbies arriving in France in 2021 may have to jump through the same hoops as other third party countries eg USA etc and prove that their health cover is equivalent to CPAM ie in essence private insurance as the EHIC may well be withdrawn as well as the S1 for newbies

scrubbedexpat056

I guess we were just lucky that CPAM in the Aude followed the advice I was given by AMELI. Of course we took out our own medical insurance once we left the NHS.

Moses2013

First of all why specifically Limousin\Charente region, if you were also considering Spain? I live in Ireland myself and usually pass the region to get to our property in Spain but have you ever grown your own veg?Depending where you end up it can also feel very lonely compared to other parts of Ireland and there are many other things to consider. I suspect your main reason is also weather but the winters in some parts are very long and just as wet, especially if you don't have the life, friendliness and hospitality one is used to in Ireland (At least for us near Galway). You often see Brits who have this romantic vision of France and end up buying a large property somewhere in France and as they get older can't sell and feel lost with limited French. Don't forget that things can change when you get older, so I wouldn't put all my money into one rural property. €270K is a healthy budget and will get you a villa with pool in most places and we didn't even spend that much for two homes.

dmu

#19 of the Read-Me: Moving to France FAQs above gives an official updated site on admission into the French Sécu, and another on the Résidence requirements for "inactifs". You were indeed lucky in the Aude CPAM!

bitmanev

the OP is from Ireland so no NHS but HSE

cyrian

Only cover for 70% of treatment by France health service.
The other 30% (not obligatory but strongly recommended) is either paid by the OP or by a mutuelle insurance.