JohnSmith24

Hi all,

Thanks to anyone taking the time to read this and offer opinions!
I'm looking to move to France with my girlfriend - we want to buy a plot of land in a fairly rural area (near a village/town) with mountainous views, and build a small home there. We like greenery, but will be looking to escape the rain and dark winters that England offers, so sunny weather (not too hot) would be ideal.

We will spend September-April in France, and probably come back to the UK for the summer, so good winter weather is a must.

I really like the look of the Midi-Pyrinees, as the mountains look beautiful and land is affordable, but fear the winters will be too cold. Bearing in mind we are aiming to buy land in the mountains for the views, and the lower prices compared to coastal land.

Our top needs are:

1. Quiet, nature filled location with nice views
2. Warm winter weather
3. (Bonus - near the sea!)

Would be super grateful for any advice you guys can offer!

EuroTrash

Not wishing to put a dampener on things but to be honest I'm struggling to think of many places in France, apart from the very touristy areas or the very hot areas, that aren't nicer in summer. This last winter has been pretty cruel in most regions I think. Apart from the occasional crisp sunny spell which can indeed be beautiful, I suspect most folks living in the mountains ended up digging in, keeping warm and waiting for spring.

cyrian

Hi
I see that you have posted the same thing on the Italy; Portugal; Slovenia and Spain forums.
IMHO you need to be committed to France and preferably have a good level of french to make your move a success.
Buying a plot of rural land and getting a change of use and then dealing with all the bureaucracy related to building a house is not easy in France.
I think that you need to spend some time in France - not as a tourist - but as a potential resident at different times of the year.
You need to choose your country first and then focus on the details to make your move a success.
HTH

EuroTrash

On first reading I thought this was about building a holiday home. On rereading I see the plan is to spend 8 months of the year here. Even without Brexit that would need careful handling from the residency point of view, and unless they have EU passports it could be a no-no post-Brexit if Brits need visas to visit France.
Plus there's the little problem of French inheritance law if they want to jointly own a property as a unmarried / unpacs'd partners.
It's like a lot of things about France, saying "this is exactly what I'm going to do so what's the best way to do it?" tends to end in tears because there may not be a way. Safer to start off finding what your options actually are, and then choose the one that's nearest to what you originally wanted. Other countries may have less red tape and be less restrictive and more accommodating.

dmu

Have to agree with all the others concerning France.
Don't underestimate the importance of being merely "partners". Take a look at the "Partner Status" thread in the Read-Me: Moving to France FAQs above, especially if you're buying property. France is not partner-friendly in many respects....
You'd be spending more than 6 months in France, therefore making you both tax-residents here as individuals. You don't mention your respective lines of work and whether your monthly incomes would be sufficient for you both to be eligible for Résidence. How would you organise the compulsory healthcare coverage from Day 1, which is another condition for Résidence? You don't say whether you'd be working in the UK when you're not in France, nor whether you'd both hope to work in France. If you work from home, you'd need to set up a French business structure.
As mentioned above, buying a plot of land classified as agricultural would involve a lot of time and paperwork to change its use, not to mention all the paperwork involved with getting a Permis de Construire to build a home.
Do either of you speak adequate French to cope with all the bureaucracy?
P.S. From a geographical point of view, how high a mountain? If Ben Nevis is your norm, the Haut-Languedoc/Corbières might tick your boxes for scenery and nearby sea, but winters are cold and wet, and this last one particularly so.

Rosemary

You have posted the same thread in five different country forums. I would suggest that initially you take holidays in the various countries in order to discover which one would suit you the most then start on the research of different areas within the chosen country. Spreading yourself over the whole of Europe is not advisable.

Rosemary

scot47

So is it France, or Italy or Spain or Portugal or Slovenia.?


Which did you choose ? Have you thought of the complexity tax-wise of dividing your time between two jurisdictions ? Tax liability ? Residence issues ? BREXIT ?


Language issues ? Do you speak Slovene ? Or French ? Or Italian ? Or Spanish ? Or Portugues ?

Pilou

The Pyrenees-Atlantiques is a very nice departement to live. Look at places like Salies de Béarn/ Sauveterre de Béarn/ Navarrenx. Between the mountains and the ocean. A micro-climate without cold winters (the palm trees will tell you) and not too hot in the summer.
The sea at 40 min and nice places as Pau, Bayonne, Biarritz within 30 min/1 hour. At only 1 hour from the spanish border.

Peaceful, very low crime and property was more expensive before the crisis but now still low prices.
Dordogne, Lot & Garonne .... be careful: no life during the period october to may!

Salies de Bearn is a small town with golf/ casino and thermal spas at 35 min from Biarritz.
Pays Basque is also beautiful, but the local people are not fond of ..... people from "outside".

KateW.

Hi, I see that you wish to have mountain view for which I can't really help you. BUT I've been to Chalons-en-Champagne which does not have a seaside or a mountain side for that matter, but what it does have is some great parks, beautiful nature. There are some remote areas which answers your 1. Quiet, nature filled location with nice views and some of the 2. Warm winter weather. May be you can check it out. I was there a few years ago but I don't think there will be major changes. And it's close to Paris, if you want to be near it. But as Rosemary said, if you can afford to go on a vacation and check a few places out before deciding, that would be best.

Tweedpipe

The OP unfortunately did not respond to any of the above answers, and has not posted since, so it's rather unlikely that he/she will read or heed further advise.