A day in the life of Jacqueline Hanks - Property Finder

Having read my colleague Graham’s blog at http://cognacproperty.blogspot.co.uk I remembered this article which was published in the May/June issue of French Entrée magazine this year and thought I would share it with you!

 

"When my husband and I returned to return to live in France eight years ago and bought our dream home near Bergerac, I had no idea that a few years later I would be extolling the virtues of the Dordogne and spending my time looking for the best properties for sale in my area, yet it is exactly what I do most days.

Being a property finder means ensuring that my international clientele gets to purchase the best properties on the market at realistic prices. Many of them are too far away or too busy to find their dream property. Most have very specific requirements and this is where my knowledge of the area and the market comes into play, enabling me to weed out unsuitable properties and in doing so, save them a lot of wasted effort and money.

Dealing with clients and seeing their reaction when you have found them the perfect place is rewarding - no other job has given me such a sense of achievement. It is a bit like being a matchmaker! Dealing with estate agents and negotiating directly with owners selling privately can be challenging, but is always interesting.

Most mornings I take mon petit déjeuner on the terrace amid beautiful countryside. Then I check and respond to emails and return a few calls before jumping in my cabriolet to view a few promising properties. I love driving around with the roof down!

When I am not viewing properties, I carry out a far less glamorous activity that is going through private sales and property listings on the internet. This is where you need a lot of patience... I must browse thousands for each search.

 I am just finishing a search for Australian clients who will be arriving in a couple of weeks. Since I have just learned that one of the houses I had selected for them has been sold, I am visiting another couple this morning. I would like to show them at least six. So, I am meeting Pierre in his office in Eymet at 9am where we can review the details of the first property we are to visit and grab a quick coffee before heading to Miramont de Guyenne where it is situated.

On paper, this property fits the brief well and is within the €450,000 budget my clients have to spend. As soon as we arrive though, I know the house will not make my final six. It is too close to the road and although my clients want to be in or near a village, they also want privacy and quiet and this will not do.

Disappointed, we move on to the next house I have arranged to visit. The property is on the edge of a small village and as soon as I walk in, I realize that this could be the one! The location is perfect, the pool at the back has wonderful views and the house itself is charming and definitely worth recommending.

Delighted to have found another possible, I hurry back to Bergerac. I have enough time to check my emails again and have something to eat before a meeting this afternoon with one of my estate agent contacts. Hubert wants to show me a great house (two in fact) that some of his friends - a wife and husband team - are in the process of renovating. She is an interior decorator and he has a building company. The houses could be sold separately or together to create a gîte complex. The properties are not on the market yet and since the owner is a friend, Hubert will charge a lower agency fee. He wants to show them to me because he knows they would appeal to the type of clientele I work with.

When I get there, I am bowled over, even though it is raining. Hubert didn’t exaggerate! The properties are in a great location, hidden behind a small wood, on a huge plot, beautiful and amazingly furnished. At around €1,000,000 they are not cheap but Hubert assures me that the owner wants to sell quickly and will be prepared to come down a fair bit.

I return home tired but elated, having achieved what I was hoping to. I have found that replacement house and a couple of gems that I can keep under my hat with all the other special properties I know of who are awaiting the ‘perfect’ owner!"

 

 

French and expat communities in Dordogne

This is an article I recently wrote for FrenchEntree about where the English speakers live (and where they don’t) in Southern Dordogne and you can read the whole article here.

Bergerac - view from the Vieux Pont

Dordogne has a reputation for being full of Brits and according to official French figures, it has a UK expatriate population without equal in France. One of the reasons for this love affair with the Dordogne is that it is an amazingly beautiful region with many places to explore, lots of space, a great climate, wonderful architecture and a healthy property market. For some, the best reason to move here is that it is possible to live in this region and manage with very limited French language skills because of this high concentration of Brits.

Lalinde view from above

In fact, it is true that a few of Southern Dordogne’s towns such as Bergerac, Lalinde, Eymet have a very large English speaking population. Several factors are the cause of such an influx of expat in that area such as Bergerac airport offering many cheap flights to the UK and thereby providing vital links with family and friends in the UK; local French banks offering banking services in English; a lot of services and businesses run by Brits; local newspapers written in English; and even the Tax Office in Bergerac offering help in English to expats to fill in their tax return. These facilities provide a security net to those Brits for whom learning French is just too difficult, or, until they have mastered enough French to integrate into the French population.

Therefore, although speaking French is considered cultural good manners, it is not essential and for those with no inclination or ability to learn the language, southern Dordogne is an ideal place to live since it offers great surroundings without the hardship of trying to integrate into a society without speaking the language.

For those of you, who want to master the language and succeed in integrating within the local population, there are still plenty of villages and little town where you can experience the real France and mix with the French community. In fact, the “real” France is not just about location, it is about a frame of mind and a desire to learn new customs and a new way of life integrating your dreams and those of the host country, enjoying a different life style in the process. So, whichever type you are, lover of Moliere’s or of Shakespeare’s mother tongue, there is a place for you in my corner of the world, where you will find whatever you are looking for.

Explore Lascaux II

For anyone remotely interested in history and especially pre-history, a visit to Lascaux II is a must. Lascaux II is a copy of the Grotte of Lascaux which is situated approximately 200 m away from the original cave, up a hill overlooking Montignac which is a charming village in the Vézère valley.

Lascaux II opened in July 1983 and is the exact copy in three dimensions of the Lascaux cave which was closed to the public in 1963. At the time the accumulated breath (i.e carbon dioxide) of the thousands of visitors flocking to view the beautiful paintings caused the temperature to rise and the condensation forming on the walls as well as the algae they brought in on their shoes affected the cave and caused 2 separate diseases "the green leprosy" and the "white disease" (i.e. calcite crystals) which started to cover the paintings.

The only solution was to close the original Lascaux to the public and tackle the diseases. They managed to eradicate the green leprosy but could not get rid completely of the problem caused by the carbon dioxide. The cave was closed and the replica built. To this day only a few people are allowed to visit the original cave  and only with special permission. Two galleries have been reproduced "The Bulls Hall" and the "Axial Recess" gathering 90% of the paintings of the original all made 17,000 years ago.

Being very interested in archaeology, I had always wanted to visit Lascaux II, but in the past had been put off by some comments made on certain websites. Finally since I had some friends staying with us for a holiday, I decided to take the plunge! I certainly do not regret it the visit lasted about 45 minutes and was conducted in English (my husband and friends do not unfortunately speak French!) and it was really an amazing experience. The beauty and sensitivity of the paintings cannot be conveyed with words. These Cro-Magnon men were very much modern men like us and it is evident in their carvings and paintings that they had an amazing knowledge of their surroundings and had extraordinary painting skills. I would highly recommend the visit and it is only and hour or so away from Bergerac.

A word of warning though! You can only buy your tickets in the town of Montignac near the Office de Tourisme which is situated near the church. Follow the blue panel located on the side of the church as seen on the photo below.

Limeuil - One of the "plus beaux villages de France"

Yesterday, I decided to take my Welsh friends who are staying with us for a week to visit Limeuil. Limeuil is one of the most beautiful villages of France and is situated in my favourite part of France, the Dordogne. We left Bergerac early afternoon and followed the Dordogne river past Creysse, Lalinde, Badefols-sur-Dordogne, Calès and arrived 45 minutes later at the foot of the village which has its own beach. From there you can hire a canöe or kayak and go down the river for a few hours of peace and quiet and nature watching. The steep streets of the medieval city lead to the site of the ancient fortresse that controlled the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère.

The visit of the village itself last an hour and a half and you can get a leaflet from the Office de Tourisme which details the village layout and the points of interest. Of particular interest are: the échoppe de tisserand which still sells garnments but which is so small you have to try what you want to buy in the street and la maison de tolérance du village which housed the girls who were there to give a little comfort to the Gabarriers (sailors) who were a long way away from home! At the top of the village, where the fortresse controlled the confluence, les Jardins Panoramiques de Limeuil await you. This part of the visit cost 8€ per person but it is worth it just to admire the magnificent view of the the Dordogne and Vézère rivers meeting. On the way down, there are plenty of little cafes and restaurants where you can spend another hour sharing a cool carafe of rosé and we chose to accompany the wine with some delicious homemade ice creams. 

Monbazillac and its Marché Nocturne

Surprisingly, I don't think there is a more convivial way to spend a couple of hours than to seat and eat amongst complete strangers. This is what happens every week in different towns and villages throughout Southern Dordogne during the summer. For those of you not familiar with the concept of Marché Nocturne, tables and benches are placed in the streets, ambulant food stalls provide fresh local food and wine, you bring your own plate, glass, knife and fork. You then chose a spot and while you decide what to drink and eat you start having a chat with your neighbours at the table. I was in Monbazillac last Sunday and shared a table with Dutch, English and French people and everyone had a great time! After a while and a couple of glasses of wine you suddenly become much more fluent in whatever language is being spoken at your table which sometimes leads to hilarious misunderstandings and dubious jokes. This is just one of the great and cheap evening out you too can experience in Southern Dordogne. So next time you're around, join us ! You'll definitely have some fun!

La Belle Aquitaine

This is a short article I recently wrote as an overview of the large area in the South West known as Aquitaine http://www.frenchentree.com/france-aquitaine-buying-guide/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=45546. Hope you enjoy it.

Southern Dordogne is it for you?

Choosing where to buy a place to live is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life. Whether you are looking for a gite, a villa, a stone cottage, a farmhouse as a holiday home or a principal residence, the Southern Dordogne region has it all and is a serious contender. Here are the main reasons as to why: 

·       A stunning and unspoilt region not overpopulated, with plenty of beautiful architecture all around.

·       A fantastic weather.

·       A great and healthy lifestyle.

·       A great gastronomy and an abundance of fresh produce in the weekly markets.

·       A culturally rich area with plenty of activities such as antique markets, auctions, arts and crafts fairs, local music festivals to keep you busy.

·       Lots of outdoor activities such as golf, cycling, forest walks to keep you fit.

·       Great links with the UK.

·       Then there are the people! Friendly, welcoming and always so helpful.  

So how could you go wrong? Add to that a great selection of properties for sale with prices starting at €125,000 and larger properties still at affordable prices and you can see why so many have already made the move. If you are interested in buying a property in Bergerac or south of the Dordogne River, and would like more information about the area, contact me.