Tours de France

The big event Saturday 26 July 2014 Bergerac – Périgueux against the clock

7 years after diagonally crossing the Dordogne, 20 years after the last stage against the clock between Périgueux and Bergerac, the Tour de France returns to the Department for a stage which looks like the best event in the Périgourdian calendar this summer.  

The route of the Bergerac - Périgueux stage will be as follows and as a race against the clock the route will be closed for an entire day!

The advertising caravan will travel the route from 8:35 to 9:42... 

In Bergerac, the first rider will start at 10:05.

In Périgueux, the last will arrive around 17.30... 

From Bergerac, the route will go through stunning scenery and the following villages: Beleymas, Villamblard, Manzac-sur-Vern et Coulounieix-Chamiers to end in Périgueux.

This will be a great day for all the towns on the route and should be an exciting event for onlookers be they fans, residents or tourists…

La Ringueta, Traditional Games Celebration in Sarlat

La Ringueta, an occitan festival celebrating the traditional games of the past will take place this year as usual on Whit Sunday on the 7th and 8th June 2014 in Sarlat.

During those two days, under the occitan flags, events of address, contests of strength, introduction to the traditional dances as well as many free games will take place. Traditional food and music will complement the program of of this friendly and familial celebration. Hope to see you there!



© PHOTO DROUINAUD EMILIE

From Texas to the Dordogne • Jeff and Liz find a home

The reasons why Jeff and Liz selected France for retirement would fill a book in itself (and indeed they will as Jeffrey is completing his manuscript). They love the lifestyle, the climate, the access to the rest of Western Europe, and the ability to live, rather than just be making a living.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm Jeffrey Poster, a recovering litigator now involved in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation & arbitration, and teacher of both subjects at a law school in Texas. I have a BA, Master of Public Administration, and JD degrees and I'm a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. I also write [see excerpt from his book below]. My wife Elizabeth is the daughter of Hungarian refugees born in a camp for displaced persons near Munich. She is the Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor and Master degree from Boston University and a PhD from Boston College, and she somehow found the time to become an accomplished jewelry maker.




How did you come across your Property Finder Jacqueline Hanks?

After a first frustrating house hunting trip, we asked about a property we found on the FrenchEntrée.com website. The very helpful person who responded to my inquiry (FrenchEntrée seems to suffer from an epidemic of effective and helpful people) asked if we would be interested in speaking with a property finder and Jacqueline called us within a few minutes. Jacqueline then led us through our home search and guided us through the buying process.


Why did you choose this particular house?

We had little doubt that we would find something in the Dordogne. We loved the area and chose the house because we felt it had everything necessary to move in without renovation, was convenient to village services, and was in a location where there were a lot of services available for expatriates. What we did not know until the morning after we visited was that the house is located in the town that is the setting of the TV production of Little England.


Do you have plans to move here permanently?

In the coming years we hope to be living here full-time enjoying visitors and local friends, and traveling in France and Europe.

In hindsight would you have done anything differently?

Not really. Perhaps we could have given ourselves some more time in France to complete our search.

What would they recommend to someone who is just starting their search?

I would suggest that a good start is a large property show like Earls Court [The France Show is held in London every January]. But most importantly, unless one has been a resident of France and in the area in which one wishes to buy, it is essential to engage a property finder, and if one is looking in the southern Dordogne, it is best to engage Jacqueline.”

The following is a condensed excerpt from the first few chapters of Jeff's book.


The coffee always tasted better on Sunday morning. It was a ritual. We would always make a fresh pot of coffee, and a good breakfast. Then, we’d turn on CBS, open up our local paper and the New York Times, and settle in for the next few hours. The relaxation and talking about the articles we reading made the coffee taste better. One Sunday morning in early April Liz completely surprised me by asking if I wanted to retire in France. I had been saying I wanted to do that for years, so she knew the answer would be yes!

We had our periodical meeting with our financial advisor coming up soon so decided we would not do anything until we met with him. He had good news for us and because the Euro had weakened against the dollar, it was a good time to buy. In the 20th century we would have begun our research at the library, but instead of that, we logged on.
...
We love the Dordogne for its wonderful combination of food, scenery, and history. It was fortunate that our resources matched our inclinations. We found that the Haute-Savoie, another favorite area with its combination of rich summer activities and access to skiing, was entirely out of reach. There appeared to be an overwhelming selection of properties among the many websites. But these websites were produced by selling agents aimed to get buyers into their offices so appearances were positively misleading. By the time we were finished with our first few hours of looking at websites, we were convinced that French property agents would describe the Acropolis of Athens as a “home in need of renovation, great views, roof repair possible.” We started to learn the secret code, for example if the description said the property had many rooms, that meant that the rooms were tiny, and we found that attractive homes had unattractive neighbors. We quickly learned to eliminate the listings that failed to have any photographs of either the exterior or the interior, or those that showed three views of the kitchen, but somehow managed to avoid a photograph of the stove. But, this left us with many properties we might want to see, and we decided to make some calls to France.
....
We had a cruise planned from more than a year, that left from Dover so we left a few days early and spent some time in France. Our conversations with the estate agents all began to have certain sameness. They wanted us to meet them at their office, review their catalogs “to see what listings were current.” and then visit some properties. We later learned this was a frequent method of showing properties in France.
...
(After some looking) we had currency exchange established, a French bank account, and a mortgage broker, all we had to do was find a house. We were feeling as if we needed more direction, because we were wasting a lot of effort and making very little progress. I felt like a hapless husband trying to find something for his wife in a lingerie department. I was surrounded by pretty alternatives, but I knew nothing about fit or utility. Fortunately, we were about to be helped out of our confusion. After looking at an ad for a particularly attractive house, I asked for more information via the website, and expected an email response, but the following morning the phone rang and the caller was a representative of FrenchEntrée, which I thought was one of the better property and information web sites. She had good information about the property I had asked about, but in the course of the conversation, she asked if we would be interested in talking to a property finder.
....
(Property finder) Jacqueline immediately tuned in to our American sensibilities. We spent a great deal of time talking about our preferences and the service that she would provide. She would review the ads we selected from the internet; and would suggest some that she could find from sources not available to us. When we selected a manageable list, we would consult via email and telephone, and put the homes in priority order. She would then visit the leading homes on the list about two weeks before our arrival. After those visits, she would send us her assessments and recommendations – also known as “reality check.” She also explained her fee, which was a small percentage of the purchase price, and that she would need a deposit to start her work. After a brief discussion with Liz, I phoned in the deposit first thing the following morning and then we sent our list. Oliver Cromwell famously sent a message to the Scottish Parliament, asking “to consider the possibility that thee might be mistaken." Jacqueline was somewhat more direct. She pointed out some of the problems in our list, and we narrowed it down to the chosen few for a visit in June. Because we hoped to purchase a home, we were burdened with more than our usual luggage, cameras, measuring devices, and a pad of graph paper. We were guardedly optimistic. Jacqueline claimed she was certain we would find a house we loved. She would turn out to be correct.
...
Before anyone can visit a property, the visitor must sign a “bon de visite.” This binds the visitor to that showing realtor, and if the property is bought from another realtor, or the owner directly, the realtor has the right to demand a commission from the errant buyer. Our home was only the third one we had seen in our search, but we decided it was perfect almost as soon as we had done the first walk through. Not only was it very different from the other houses on the list, it was not in the small hamlet we had first envisioned, it was not stone construction, and it was in a very formal Napoleon III style. It was also substantially above our budget. It was, in short, just about the opposite of everything we wanted and was perfect for us. It was on a quiet one-way street, near the Mairie and the Post Office, was around the corner from a boulangerie, and a short walk from a supermarché. We went off to our other appointments, but the rest of the day was now ruined, because we wanted the house but knew we did not dare make an offer on it, because it was priced well above our price point. The following morning we returned to the house, then known as the Napoleonic house for its style, attempting to appear guileless and carrying a substantial level of anxiety. We were going to negotiate a price and in this matter, we were dealing with two professionals, each trying to do the best for their respective clients.
...
In a few minutes, the notaire arrived. The four of us went into his office and went through the introductions. He was, surprisingly to us, very much concerned that Liz and I would be comfortable with the purchase process. He spent a good deal of time explaining all the buyers’ safeguards required by French law. He made it clear that he was charged with protecting the purchasers’ interests. Then he told us that he was very familiar with the house in which we were interested because it had been the Bureau des Notaires before they moved into their current offices. It’s a small world and it got even smaller when we heard that the sellers and buyers can sometimes be represented by one notaire. In the United States an attorney would not be able to be involved with both parties to a sale because of a conflict of interest. In France it is common for one notaire to deal with all the parties to a sale.

We made an offer, below the asking price, and waited. One evening, as we got out of the car, Jacqueline’s phone rang. By this time, our anxiety had increased to something akin to panic, and we had infected Jacqueline as well. She practically tore her phone out of its pocket. Then, Jacqueline’s thumb went up! Liz went crazy! And, now we had to deal with the reality of purchasing a home in France. While that reality sank in, Jacqueline passed on the details of the purchase process and we took mental notes on all the details we would have to complete in the next few days. None of that seemed to matter to us, because now we had a home in France.

-#-



•S.Davis, Property & Living Editor
Photos courtesy of ©Jeff Poster
For further information about any of the above properties or for help with your property search, please call our consultant at +44 (0)1225 463 752 or email propertysales@frenchentree.com or contact one of our local property finders with expert knowledge of the area.

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. 

Bus Pass or Golf Pass?

I know which I would choose! The Dordogne Advertiser 25 May 2011 informs us that Dordogne’s seven golf courses have launched a pass scheme offering members a discount on all their courses. The idea behind this initiative is to encourage golfers to discover areas of the Dordogne they may not know. The pass is valid two months and you can play a maximum of two rounds at each participating course. So for those of you who are living in the beautiful Dordogne and love golf why not take advantage of this. For more info visit http://www.golf-dordogne-perigord.com .

Bergerac - Le Plus Grand Boeuf du Monde 2011

You would be forgiven to think that the world’s largest cow will be parading in the streets of Bergerac in Southern Dordogne. Mais non! It is a giant flashmob music trying to bring together a maximum number of singers and musicians to interpret with their musical instruments or voice the same song at the same time in different French towns. This year the event will take place on 21^st June at 8 pm. It is the 30^th edition of the Music Festival in France this year and to celebrate this fact “Le Plus Grand Boeuf du Monde” has chosen to honour the famous French poet and singer George Brassens with a rendition of “Copains d’abord”.

If you are lucky enough to live in the beautiful Southern Dordogne and more particularly in Bergerac you can participate by going to http://www.leplusgrandboeufdumonde.com/fr/inscription.cfm or just turn up. See you there! If you want to live in the Dordogne but don’t know where to start visit my website at: www.southerndordognepropertyfinders.com