Where to buy in France - Charente

This is the most sought after area in France at the moment. Why ? Because prices are still reasonable, the countryside is lush and beautiful, you are far enough south to get some good weather, and you can get cheap flights down to Angouleme. In particular you have a good chance of finding a stone cottage, barn, or farmhouse ripe for renovation. You need to exercise great care when buying this type of property as large houses with a lot of land can be very tempting, they seem like such a bargain, but once you start getting in the building estimates you could find that you have bitten off more than you can chew !

Fortunately this is where AMR4France can help. We have good contacts in the building trade – reliable surveyors, builders, architects etc who will be able to give you an idea before you buy just what you are taking on, how much it will cost, and whether you require planning permission. This type of help has proved invaluable in the past, and we often have prospective purchasers recommended to us from previous clients appreciative of our efforts to help find the right property.

It is also possible that one of the reasons that Charente is so popular is that it is adjacent to the well known Dordogne  region, much loved by the British. Charente is to my mind a better buy as the house prices are cheaper, you have the advantage of the sea being closer, and last but not least, there are fewer Brits !

Make sure you visit the centre of the brandy trade in the little town of Cognac, and watch out for the roofs of the cognac storage cellars with their roofs blackened by the fumes rising from the barrels.

Charente is an area of outstanding natural beauty, but the small villages might be too sleepy for some.