About France

France: Some thoughts from abroad

Geographically, France is a big country. Over twice the size of the U.K. with about the same size of population. It has a great diversity of landscapes; rural, urban, coasts and mountains. There is a distinct feeling of space.
With its rural and agricultural heritage still strong there is a tendency to see France as an “old-fashioned” country. Indeed, there is a commonly held view that the country became stuck in a time-warp 20+ years ago.

France is a socialist republic, irrespective of the shade of government. Public works are, and always will be, a major part of its economic strategy. Recent improvements in infrastructure have taken the country a long way forward. Internet broadband access for all is well on the way. The more physical communication networks of road and rail grow at a pace. Air travel in the shape of budget airlines such as Ryanair, Flybe et al, coupled with regional airports mean that the vast majority of France is well within three hours travelling time of the U.K. The more traditional cross channel routes run by Brittany Ferries, P&O, LD Lines all offer services on numerous ways to mainland Europe. These are complemented by the tunnel rail link of Eurotunnel and Eurostar.

The country is split into regions. These regions are made up of departments. This regional/ departmental identification allows potential house hunters, through specialised agencies such as the FNAIM (the association of French estate agents), to search on line for specific properties. (further information will follow).

Why Renovate in France?

At the present moment in time it would be fair to say that the French property market is slow. It was never really that quick! Prices remain steady and affordable, by U.K. standards, and reflect well on the idea that property for developing, converting will always be available.  Economically it makes sense as well. The growth in peoples’ perceptions of what can be achieved by way of renovating, converting has grown at the same rate as the development of products designed to make the processes involved easier.

This site is another resource. It is aimed at people who want to have a go at a project of this nature. The aim is to give people ideas and knowledge to enable them to make informed decisions and realistic choices