Get real!

We’ve all drooled over a château and daydreamed over a Côte-d’Azur mansion, but if 2020 is going to be your year, it’s time to write a realistic property wishlist, says Julie Savill

- Julie Savill

I ’ve spent many an hour going down the rabbit hole of French property website browsing. It starts off with a quick search and ends up with ‘well, if I sold the dog and the car, then perhaps, just perhaps, I could afford that amazing coastal property or that delectable mini château.

Reality creeps in when those puppy eyes look up at mine and I have to admit to myself that he’s not for sale. But, when you’ve made up your mind that this is the year to make a little bit of France your very own, there are plenty of ways to go about it realistically.

To start with there are three big questions to consider:

• What

• Where

• How much

MONEY TALK

I would start with finance. If you don’t know what you have, what you could borrow, or what the current exchange rate might get you, it’s hard to know where to pitch your search. And a cash buyer or someone with a mortgage agreed in principle will always be taken more seriously by sellers who are motivated to move on and don’t want to waste time with unrealistic offers.

A chat with a reputable foreign exchange dealer will help you understand the opportunities, such as forward booking a rate, and also give you a benchmark as to what your sterling budget will get you in euros.

If you need to sell in the UK to finance the purchase in France you should, at the very least, have put your UK property on the market before beginning a serious search.

FINDING NEW PLACES

This is where the fun starts. How well do you already know France? If you have been holidaying for years in one place that has captured your heart, great – you already have focus for your search.