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If there’s anywhere I wanted to buy a holiday home, it’s the Auvergne region. Mountainous, verdant, laid back. My place of choice was the super-quaint village of Saint Bonnet de Montauroux in the Chaperoux Valley, about an hour’s drive from Le Puy-en-Velay.

At 8am, at 12pm and at 6pm, the village bells ring out majestically around the tranquil valley, the ebb and flow of the Chaperoux River carves itself a path out of the valley floor, and all is well with the world. I love this place, and that’s where I decided to invest my money in my dream French property.

However, I was foolish in that when I purchased a once derelict hotel in the valley, while I did think to use a travel insurance compare site to get my annual policy, I didn’t look into a home insurance compare site. Very strange – and upon hindsight, an absolutely foolish to have overlooked.

In fact, I didn’t actually look into buildings insurance at all, and found that when I came back to the house on one of my early monthly visits to check on the place and make my restoration plans, part of the roof had, since my last visit only weeks earlier, caved in.

Now it wasn’t a huge hole, but it was Winter, and the rain had penetrated not only the old wood in the roof, but the floorboards and walls below, some of the materials I had stored there – basically, this relatively small hole made an absolute wreck of my already-flagging old property.

And (as I’ve since found) while the people in the village are friendly and really look out for one another and their properties while the absentee owners are out of town, it was Winter, and not a soul could be found, so no one was there to see the disaster unfurl or, more importantly, try and get in touch to alert me.

So my advice, if you’re going to buy property anywhere in France, get yourself a decent buildings insurance policy as soon as the property’s been signed over to you. You’ll save yourself an awful lot of time, money and heartache – it’s just not worth it!

Are you buying property in France? How is your French? Consider this, you are never too old for a French immersion program! At 58 I was the oldest in my class this summer and not for one minute did I feel the age difference. The immersion program to which I refer is in Angers France at the Catholic University of the West (UCO for short).

The first day, everyone took a placement test and then we were taken on a walking tour of Angers. We ended up at the Jean Lurçat Museum where the mayor welcomed all 164 of us with wine and cookies. There were people from all walks of life taking classes while I was there in July. We had the traditional students from various universities world-wide, nuns from a teaching convent in Brittany, CEOs from industry and people like me who wanted to strengthen their command of the language. Our abilities ranged from perfectly fluent in terms of speaking but in need of written improvement all the way down to knowing nothing. We had classes and listening labs every day and then on Saturdays we took grand excursions to the chateaux, D-Day battlefields and cemeteries, Mont St Michel and others.

I opted to live with a family so that I would have daily practice “at home” with my French family and absolutely loved my “French mere”. Besides helping me with my homework she and I also got to talk about French recipes and I came home with a wonderful little collection.

I enjoyed this program so much and feel like I learned so much that I am planning to return this summer. UCO is not the only immersion program in France so I highly encourage you to check out everything that is available out there. You won’t regret taking this step to improving your French if you plan on living in France.

Check out: Properties in Gruissan

Our Guest Author offers some advice on holiday homes in France ….

Research by Savills has shown that an increasing number of Britons have chosen to buy a property in France. If you are thinking of buying a holiday home yourself you may have to consider a number of factors. This information will help advise you on the best method that you can take when buying a holiday home in France.

Buying a holiday home in France could be the best choice you make, but it can be a very expensive one. House prices in France have increased due to previously low interest rates, however be sure you are making the best choice before signing any contracts or paying any fees.

Try before you buy. This can be attained very easily by renting a cottage or villa out through the large variety of companies across the Internet – in many cases you can talk directly to the owners, giving you a head start.

Then, think about the location that you take in comparison to the airports or borders – when moving large items overseas it may be your finances that have the largest implications to your move, and the transport you take has a large bearing on this.

Check out properties yourself, photographs on a computer screen can be very deceptive. Try and see the properties more than once if you can; ensuring you are in the best frame of mind, stopping any hesitation in its path. Think about the surroundings when you visit the property, even down to the finest details such as the wine they produce in the region.

If you don’t speak French, it is best if you go with someone that does and is impartial to the advice you are receiving. It is also advisory to take an architect if you are planning to renovate a property in the future. If you choose to bring an architect make sure you look at any previous projects they have undertaken, as it will ensure you are going to attain the correct style, as French style can differ greatly from English.

If you find a property that you are interested in, be sure that you proceed with the vendors’ notaire (solicitor) and they will send you a compromise de vente (sales agreement). Get this checked if you do not understand any of the information covered in the agreement. Your personal notaire will help you modify any information in the agreement if you are unsure.

Simon Stone, an investor in holiday homes in France, had viewed over 30 properties in the area before purchasing in Bedarieux:

“It’s been fun and relatively lucrative, I was going to buy in London, but decided that this was a more interesting opportunity.”

Guest Author: Alex Corcoran – travel addict and online blogger, with a passion for finding cheap holiday breaks and holiday deals online

France has always been a well-liked destination for family holidays that are seeking an reasonably priced option. With the perfect location very close to the UK and Ireland it is no shock that thousands of visitors even now travel to France each year. Camping breaks have always been a long tradition in France and the facilities, and available campsites have enhanced over the years. Long gone is the old fashioned image of dirty, run down campsites.

Campsites in France have drastically improved and they now come with their own star rating system very similar to hotels. It is possible to research the many different campsites available to suit the family’s needs and your budget. Although this style of holiday is still very affordable you will find some quite impressive campsites to choose from. The larger locations are extraordinary and will provide you everything you could quite possibly want on holiday.

However, there are even now some very small campsites available to enjoy the quieter side of France. The quaint family run campsites are still available if you look for them. For a lot of people this is the style that they would rather and France is extraordinary in the fact that it can provide a huge array of different styles and sizes. No matter where you decide to go camping it is always a good base to explore the rest of France. There is such a lot of things to see, and do in this incredible country you will by no means tire of its beauty, history, or cuisine.

Le Clarys Plage is a quite popular campsite situated on the west coast of France, is centered around families and everything to do with fun. This incredible campsite has such a lot of things to offer that families return year after year. As well as the amazing on site facilities the golden sandy beach is a short distance away providing you with the best of both worlds. As well as the outstanding pool, Jacuzzi and leisure facilities this campsite offers bars, restaurants, and shops. Every little thing concerning this campsite is modern, and designed with families who want to have fun in mind.

Palmyre Loisirs is situated within breathtaking surroundings and amazing woodland in the Poitou Charente region of France. This amazing four star campsite guarantees that they offer you quality as well as excellent value for money. With a great pool complex, on site facilities and lively entertainment package, there is such a lot of things on offer once you stay at this campsite. Every age group from very small children to the older generations are catered for in full and will by no means go home feeling disappointed

Sol A Gogo campsite is situated near the breath taking seashores in the Vendee region of France. The warm climate, friendly people and outstanding facilities make this camp site excellent for people who want to relax. Due to the fantastic climate the wonderful swimming pool, and wate slide complex is enjoyed for the whole season. There is an action packed entertainment package within the campsite to guarantee absolutely everyone has a good time on their holiday. The facilities in this four star campsite are great and you will often find that families return time and time again.

French Mortgage Market

The French mortgage market has undergone significant changes in the last couple of months, including anticipated rate rises from their historic lows in early 2011. This increase has occurred due to a rise in the European base rate.

Our partners, IPF have recently launched a new service to protect clients against rising French mortgage rates and save significant money along the way.

IPF’s rate update is designed to keep clients informed of potential changes to French mortgage products in advance of their implementation. This provides our clients with the best chance of securing the lowest possible French mortgage rates. The lenders on IPF’s panel will often provide up to a month’s notice regarding pending French mortgage rate rises. Sharing this information with our clients ensures they have the best possible chance of securing the most competitive rates available.

You can sign up to IPF’s rate update by calling one of their French mortgage consultants on 020 7484 4634. You can then choose how you wish to receive the latest rate update – by SMS, an email or an update via twitter.

Approval French Mortgage

IPF also have the ability to obtain an approval in principle for your French mortgage, while you are in the process of looking for your French property. Combined with the rate update, this means that our clients are in the strongest position possible when it comes to completing the purchase of their dream home in France, saving significant amounts of money and aggravation

In this rapidly changing market we believe it is more important than ever to work with a French mortgage partner that gives you the best possible chance of completing your French property purchase. IPF has worked very hard and successfully, despite the difficult market conditions, to establish a strong position in this key area of the market.

You can request a French mortgage quote by clicking here

What do customers say?

“Dear Elena and Robert,

I would just like to say thank you both for your help very much, I found IPF brilliant in every way to insuring my mortgage in difficult times! But a special thanks to you both for your quick and professional work to make this happen for me! I would recommend IPF to anyone that would need your help with no hesitation.

You have both made a very difficult and uneasy time for me become a dream come true and i can’t thank you enough for that!!

Yours sincerely,
Matthew Haines”