Bonjour Magazine - Living the French Experience

If you are embarking on a project to develop holiday accommodation, a few simple guidelines may help you gain the maximum income and save a few tears in the process. The region, location, size of property, number of letting units, the standard, rental charged and where and how you choose to advertise will all determine the length of season and level of income. This generalisation will give you an overview because of course there are always exceptions to the rule.

Past years has seen demand for properties generally start earliest in coastal departments especially the Vendee and Charente Maritime, followed by Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon. Brittany and Normandy started very late this year probably because of poor weather in recent years. Inland regions used to start a little later, with France filling up from the North down and then inland as people found it harder to find properties. However, with most areas being well serviced by the low cost airlines, there is a more balanced demand for all areas. The Dordogne is still one of the most popular departments as it can be reached within a days drive, is well serviced by either Bergerac, Bordeaux or Limoges airports and is one of the better known regions of France.

Property owners in the better known departments and regions benefit from a higher demand. You should take this into account when buying a property. Holidaymakers want sun and/or accessibility. So if you buy a property in the Deux Sevres or Cher, for example, you cannot expect to benefit from high volumes of traffic because they specifically want to visit your particular department.

This said, owners in the Dordogne and other well-known regions have more competition from other owners and in depressed markets like we have seen in 2003, this can work against them.

The nearer to the coast, the better is a rule that should be followed by people looking at purchasing a property in a coastal department. People looking for a holiday by the sea don't want to have an hours drive to get there. Remember however, that everyone is different. Some holidaymakers want to be isolated and private whilst others want to be able to walk to the boulangerie. Avoid properties on busy roads, near working farms where there are cattle or sheep because of flies and smells or any property where the neighbours have neglected the property or land. You will have no control over your neighbours and no one wants to over look a tip. Location, location, location applies to France as well as everywhere else.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. An ugly property in a poor location will always look that way no matter how many coats of paint you slap on it. So don't rush into a sale; explore a region, stay for a while, let your eyes be your guide and your money be the last thing you part with.