Most Brits would be hard put to point out Limousin quickly on a French map. They may perhaps have heard about the famous Limousin cattle, or the porcelain from Limoges, but it somehow doesn't pop into your mind as soon as you think ‘I want to move to France' maybe because it isn't over run with tourists.
That doesn't mean to say that it isn't a region with loads to offer whether you choose Corrèze, Creuse or Haute-Vienne.Think of the area as a well kept secret from the ancient cave paintings, the fishing, the wonderful beef and sweet chestnuts and then of course there is the golf and the skiing. The climate is mild, but winters can be quite severe. Try and visit the area both in the summer and during a bad winter patch. If you are still in love with the area then this is probably the place for you - though please don't make any offers on the place I've got my eye on.
Getting there - perhaps from Lyon airport and then by train, or you could fly into Paris or take the Euro tunnel and then travel south by train or hired car.
It can be hard to find out exactly the property you want though. Estate agents don't always put up ‘For Sale' signs for instance so just driving around looking for a suitable property isn't a good idea. Then there is the language - however many times you have been to France, and however good your French, unless you have bought a French property before there are terms and procedures that you will not have come across. En cours de restauration is pretty obvious, but how about vide sanitaire ( the space between the earth and the floor level) or crépi granite ( pebble dash)? You can obtain a specialist dictionary of building and property terms, they are often on sale at property exhibitions in the U.K., but the only real answer is to find a bi-lingual estate agent.
Before you get that far though think carefully about what you want - this could be anything from a pretty little hamlet house that requires total restoration to a grand chateau ready to move into. Think carefully about why you want to buy and why in this particular area - if you have a job in Limoges a city apartment may be what you want, or perhaps somewhere totally remote or in a hamlet is your choice. Can you cope with stairs? How far would you like to be from the local bar or boulangerie? Do you need to be near fashionable stores or can you manage with only the occasional trip to town? Are transport links to the U.K. an issue or is this to be a total break with only the rare visit? How many bedrooms do you need? Do you want a property to renovate, one that just needs you to put your stamp on it and a fresh coat of paint, or even one that you can just move into? What level of comfort are you prepared to put up with - a septic tank might be o.k. for a holiday home, but perhaps you'd prefer a more modern plumbing system if this is to be your full time home. What is your budget? How much land do you want?
All these and similar questions should be decided as far as possible before you enter the office of the Immobilier - you will thus be saving lots of time, which means that you can move in all the quicker.
Living in Limousin
Getting there - perhaps from Lyon airport and then by train, or you could fly into Paris or take the Euro tunnel and then travel south by train or hired car.