After what seems like months but is more like weeks, we think we found our house. Before I tell you about it, I’ll give you an idea of what we’ve seen so far, so you can get an idea of what we’re looking for and why this one works.
As Will mentioned, we’d exhausted our search of the Nontron area, our target zone, mainly because we’d seen everything fitting our spec in our price range. There was one that was very close to the town center, but up on a hill with lovely views. It had a good amount of land but the house was built in the 60’s and still maintained the decor from that time. It had some potential, but Will would much prefer something older and it would have been more like living in the suburbs rather than out in the country. We saw another one a bit further out of town, a converted farm with 2 hectares (5 acres) of land, but the property abutted a main road which for me, spoils the illusion of country living.
We finally gave in and started talking to agents since >90% of all properties are listed with them. Apparently, it’s not always the buyer that pays and their fees are negotiable so it’s not as bad as we first thought. So we’ve seen another ten-ish properties through different agents, all wrong for various reasons including: having 4 toilets, one in each corner of the house (but not much land); being on a main road; and needing too much work. We saw a really nice one yesterday, built in the 70’s but recently redone to a very high standard with 180 degree views over the surrounding countryside. But it was located in a town with a primary school right behind it which is a big negative for Will. The owner was from Belgium, grew up in France and then emigrated to Australia 40 years ago. He and his wife retired and moved to France about 5 years ago and have spent the time travelling around in a motor home. She had enough of Europe and found a job back in Oz so they’re selling up and he’s riding a motorcycle back when he goes, as you do.
This week, we started exploring further afield. Before finding Sharon’s place, we had planned to live further south, closer to Sarlat in the SE part of the region. Since we weren’t having luck locally, we started looking down there. That part of the region is prettier with steeper hills and deeper valleys and in addition, there are more sites to see, both natural and historical. And the weather is better. Unsurprisingly, it’s a bit more crowded and property is more costly. We drove down earlier in the week and were slightly affected by the petrol shortage (due to national strikes) in that the first two gas stations we stopped at were out of diesel. We made it into Perigueux and found some but it was being rationed so I only got 3/4 of a tank. So far, that’s been an isolated incident but more strikes are scheduled making it a bad time to be putting lots of miles (or Kms should I say) on the car. Yet I digress.
We saw three properties with one agent, then met with another agent to see a house and the last house was a private seller. Of the first three, one was in an idyllic spot but the house was run down and built in the 60’s so that was right out. The second was nice and nicely done but was in a village across from a school on a main road and had no land. Other than that… Will really liked the last one which was one small house, plus a gite plus another convertable building and the fourth, a shed with a bread oven (common in these parts). It was built up a hill with a plot of land at the bottom suitable for a swimming pool in a location that was right outside a town in a dense area but felt fairly quiet. It was back on the market because a lady who was buying it to convert to a guest home(s), failed to sell her apartment so had to pull out. It was just out of our price range but Will wanted to put an offer in anyway. I can’t get my head around having your house be three smallish buildings so we’re holding off for now.
Our only other prospect was one Will mentioned, a bit far north that is a converted barn, recently done and nicely so, with a pool and a lot of land (2 hectares). We went back to see it yesterday, really to get an idea of whether she might come down but since we think it’s fairly priced and still out of our range, will hold off for now. Besides the location, the big drawback is lack of heat so we’d have to put in electric wall heaters as a stop-gap measure.
Which leads me to, at last, the house we saw today. It’s near a town called Milhac-de-Nontron which, the astute among you will notice, has Nontron in its name. It’s in a hamlet but actually between two bits so it is both isolated but with people near by. The man who showed us around would be our nearest neighbour but his place is at least 100m away. The house has been on sale for nearly a year, not uncommon for this market and he recently lowered the price by 10K, putting it still out of our range, but within striking distance. We think it’s two sons selling their parents’ place. Originally it belonged to their parents’ parents, so has been in the family a few generations. It’s a converted barn but the center has been left open so it’s got a wooden balcony with nice stairs up to it. The other side is the bathroom and bedrooms and it has the same amount of loft space that could be converted someday. The kitchen is a rather small galley kitchen but there would be room to remedy that someday too.
It’s got land to the front and rear of the property itself, the front with trees and the back mostly open. It faces south so would be good for a garden and a pool. In addition, it has a large open field across the small road, currently rented to the nearby stables for their horses to graze. It has a couple smaller parcels somewhere too but didn’t see those. There are two wells, one in the field and another in front of the house although we’re not sure if it’s working or not. Let’s see, there’s also and indoor garage and wine cellar. There’s more to say but I’ll give it a rest for now. I’m sure writing about it here will be the kiss of death; in that regard, I am superstitious although hopefully-pessimistic is more apt. We’ve already got some viewings lined up in new areas further south so we’ll carry on with those in the meantime. We’ll go back for a second viewing in the week and likely make an offer after that.
Apart from house-hunting, I’ve been hard at work, mostly on eLeaf but today, on my contract job too. The former is starting to get exciting since we’ve had two publishers interested in our app. We sent a proposal out to the first one this week and the other wants a demo so we’re putting that together too. My part will never be finished but I’m nearly at a point where it can go public. Will has been somewhat poorly this week due to his wisdom teeth acting up again. They flare up once or twice a year and he gets a fever and sore head for a few days. He was better yesterday but not so good earlier today although he has improved a bit now. Tomorrow we’re going out to lunch with Sharon to celebrate our birthdays (hers is on Thurs) to a new place for Will and I.
Lastly, a quick update on the corn. It turned cold here last week and although the corn was doing well, the temp change stopped it in its tracks. Yesterday, I plucked what I could and used it in a casserole that came out rather well. It also had wild rice, leeks and butternut squash. It could have done with just another week or two but had some good flavour nonetheless.
Coda: I asked for amazon gift vouchers for my birthday. I spent them on books and DVDs but also, a new watch. I know it’s sad but it’s a near exact replacement for one I had some 20+ years ago. That one was a Swatch, black, with a see-through back, glow-in-the-dark hands and was self-winding. The new one is a Seiko but otherwise, has all the same features. I’m pleased to have it so thanks to all those who contributed.