On Saturday, I shared a listing that stopped me in my tracks—a regal apartment in the stunning Château Les Forges.
Here you could own an elegant two-bed home and live in turnkey grandeur, with access to two tennis courts, grounds covering 21 acres, a swimming pool, and a 27-hole golf course…all in the beauty of the French countryside…
Twenty-seven owners share ownership of this incredible estate and its amenities.
All for just €139,990 ($163,700).
Stunning stately homes like Château Les Forges dot the countryside of France. An apartment here is currently on the market for just €139,990 ($163,700) and comes with shared amenities like tennis courts and a swimming pool.
On Saturday we also posted this attention-grabbing 40-second video of the property. Have a look…it’s dreamy. Personally, I could easily be tempted by it. And the golf helps answer the question of how I would fill the days and integrate with the community.
What I love about Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) members is they don’t miss a beat…
“Ronan, annual fees associated with ownership of this come to approximately €15,000 ($17,600) per year. In light of this, is it still a good deal?”
This is a great question.
And ultimately the answer boils down to what you want, and how you weigh these priorities.
If money is tight and you’re happy to maintain a big garden, the roof of your French farmhouse, and deal with all the associated admin, then you’re likely better off buying you own standalone farmhouse.
You could pay considerably more, get a mortgage and your annual cost of ownership come to the same thing.
Of if you want turnkey, then something like this would be hard to beat.
In reality, arriving at the answer for you needs a much deeper dive. And RETA members…we have just the thing coming for you…
Very soon, I’ll be launching a brand-new RETA Academy masterclass.
The RETA Academy is an exclusive platform for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert club designed to guide them every step of the way so they can turn their overseas real estate dreams into a reality.
Our upcoming masterclass will be held live online over six weeks with my senior researcher Magaret Summerfield and I, where we’ll be taking folks through how to identify the perfect overseas real estate for them, whether their goals are investment, lifestyle or some combination of the two. (Not a member? Join here.)
Stay tuned for more on this exciting masterclass.
Last week I told you about Connemara Isles Golf Club, an awesomely beautiful, waterfront nine-hole course, perched on a rugged archipelago in Galway Bay.
What caught my attention is that the site, containing the clubhouse and golf course, is on the market for €1.25 million. (That’s $1.45 million.)
Imagine getting together with 20 of your golfing buddies. You could own this course for only €62,500 (around $72,250) each.
Well, the seed of an idea has been taking root…spreading through illogical the part of my brain…fuelled by members sending emails like this:
These types of personal-interest projects are rarely a good idea commercially. But maybe by fate I opened up LinkedIn over the weekend (I only do this once in a blue moon) to see a post saying the first person to make money on a golf course is typically the third owner.
Fate? This what I saw when I opened LinkedIn over the weekend (above). The nine-hole Connemara Isles Golf Club is on an island in Galway Bay, but connected to mainland Ireland and just an hour’s drive from Galway City (below).
Anyway…this never tickled my interest as a money-making idea. It tickled my interest as a fun and cool thing to own and to do. And by doing it the RETA way, a luxury toy could pay for itself. Maybe more over time.
So…I’m booting up and visiting it this Saturday. I’ll drive from Cork to Galway on Friday evening…spend Saturday and Sunday morning visiting the property and surrounds. Then on Sunday I fly from Shannon airport to Porto. I’ll be in Caminha until Wednesday to check in on how the cosmetic overhaul of my historic mansion is going. You can read about my last visit to Caminha here.
Finally, check out this other dream home in Tuscany…we featured it on our Instagram page on Sunday.
This old farm house on the edge of Volterra is accessed via a private lane. Accommodation comprises: Ground floor private entrance, beautiful fitted kitchen with authentic stone sink, breakfast bar and dining area, small storeroom, and a large bedroom. Stone stairs lead to the first floor comprising: hallway, spacious living room with fireplace, new bathroom with shower, and second bedroom. The rooms are bright, with views of the hills all around. There is an abundance of well-preserved character, including cotto floors, beamed ceilings, exposed stone work, brick arches, stone features and fireplaces.
An old stone farmhouse above the hills of Volterra—with five acres, vaulted cellars, and panoramic views.
Outside is a pretty courtyard where one can sit in the cool of the evening. A garden to the side of the house has a lovely pergola to sit outside, and there is also a cellar opening onto this space. The property includes 20,000 sqm of land (about 5 acres) with an amazing view over the hills, and many spots from which to enjoy an aperitivo at sunset. Two further, large cellars with vaulted ceilings, provide useful storage and potential for other uses. The property is a perfect combination of history, welcoming atmosphere, lots of outdoor space to live.
Five minutes away rising gracefully from Tuscany’s gentle hills, Volterra commands sweeping views across a landscape of rolling countryside and dramatic erosional formations known as the balze. Founded 3,000 years ago as one of the twelve sacred cities of the Etruscan League, Volterra remains Tuscany’s oldest continuously inhabited settlement, wrapped in medieval walls that stretch for three miles around the historic core.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. RETA members: do you like the idea of group-buying an island golf course? If so, drop me a line here and let us know!
