Picture it…
You start your day with a coffee and a hot, buttery croissant on a small table outside your local village café in rural France. The pretty cobblestone streets are lined with centuries-old stone cottages, their walls draped in ivy and their shutters painted in shades of pastel blue and green.
After breakfast it’s time to pick up some produce at the weekly farmers market. You load up a shopping bag with fresh, local fruit and veg…enough to last the week. As you leave the market, you marvel at how affordable the prices are.
On the walk back to your house, you take in the surrounding countryside—fields planted with apples…lush green pastures filled with the famous brown Limousin cows. The pace of life here is slower than back home, but that’s exactly why you love living in this tranquil village.
Arriving back at your house, you still find it incredible that you have your very own home in this idyllic setting. Even more astonishing…it cost you less than $100,000. Much less!
France’s Limousin region is full of serene, pretty villages that offer bargain real estate.
In France’s major cities like Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille…property prices can be very expensive. But living in one of France’s many charming rural villages rarely comes with a hefty price tag.
In fact, in pretty hamlets in Brittany, with their thatched roofs and coastal charm, or hidden gems in the Loire Valley, surrounded by lush forests and medieval castles, prices can be shockingly affordable.
For instance, recently my team came across this fully renovated two-bed stone house with shuttered windows, garden out the back, a bright kitchen/dining area, and a living room with a wood burning stove for relaxing in the evenings.
It’s in the heart of a town called Les Salles Lavauguyon, in the lush Limousin region of central France. A short drive away are lakes that offer swimming and boating, a national park with some great hiking trails, and should you feel the need for some big-city buzz, Limoges (with its international airport) is just a 45-minute drive.
Yet, this French village home is on the market for just €79,000…that’s $86,650.
This charming village home is what most people envision when they contemplate living in small-town France…and it’s on the market for just $86,650. Listing here.
France has a declining birthrate. This coupled with the movement of young people to big cities means there are ample historic properties for sale throughout the countryside and smaller towns and villages for less than $100,000.
Here’s another example…
This three-bed, one-bath townhouse is for sale right now in the medieval village of Montaigut in the Auvergne region of central France.
This looks like it was once a café/restaurant of sorts. On the first floor there’s a large reception room, a kitchen area, and a utility room. The second floor has another reception room, two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and another room that could be used as a games room. The attic has been converted into another bedroom.
It’s in the heart of the village, which has amenities like a bakery, grocery store, and pharmacy. The bigger town of Saint Eloy les Mines is less that a five-minute drive away. The nearest major city of note is Bourges, about a 90-minute drive north.
This listing price is just €66,000 ($72,500) and the full listing is here.
This historic building is in the heart of the pretty medieval village of Montaigut. Listing here.
Speaking of properties with character, if you’re willing to do some restoration work, my team found a former presbytery for sale in the Burgundy region.
Located in the village of Dommartin (about a 30-minute drive north of the foodie city of Lyon), this historic building has a kitchen with a fireplace, one bedroom, one bathroom, and a living room. Right now it has a total of about 930 square feet of living space but that could be extended by converting the attic into more living space. Outside, there’s a courtyard with stables and walled garden that has an orchard and views of the Morvan mountain.
This is currently listed at €86,000 ($94,350), you can see the full listing here.
This former priest’s home has beautiful views of the surrounding countryside from the enclosed garden. Listing here.
If you’d like to be a bit closer to the French coast, there’s a quaint two-bed, two-bath home on the market in the commune of Loulay, under an hour’s drive from the popular Atlantic coastal city of La Rochelle.
The home is on a quiet street in the center of the village and has a bright kitchen, a living room, and a utility room. Outside is a small enclosed garden with an outbuilding that could be used to store things like bicycles or could be turned into a workshop.
You get the best of both worlds here…quiet village life where you can walk to everything, yet you’re close to the coast and La Rochelle with its shops, bars, restaurants and big-city amenities. The asking price is €77,800 ($85,400) and the online listing is here.
This charming, picturesque home is less than an hour from the stunning coastal city of La Rochelle. And it’s on the market for just €77,800. Listing here.
Increase the budget just a touch, and you can get a village home with its own swimming pool!
Listed for €115,000 ($126,300), this two-bed, one-bath village home is in the Charente region of France, in the southwest of the country.
The home is near Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, a town that perches above the banks of the River Dronne. The town is classified as one of France’s Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the country’s most beautiful villages) and is famous for its 12th-century subterranean church that’s carved directly into the rock face.
The house has a living room with a wood burning stove, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a shower room. The swimming pool has a large decking area and has views of the surrounding countryside.
This also has the potential to be a vacation rental due to its proximity to Aubeterre-sur-Dronne and it’s about a 90-minute drive to Bordeaux. More details of this property can be found here.
Extend your budget a little over $100,000, and you can get your French village house with its own swimming pool. Listing here.
This is just a sample of the incredible bargains that French towns and villages have to offer.
The wider point being…
Often people assume that you need a generous budget to find an idyllic rural retreat in France. In fact, the opposite is true.
In serene, beautiful villages across the country, you’ll find incredible real estate bargains.
Plus, in these areas, you’ll typically get a more authentic French experience…you’ll be surrounded by some of Europe’s most breathtaking scenery…and you can enjoy it without tripping over the Instagrammers and influencers who inundate France’s major destinations.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. If you’re interested in any of these listings you should hire an attorney and do your own due diligence. We haven’t visited these properties in person or done any due diligence on them.
P.P.S. Have a question or comment for me or my team? What to learn more about owning in France? Have a destination you’d like us to scout. Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from an Overseas Dream Home reader…
Eliane P. asks: We want to buy in Spain on the Costa del Sol. Do you have a contact there? We plan on going down there in November.
Ronan says: Hi Eliane, thanks for the question. And let me say, I completely understand why you’d like to own on the Costa del Sol. This stunning stretch of coast is one of Europe’s most desirable destinations. You’ll find stunning beaches, national parks, ancient cities, incredible food, luxury marinas, excellent shopping, and world-class golf courses. And it’s almost endlessly sunny, with 320 days of sunshine each year.
November is a great time to check out this southern coast of Spain too. It will be less crowded than during peak summer season, but the weather will still be warm and pleasant. Plus, there’s so many lovely places to explore there. In particular, I recommend the pretty town of Estepona, which was joint third on my list of the best places to own real estate in the world in 2024. (If you haven’t already checked out that index, you can do it here.)
I have a longstanding contact on the Costa del Sol. He has an eye for undervalued real estate. For example, one opportunity he found for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group was a chance to buy a penthouse in a luxury gated community for only €327,000. Less than two years later, the same penthouse sold for €550,000…
RETA members have access to my full Rolodex, which includes his contact info. It also has the contact information for attorneys, brokers, and developers in other destinations across my global beat.
Access to my Rolodex is just one of the many perks of being a RETA member. Discover all the other benefits of membership, including being the first to hear about the off-market, RETA-only deals I uncover in locations on my real estate beat, and how you can join here.
