Before diving into the French property market there are a number of matters to consider.

THE REGIONS

Some buyers may have already homed in on a geographical target area, others may prefer to begin by investigating the relative merits of different regions.

According to one chain of national estate agents the most popular regions with the British are:

• The Pas de Calais and the coastal strip of Picardy around Boulogne and Le Touquet.

• Normandy, particularly around Deauville and Honfleur.

• Brittany, especially the coastal strips between St Malo and Roscoff, Quimper and Vannes.

• The Loire valley in general, but mainly around Tours and Blois.

• Charente and Charente Maritime.

• The Dordogne.

• Gascony.

• Provence in general, but especially the Vaucluse and the areas around Nimes and Aix-en-Provence.

• Burgundy.

• The Vosges.

• Languedoc.

TARGET AREAS 


Many buyers of French property have a good idea of their target area. Sometimes they have friends in a certain area, or they have already rented a gîte.

It is surprising however that many people do not investigate the merits of different parts of the country. Each region has its own character and will score differently in a personal checklist of advantages and disadvantages.