Alexis Goldberg of the FranceBuyingGuide.com helps readers with their questions about buying and living in France.

 

If you need a question answering, email france@overseasguidescompany.com

I have always wanted to live in France but would need to have an income – I have had my own training business and run my own pubs before. I would look at renting before buying a home. I have a house in the UK but would want to make sure a life in France was for me before selling it. Could you be so kind as to tell me what kind of work available for people like me now and roughly what it would cost me to rent. Also, I have a little dog and he would have to come with me! Denise

I do think renting for a period before committing to buy is an excellent idea. It is quite important to be in France in all seasons, not just in the summer, so a 6 or 12 month rental would ideally give you a good idea if it is the life for you.

Regarding costs, this is hard to estimate since I am not sure which area you are interested in or what type of property. Certainly there is a buoyant rental market in most parts of France and as a general rule of thumb, prices are lower than those in the UK, unless of course you are looking at Paris or St.Tropez!

If you take a look at our website, you will find an article on renting on there which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. To read it click here. Also, if you could let me know which areas interest you, I am sure I could help you further.

Regarding work opportunities and from what you tell me about your work history, one idea would be to take over and existing bar/café/restaurant business. Some friends of ours did exactly that down here in the Languedoc and now run a successful small restaurant which they have easily been able to staff with local people.

Often you will find places such as this with living accommodation attached or within. Another idea would be to start a B&B or gite business. Many properties in France come with separate buildings and gites are very popular and a good way to earn money once they are set up.

You need have no worries about bringing your dog to France. France is a very dog friendly country and most restaurants welcome them, unlike in the UK. There are fewer rules than before for taking pets abroad.

For details of properties for sale in France visit the French listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in France, or moving there, is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’