A recent survey states that France still comes out at the top of the list of countries British people would most like to move to for “quality of life”. This will come as no surprise to you, I am sure.

France is a wonderful place to live, offering space, beauty, fine food and wine and great cultural interest. Add to that the fact that you can buy a property in France for less than half of what you would likely pay in the UK for similar and you really have the stuff of which dreams are made. More and more people, disillusioned with life in the UK, are looking to up sticks and move to France.

Motivation is a great word: it carries with it an air of excitement, adventure and spirit. Once you have decided to make the big move, have faith in the fact that you can do it. Sure, there will be a million things to sort out before you do so but Rome was not built in a day and as long as you prepare months in advance, do not put yourself under pressure and have at least a basic plan of how you will achieve your move to France, you will be well on your way. Sometimes we have a dream and it remains just that: a dream. But to really achieve your goal, you need to be ready to take a small risk. Great rewards come to those who carry their dreams through and yes, you can do it!

The amount of space you will gain by moving to France will be breath-taking. Remember that land values are much lower than in the UK, traffic is rarely an issue and you will have a far greater sense of the value of family life. So at the start of your dream, make yourself a list of how you will best achieve it. Don’t think that because you have children in school in the UK or because you are, dare I say it, the wrong side of 60, that you cannot move to France.

I have friends at both ends of the age spectrum who have done it: a young couple who enrolled their children in good local schools here in France and a couple in their eighties, believe it or not, who found their own ideal spot in a friendly village with all their shopping needs on their doorstep. They never looked back. Like anything in life, the more you research moving to France, the easier the actual move will be.

If you have the motivation to come and live in France, you simply need to build on that momentum and keep it going. After all, many people dream but those who turn that dream into reality gain the greatest reward. Keep calm and carry on, as the old saying goes!

Article provided by Kim Brown of the Overseas Guides Company

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