France’s interior is brimming with rustic character homes but where in 2021 should you head for the real bargains? Normandy and an unspoilt pocket halfway down the country’s west side is a good place to start, according to a recent report. We take a closer look…
Two-bedroom house in Centre, Indre
Property values might be rising across the Channel, but house-hunters will be pleased to know there are still a handful of areas where the median price of a house is less than €200,000 (£174,000). This is according to the latest quarterly report by France’s Notary’s Association (Notaires de France).
One of these bargain pockets is the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, around the Alabaster Coast (La Côte d’Albâtre). The principal municipalities there are Rouen and Le Havre, where the median selling prices of a house are €176,900 and €192,000 respectively. It gets even cheaper a bit further north, over into the Hauts-de-France region and closer to Calais, where in Amiens the median sales price for a house is just €171,900.
Highlights of Seine-Maritime include historical Rouen, the regional capital located on the Seine river with its world-famous cathedral and medieval old quarter, and its natural coastal scenery. Along the Alabaster Coast, green fields meet the top of towering chalk cliffs and pretty bays are home to old fishing towns, such as Étretat, Fécamp and Saint-Valery-en-Caux, or charming beach resorts such as Veules-les-Roses.
The most affordable properties are off the coast in the old farming villages and pretty towns, such as Bolbec, Goderville and spa town of Forges-les-Eaux.
Three-bedroom stone house in Bellac, Limousin
Indre, Vienne and Haute-Vienne
Head a few hours south from Normandy and just below the Loire Valley is the other hunting ground for bargain houses. Directly inland of La Rochelle, it’s where the departments of Indre, Vienne and Haute-Vienne converge and the Brenne Natural Regional Park is located. An indicator of affordability there, the median house price recorded in the municipalities of Limoges, Poitiers and Châteauroux are €172,000, €174,700 and €129,000 respectively.
The area is characterised by its rolling green landscape of farmland, lakes, forests and rivers, including the Indre, Creuse and Vienne. The cities don’t disappoint either. Birthplace of famous actor Gérard Depardieu, Châteauroux boasts a pretty 16th-Century old quarter with a castle and large square, and lovely parkland next to the Indre which flows through it.
Another highlight is the forest to the south of the city at Poinçonnet. Famous for porcelain, Limoges boasts a historic old town with timber-framed houses and is regarded as the gateway to the popular Limousin region. Likewise, Poitiers is a deemed a historic jewel with bundles of preserved medieval architecture, including one of Europe’s oldest churches.
Three-bedroom house with private pool in Cussac, Limousin
The area’s riverside towns are especially popular places to buy property. Options near Châteauroux include Argenton-sur-Creuse, St-Gaultier and Le Blanc, which sits within the Brenne Regional Park.
Desirable spots east of Limoges in the Limousin include Eymoutiers, Peyrat-le-Château and Châteauneauf-la-Forêt, while Bellac and Bessines-sur-Gartempe are worth considering north of the city. South-west of Limoges takes you into the Périgord-Limousin regional natural park, where a choice of pretty towns include Rochechouart with its castle, Cussac and Châlus. Meanwhile, options between Limoges and Poitiers include Confolens and Civray.
Written by Overseas Guides Company.
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