Can you guess how much this idyllic French property costs? The truth is, for too many British people it’s impossible to say.

Why? Because fluctuating exchange rates mean typical buyers from the UK don’t know until the day they make a currency transfer how many pounds they’ll need to exchange to meet the agreed local price of their property.

The current asking price of this three-bedroom converted barn near Verteillac in the Dordogne, available through Beaux Villages, is €320,000. But we thought we’d see how the actual price in Sterling to British buyers fluctuated over the space of just one month thanks to exchange rate movements. The result was by a hefty £5,292, and think how many fantastic meals out you could have with that in the Dordogne…

On the 5th February, the exchange rate was 1.1987 giving the property a value of £266,956. On 20th February, with an exchange rate of 1.1907, the value was £268,749. On 27th February the exchange rate had dropped to 1.1754 giving a value of £272,248. By March 5th, the exchanged rate had again increased to 1.1933 & the value had reached £268,164.

Using Smart Currency Exchange to make all your currency transfers is the first step to making your pounds go further when buying abroad – thanks to their bank-beating exchange rates. Smart could also help to secure the cost of your overseas home in pounds, before you have to pay for it in a foreign currency, by offering you a forward contract. Visit the Currency Zone for more details.

For details of properties for sale in Brittany, or all property for sale in France, visit the French listings on Rightmove Overseas.

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