Where to buy a beautiful house in France for less than £100,000
A cute village house with dove-grey shutters, an apartment in a bustling mountain town, or even a four-bedroom house in a bastide – these are all options for just £100,000.
This is even the case now that French property has emerged from its slump: latest national sales figures from Notaires de France from April showed the number of transactions was up 3pc on October last year.
But how to find a bargain?
'Be willing to step outside high-demand zones and consider renovation work,' says Benoît Galy, of property website Green-Acres.fr.
Think about what you might compromise on, adds Daniela Harris of Beaux Villages Immobilier, an international associate of Savills. 'A property within walking distance to a boulangerie will command a premium. Are you prepared to get in the car for a five-minute drive instead?'
A recent report by Safer, the French land agency, showed that overseas buyers make up more than 10pc of all sales in Poitou-Charentes, Limousin and Dordogne.
'Part of the attraction is that all three of these regions offer such terrific value for money, and finding a beautiful property for under £100,000 is absolutely possible,' says Graham Downie, of Leggett Immobilier, an estate agency.
But other areas are good hunting grounds too. Here's proof that you can find tempting properties across France.
Haute-Garonne (Pyrenees)
For outdoorsy types, the Pyrenees offers much better value than the Alps, as well as that Catalan twist.
Take a look at the elegant old spa town of Bagnères-de-Luchon – known as the Queen of the Pyrenees – and the surrounding villages for an affordable dual-season home.
For active types, the Tour de France regularly passes by, and there's a swimming lake, hikes and cycling, paragliding, and horse-riding. There's also a vibrant summer scene of village fetes, live music in bars and many restaurants open all year round, and there's direct access to Superbagnères ski resort.
As for transport options, the A64 motorway, which runs from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, is nearby; Toulouse airport is a little under 90 minutes away; while Tarbes/Lourdes airport is around a 70-minute drive.
It is possible to buy a one-bedroom apartment in Luchon for under €100,000 with strong holiday rental potential, says Carole Macgregor of Leggett. The agent has a furnished one-bedder with private parking priced at €99,000.
Properties in the surrounding villages can be cheaper and you can find a good choice of small houses or apartments for just over €100,000, such as a three-bedroom apartment with a huge private terrace in a scenic village for €115,000.
Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
Packed with recreational lakes, forest walks within easy driving access, and trains to Paris or the airport at Clermont-Ferrand (an hour and 15 minutes journey), this pocket of central France is popular with Parisians seeking a country escape, along with the Dutch and Belgians, who can drive there. It's a five-hour drive from Dieppe.
Consider this area if you want to escape the crowds. 'It's one of the least occupied areas of France, but ideal for the Jacques Coeur walk – a circuit of historical monuments and chateaux – as well as the Puy de Dôme for hiking, hang-gliding and skiing,' says Shelley Brackenridge of Leggett.
However, it's not completely off the beaten track. ' Gîte owners do often stop by to break up journeys to other parts of France,' she adds.
And your money goes far. Currently for sale is a five-bedroom house in a pretty hamlet near Le Châtelet for €119,900, and a three-bedroom cottage on the edge of the Tronçais forest for €117,720, both from Leggett.
Nièvre, central-east France
Look to the often-overlooked département 58 for a peaceful home in the heart of nature.
'Close to the Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan, it is possible to spend hours exploring without meeting anyone,' says Galy.
'Far from the bustling tourist trails, it offers a sincere rural lifestyle with lush landscapes, historic villages, Burgundy's famous vineyards and friendly local communities.'
It's a six-hour drive down from Calais, while you can get from Clermont-Ferrand airport in two and a half hours. This part of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region is a top-three location for searches of less than €100,000 on Green-Acres.fr.
In 2024, over 3,000 real estate transactions were recorded in Nièvre, according to the council of Notaries, with a price per transaction averaging €90,000 for a typical 95sq m property.
You can get a cute one-bedroom detached cottage in Luxy for €98,000, or a three-bedroom house with a basement for €99,000 (through the agent).
Orne, Normandy
Easiest to reach, full of history and packed with potential for tourism businesses, Normandy is as popular as ever with British home hunters – especially with those who prefer to drive rather than fly, or to avoid the increasingly hot summers of the south.
The D-Day beaches and Bayeux Tapestry attract visitors from all over the world, and away from the coast there are plenty of options for under £100,000 – with scope for B&B or gîte income.
Valley of the Orne spans Calvados and Orne departments, and has affordable homes tucked away in quaint hamlets, the lakes of La Ferrière-aux-Étangs, Château de Domfront and the rugged gorges of this area known as 'Norman Switzerland'.
Rita Bryan, of Leggett, picks out Chanu as a good example of a vibrant village hub with a welcoming atmosphere, where you can find a four-bedroom house for €120,000. There is no need to take on a major project, she says.
'You can find many super little villages with flourishing restaurants, such as at Saint-Jean-des-Bois and Tinchebray-Bocage.'
In the latter, a two-bedroom modern home costs €101,500. Or, if you do fancy a project, there's a four-bedroom detached house for €109,800.
Northwest Charente
With some of the charm of the Dordogne (rolling countryside, stone houses, sunflowers and vineyards) but lower prices, the Charente is nearly as popular these days.
Life here is peaceful and authentic, says Peter Top from Leggett. 'You're surrounded by beautiful villages like Verteuil-sur-Charente or Nanteuil-en-Vallée, weekly markets, and gentle river landscapes and forests for cycling, walking and kayaking.
'There's also a strong community of international buyers, so you're never completely isolated,' he adds.
Poitiers and Angoulême are closest TGV hubs (with links to Paris and Bordeaux), and airports like Poitiers, Limoges, and La Rochelle are all within reach. From the Channel ports, it's around six to seven hours' drive.
Find stone farmhouses, barns with land, or small village houses to update. Currently for sale is a three-bedroom stone house fixer-upper for €75,000, or a two-bedroom house in Nanteuil-en-Vallée for €86,000 from French-Property.com.
Lot-et-Garonne
For charming barns, stunning views and charming bastides, look to the Lot-et-Garonne, and especially around Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
Straddling the River Lot, near Agen, the town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot is well known for its beautiful bastide (and its plums), and offers a weekly market, arcaded shops as well as boating and fishing. The nearby village of Pujols is officially listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
It is an appealing destination for property buyers not wishing to sacrifice amenities and culture, says Galy. Only 4pc of homes sold in 2024 were second homes, so it's ideal for relocation – and it's halfway between the big cities and airports of Toulouse and Bordeaux.
'For around €100,000 you will need to do at least some refreshing,' he adds. Typical of this is a five-bedroom 1960s townhouse at €99,900.
In Pujols, there's a four-bedroom detached house with wraparound balcony for £108,435 (possibly negotiable) through Properstar.co.uk.
South Deux-Sèvres
Between the Loire Valley and the Atlantic coast, Deux-Sèvres is one of France's best-kept secrets for UK buyers.
With verdant valleys, woodland and characterful towns, it offers the kind of lifestyle many dream of.
Easy access to airports such as Poitiers, La Rochelle and Nantes, as well as good road and rail links, make it a practical choice for second home owners or those looking to relocate.
The Atlantic coast is just over an hour away, and larger towns like Niort and Parthenay offer more amenities, says Nicola Hancock of Leggett.
'A major draw for families is the internationally acclaimed Puy du Fou historical theme park – one of France's top attractions.'
Sophie Stokes of Beaux Villages says you can find three to five-bedroom properties with outbuildings for around €115,000 in towns such as Bressuire, Chef-Boutonne, Sauzé-Vaussais, Melle, Brioux-sur-Boutonne and Celles-sur- Belle, or the peaceful village of Boussais.
The agent is currently selling a lovely two-bedroom house near Sauzé-Vaussais for €109,000, while Leggett has a pretty three-bedroom house in Pamplie a bit over budget at €129,000.
West Aude
Don't assume that all of the south within easy reach of the Med is out of budget – look to pockets of the Aude in the Occitanie, suggests Daniela Harris.
'You can still find value-for-money gems that are not too close to the coast, with more variable climates rather than purely Mediterranean,' she says.
She suggests Quillan, or anywhere around Limoux, Fanjeaux and Chalabre, where local investment into the communes will no doubt bear fruit, and there is hiking, cycling and wineries to hand.
'These locations still experience a mild climate and are not as hot as, say, the coast in summer, [they are] less crowded and have great swimming haunts nearby if you are wanting a beach but not the crowds.'
Compromise on a garden to save money – go for a roof terraces or a small courtyard instead. You can also find apartments in nearby Carcassonne for that budget, one of the most under-valued cities in France.
In the scenic village of Azille there's a three-bedroom property for €110,000 (through Savills), or a three-bedroom townhouse in Quillan for €71,000 (through Green-Acres.fr).
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Daily Mail
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Europe's hellfire: France's killer wildfire the size of PARIS continues to rage after tourists in Spain are evacuated and country reports more than 1,000 have died from the heat
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BBC News
2 hours ago
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How Europe is vying for rare earth independence from China
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Times
3 hours ago
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Bordeaux revives light, chilled red wine that gave claret its name
The English developed a penchant for Bordeaux after Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II in 1152. Their preference was for fresh, clear-coloured reds that did not need to age for years before being drunk, and Bordeaux's winemakers were only too happy to satisfy their tastes. Historians say the trend lasted for almost three centuries before England's defeat in the 100 Years' War coincided with a fashion for darker, heavier wines. Now some of Bordeaux's vineyards are seeking to revive the medieval reds beloved of the English. They call it clairet, sometimes translated as claret, although the translation is confusing. Claret initially designated the pale red wines made in Eleanor's time but ended up being used in England as a generic term to describe all Bordeaux's reds. Clairet, on the other hand, continues to be a separate category of wine somewhere between red and rosé. Proponents view it as a response to a crisis caused by a 38 per cent fall in red wine sales in France over the past five years. At least 15 per cent of Bordeaux's vineyards have been abandoned or given over to other crops since 2019, according to the agriculture ministry. Vines have been replaced by kiwis, olives and hemp. Yet critics say all is not lost for Bordeaux so long as it moves away from the full-bodied reds with a high alcohol content it has been producing in recent decades. Sud Ouest, the influential regional daily, said clairet represented a potentially popular alternative. The newspaper quoted Jérôme Gagnez, the wine critic, as saying clairet had 'serious assets to seduce a new generation of consumers as well as enlightened drinkers.' He said it was fruity, supple and served chilled at 12C, all of which went down well with today's drinkers. Clairet is made by leaving grape juice and skins to macerate for between 24 and 72 hours. The period is shorter than for reds, but longer than for rosés. It is fermented at a low temperature and can be drunk within a couple of years. The official Bordeaux wine website says it has a strawberry and blackcurrant bouquet with notes of rose and peony. Les Echos, the French financial daily, said Bordeaux would have to cast aside some of its cherished etiquette if it was to win back drinkers, including the use of ice cubes to cool red wine. The newspaper said connoisseurs 'trembled' at the thought of such a practice, which 'dilutes the wine and breaks the tannins'. But demand for chilled wines was such that qualms were being swept aside. Even the powerful Mouton Cadet brand launched a red to be drunk at between 8C and 10C this summer. • When is it OK to drink chilled red wine? Les Echos said clairet met the requirement for refreshing wines to quench thirst in an era of global warming. 'Clairet is a good answer to this evolution', said Antoine Carteyron, the owner of Château Penin, which makes a clairet with merlot grapes that sells in France for less than €10 a bottle. There have been multiple attempts to relaunch the medieval-style wine since the middle of last century but it was shunned by drinkers who preferred Bordeaux's heavy reds, or rosés from Provence. Sud Ouest said there were fewer than 1,000 hectares of clairet-producing vineyards in the region, with bottles rare in restaurants. Merchants are said to be reluctant to buy it for fear of being unable to offload commentators say production is rising, with clairet enjoying critical acclaim again. Château Penin, for instance, first started producing clairet 40 years ago. 'It was a family wine that we didn't sell. When my father first put it on the market in 1982 people looked at him as though he was from outer space,' Carteyron told Le Figaro. Now the vineyard is being hailed as visionary. Even the illustrious Château Grand Corbin-Despagne in the Saint-Emilion area of Bordeaux has started making a clairet, called Heritage Vinum Clarum. It sells for €12 a bottle.
