Richard and Sally had yearned for many years to own their own little bolt-hole in France. As Richard said, looking back on his reasons: “I decided I didn't want to pay a penny more into a pension fund that others were benefiting from and the answer I came up with was to buy a property in France with a small mortgage which my family and friends would benefit from and not some anonymous suit in the city.”

They both had warm memories of their youth when they had hitchhiked through the Provencal countryside and it seemed natural that their property search should start in this region. They quickly became aware, however, that this area was just too expensive and decided to look elsewhere.

Keeping their minds open, they took a holiday in the Vendee but the weather was bad and they found themselves again being drawn to the south of France, this time to the Languedoc-Roussillon area. They began by scouring the Internet, looking at magazines and brochures until one day Sally saw a photograph of Roquebrun and fell instantly in love with the idea of living near the Orb Valley.

Meanwhile Richard began to like the idea of a pretty little town, adored by painters, called Ceret in the Pyrenees Orientales. They attended 2 French property exhibitions in London and although they didn’t find any properties as such, they became encouraged by the excellent advice they received from various specialist lawyers, accountants and agents and were particularly impressed by the services of Smart Currency Exchange, who pointed out how to achieve the very best exchange rate when they did decide to buy in France.

Feeling even more determined to see through their idea and better organised to do so, they made appointments with a couple of agents north of Beziers and a couple in Ceret. The idea was to decide which area they thought would be best and they would then return the following Easter to that area and look more specifically. They realised they were spoilt for choice of airports (Montpellier, Carcassonne, Perpignan and Toulouse) and set off.

On the first day they visited six properties with the first agent and seven with the second agent. However, they were surprised to find that the first property that the second agent showed them had really struck a chord. It was a Monday afternoon and they were told it had only come on the market that weekend and that they didn't have all the particulars.

Explaining that they were due to see other properties in Ceret the next day (Tuesday) and that they would like to return to have another look on the Wednesday, they were told that other people were on their way by train from Paris to have a look at this particular property on that very day.

Maybe just a sales ploy, thought Richard, but suddenly, in one of those life changing moments, they realised a decision had to be made. Following their hearts, not their heads at this time, and realising that they would have a seven-day cooling off period anyway, they decided to make an offer which was accepted pretty much on the spot.

After a fitful night wondering if they had done the right thing, they very soon knew that they had. They had done their research about the area and type of property they would like and had narrowed down their criteria to a small house with no garden to maintain, but a terrace with view of the mountains in a small town with bars and cafes nearby. The property in question fitted these criteria.

Richard and Sally set up their account with Smart Currency Exchange and were thrilled to find out they had saved over £4,000 on their property purchase simply by using their services and not those of the bank. They have never regretted their decision to go for the property they fell in love with and now enjoy several trips each year to this lovely region.

Need help finding a home in France?
If you’re in the hunt for a French property, a good place to start is the France Buying Guide’s new property search facility. To start your search now visit
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/content/france-properties