Clé France

Family ties are far more important to people in France than is the case in Britain.

Children and grandchildren visit their parents and grandparents on a regular basis and always seem to enjoy these visits. It never comes across as a chore.

On Mother’s Day, in particular, families expect to get together and have a party always accompanied by plenty of flowers for mum. Even in the case of the departed, graves are visited regularly and flowers placed.

On All Saints Day every cemetery in the country will have crowds of visiting people and again flowers are placed on graves, typically chrysanthemums. The French are a lot more tactile than the British.

When people meet friends or acquaintances they always shake hands and male and female friends will always kiss on the cheek. Children up to the age of about ten are expected to kiss the adult friends of their parents when they meet. These things go a long way to making the whole society friendly, more cohesive and definitely more laid-back than is the case in Britain.

Tied-in with the above is the lack of a yob culture throughout France.

French youths never go out with the intention of getting plastered or looking for a fight in the evenings. In Britain you can find this thriving not only in the big cities but in rural areas too. You can see graffiti and vandalism throughout the country, whether in big cities, towns or small villages.

Along with this is the ‘lager-lout’ culture that gets British youth such a bad name both at home and abroad. This does not happen in France. There are occasions when French youngsters get a bit tipsy but this always seems to be tied-in with a special occasion.

They may get a bit loud but it never seems to end in any sort of violence or yobbish behaviour, and very seldom do girls get involved.

Fraser Blake, 70, author of 'Dear Chips' and 'A Rant Too Far?' grew up in Africa, was at school in Scotland, and worked for the British South Africa Police in Southern Rhodesia. He has taught English in Saudi Arabia and sold and renovated hundreds of properties in Northern France.

In 1998 Fraser was selling houses in the Mayenne department of the Pays de la Loire region and so was the obvious choice, when Cle France was started, to be their first agent on the ground in France. In retirement he writes, blogs, cooks, drinks wine, and hosts to dinner unlimited numbers of ex-pats.

Always on hand with a viewpoint, Fraser is going to share his views on France, the French and the British, and other people who buy in France. Sometimes informative, sometimes funny, painfully true, outrageously opinionated but always entertaining so we hope it adds a slightly different dimension to the usual normality of searching through the fantastic properties for sale on the Cle France website.

If you want more? then follow the links above where you can buy Fraser's published books.

Sometimes I think that the rural French Farmhouse is over-rated as a catch-all option when buying in France, do not get me wrong they offer so much and I lived in one in the Mayenne for 12 years until recently, but the maintenance can be a chore when you should be just enjoying things.

I think 'the French' have the right idea sometimes as they tend to go for the much bigger and much more practical Traditional house, I am not keen on the 'Modern' versions but the traditional house build before the mid 1980s have a lot to offer in terms of sheer size, scope for family accommodation and day to day living.

CXZ00413 is on the market for only 146,280 euros FAI in the Correze department of the Limousin region and is exactly what I mean - This place would be great for a gardening loving retired couple looking for a bungalow to enjoy the french way of life.

This is a move into and enjoy property with no work to be done, just enjoy!

Fantastic value property located in a quiet corner of a sought after village in the mountains Monedieres. With 140m2 of living space, this spacious house is in great condition throughout and boasts a beautiful garden with wonderful views of the countryside. This house with its beautiful garden is at the end of a very quiet cul-de-sac at the edge of a beautiful village.

A nice gravel path leads you to the entrance to the house, and there in the hall welcoming porch. The quality modular kitchen is on your left, and so why advance hallway directly in the charming lounge / dining room open plan. With a cozy fireplace and direct access to the terrace of 70m2 with doors, this area is bright and inviting. A corridor leads to the vestibule conveniently three rooms on the ground floor, a family bathroom and toilet. 

An entrance staircase leads down to the basement, where the living accommodation is further enhanced by a private guest suite consisting of a 4th bedroom, a living room and a bathroom with toilet. The basement also houses a large storage room, workshop and garage. 

Placed at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the house is surrounded by a lovely garden in the middle of its 1600m2 of land. A private driveway provides good off-road parking and leads directly to the large garage basement, which is large enough to accommodate up to 3 vehicles. 

The large terrace overlooking the pretty rear garden, complete with a fish pond, a vegetable garden and a gravel path with wooden bridge, and there are fabulous views of the open countryside and mountains. 

This property offers superb value in a competitive market - book your visit now by appointment.

It is such a nice house and well price but you could always try an offer as well.

This place would be great for a gardening loving retired couple looking for a bungalow to enjoy the french way of life. This is a 'move into and enjoy' style property, there is no work to be done to move in.

The department of Corrèze is located in south central France, Corrèze belongs to the Limousin region. Corrèze is the name river running through the department. The population is around 240,000 inhabitants and is split into three arrondissements (Tulle, Brive and Ussel), 38 cantons and 285 towns and villages. Landscapes in this department are mountains, plateaus and valleys. The highest mountain is the Mont Bessou at 978m. 

Corrèze has many pretty villages or towns. It has six villages belonging to the ‘Prettiest villages of France’ category, so watch out for Collonges-la-Rouge, Curemonte, Saint-Robert, Ségur-le-Château, Treignac and Turenne.

Limousin is often described as one of the cheapest French regions in terms of property. It will depend of course on the location and your personal expectations but in general you get a lot for your money.

Less than 12% of the properties in Corrèze are second homes but the number is climbing as it is really sought after for quality holiday homes and setting up a B&B style business.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Hi Sharon, 

Apologise for the delay in replying but the last few days have been a blur!!! We spent the days after the viewing doing a ton of research from vets and dog walks to what car and fridge freezer we are going to buy!!

Just wanted to say thanks for all your help. There were no nasty surprises with the house which so often happens when estate agents are economical with the truth. In fact the only surprises we had were nice ones such as the building plot which is bigger than we thought and better suited to our plans.

I will definitely want to speak to the insurance man you recommended as I really won’t have the time to shop around and I need someone who can hunt me out a good deal. I will have a look at the currency exchange guy you recommend as well.

Many Thanks once again, Pete.

Pete is buying a lovely house in the Correze department of the Limousin with Cle France and seems to have had a nice time doing some shopping for a new French car and some white goods for his new house in France already! Good luck Pete.

Dear David,

We are having a wonderful time here in France and have been very impressed with your agents, especially Jean-Claude, he truly is very special.

We have decided on a property that ticks all the boxes and we are considering making an offer.

Kindest regards, Jean & Dave.

Jean & Dave are currently in Brittany region of France looking for their dream home, they booked several viewings with Cle France agents across the region which includes the departments of Cotes d'Armor, Morbihan, Finistere and Ile et Vilaine. It sounds like we may have helped them find the right house in France!

Patriotism plays an important part in French life. It seems as though British politicians are trying to instil a bit of this into the British population.

In France, major dates such as Armistice Day [November 11], Victory in Europe Day [May 8], Bastille Day [July 14] are each marked by placing the tricolour around every war memorial in the country. For the war commemorations there will often be a small parade of veterans followed by a church service.

On Bastille Day, towns and villages put on fetes, pageants and usually a wonderful firework display at night. The smaller towns and many villages are also great at organising interesting events that pull in the crowds and which also give the locals a wonderful feeling of togetherness.

These events can be as disparate as something connected to local history in which the people all participate by dressing up, to a simple pig roast followed by a dance. A very small and quiet little village had eight births in one year. This was so exceptional that the local mayoress organised for eight oak trees [of the evergreen variety] to be planted in the little park in the centre of the village. On the day the supplier attended in order to demonstrate how they should be planted and the whole village turned out to watch. The local senator was also present and after the planting, which each family undertook for itself, there followed coffee and biscuits in the community hall, all paid for by the village.

It is such attention to detail that gives the French their feeling of togetherness and solidarity. Any foreigners present are made to feel totally welcome and part of the community.

Fraser Blake, 70, author of 'Dear Chips' and 'A Rant Too Far?' grew up in Africa, was at school in Scotland, and worked for the British South Africa Police in Southern Rhodesia. He has taught English in Saudi Arabia and sold and renovated hundreds of properties in Northern France.

In 1998 Fraser was selling houses in the Mayenne department of the Pays de la Loire region and so was the obvious choice, when Cle France was started, to be their first agent on the ground in France. In retirement he writes, blogs, cooks, drinks wine, and hosts to dinner unlimited numbers of ex-pats.

Always on hand with a viewpoint, Fraser is going to share his views on France, the French and the British, and other people who buy in France. Sometimes informative, sometimes funny, painfully true, outrageously opinionated but always entertaining so we hope it adds a slightly different dimension to the usual normality of searching through the fantastic properties for sale on the Cle France website.

If you want more? then follow the links above where you can buy Fraser's published books.