It is important now to really think about what you want out of your experience moving abroad. If you aren't moving alone, sitting down together (with your partner or family) and mapping out expectations is a great place to start. You're going to need to answer a few questions before really digging into some listings.
How much can/are you willing to spend? Are you doing a cash buy? Or trying for a loan?
Where do you want to live? This one is a big one. Just like the U.S., there are regions of France that are completely different from one another. Do you want a big city? To live rurally? Do you want to live in the north or south? Again, for us, we knew we wanted to live where it was sunny, as Pittsburgh has the lowest rate of sun in the U.S. Not knowing the south at all, we opted for a road trip to see what areas interested us. The south of France is very different whether you are in the east or the west of the region. Visiting definitely helped solidify where we saw ourselves.
What role does transportation play in your decision? Will you have a car? Do you want to be close to a train station? Is being in a city that has a metro important to you? Is having airport access a must?
How many bedrooms and bathrooms would you like? In a simple google search, you can easily find old chateaux with 15+ bedrooms and, just as simply, little cottages with two bedrooms. Will guest come and visit? Will you use this as an income property? B and B?
How much renovations are you comfortable with? If you are someone who is really motivated to move abroad, but don't exactly have the means to do so, this may be the best way to do it. There are many lower-priced places available in major cities and small hamlets alike for those brave enough to take on some renovations.
New or old?? What kind of home are you drawn to? Do you like the look of new builds or modern looking homes or do you like the character and charm of older homes? Knowing this will help narrow down your search.
To give you an idea, our wishlist looked like this:
Top of our budget was $250,000
We tried the mortgage route, but it was not so easy due to Andy being freelance *more on that later*
We knew we wanted the south and not in a large city. We wanted to feel like we were having the "real" French countryside village experience.
We knew that later on in life, we wanted to buy a car, but for the time being we were going to rent a car. We also knew we wanted a town that had a well-stocked grocery store, weekly market, boulangerie and pharmacy so that we didn't have to drive to get necessities.
We are the kind of people that feel like the house picks you. So we didn't have a set number of bedrooms or bathrooms. The house had to have at least two bedrooms so that we could accommodate guests, but if it had more, that was fine too. For the bathroom, I just wanted it to be working and not need plumbing.
We bought a fixer-upper here in Pittsburgh, so it was a big wish to not have to do any major renovations in France. I wanted a move-in ready place and for our budget, that was more than possible.
We wanted a "character" home. In France, that essentially means that the home is old and has quirky details, which we love! We knew right off the bat we did not want a newly built or newly renovated home. The older, more historic, the better!