Located on the west coast of France, Poitou-Charentes is an unspoilt region, a fashionable holiday destination, and is proving more and more popular among those who wish to buy property abroad.
Poitou-Charentes beautiful coastlines welcome tourists, and the numerous hotels and campsites which stud the coast encourage visitors to stay and enjoy the sandy beaches and relaxed lifestyle of this area of France. Many choose to stay for far longer than a simple holiday, investing in real estate in the Poitou-Charentes, an investment which is proving a wise choice.
Poitou-Charentes is a wonderful area in which to indulge a love of cycling, with flat land and a mild climate. Like all of France, delicious food and wine is a staple of the area, with regional ingredients creating new effects to delight the palate.
Poitou-Charentes enjoys a warm microclimate with over 2250 hours of sunshine each year, with long hot summers and cooler winters. Frost is unusual, but not unknown, and the region is second only to the Cote D’Azur in terms of weather; even better, Poitou-Charentes does not suffer from a mistral, the cold wind that blows over southern France and Italy.
Poitou-Charentes is served by a number of airports, including Tours, La Rochelle, Nantes and Poitiers. You could also fly into an airport further afield, perhaps in Paris, and use France’s TGV train links to travel to your property, or rent a car if the real estate you wish to visit is off the beaten track. As always in France, ferries are an option.
Property prices are more expensive nearer the coast then inland, and with so many British expatriates and French retirees buying property in the area, prices can rise fast, making Poitou-Charentes a good area for property investment. Like anywhere else, buying property in need of renovation will be a cheaper price up front, although do bear in mind the renovation costs which will be required. For instance, a 2150m² plot of building land in Queaux might cost £12,000, while an inhabitable house in the same area could cost around £62,000, and depending upon whether you are buying your property for your retirement, as a second home, to rent to holiday-makers or as a project, you will evaluate the pros and cons of buying land versus buying inhabitable properties differently.