Dordogne - travel and tourism

Property for sale in Dordogne - which is right for you?

If you are planning to buy property in the Dordogne region there are a few considerations and practicalities to consider.

How rural is the property? Some of us want to buy property as far as possible from our nearest neighbour, others like the contact with neighbours or the ability to pop out to a bar. Just be sure the property you are looking at will suit your personality. Petrol is expensive if you are always in the car.

Buy a ruin or a renovated property? Nothing wrong with buying a run-down property or ruin - you can restyle it exactly as you like. But it is expensive, can take several months (or more)of work, and will be more stressful than buying a property that is already renovated. There is less choice of ruins for sale now than there was a few years ago, espeially in the very popular central regions of the Dordogne.

Many people moving to the Dordogne buy or design an oversized house, because 'the family need somewhere to stay when they visit'. It doesn't make sense to buy an enormous house for this reason - there are lots of gites and rentals around for your family to stay in when they visit, and the rest of the time you will be paying maintenance, heating and taxes on an unnaturally large property. I know what you are saying - it just won't be the same...trust me, you'll thank us for this advice one day!

There is always a good range of property for sale in Dordogne, in most price ranges. Consider buying your property in the northern Dordogne, towards Limousin, or the Lot-et-Garonne department to the south, if you want to avoid tourist congestion and villages that close up for the winter.