Leggett Massif to Burgundy - Alison Brettell

05/10/2026

🏡 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐌 𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆? 💶

It's a conversation I have surprisingly often.
You enquire about a property and would like to arrange a viewing.
Before we make the appointment, I might ask:

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

💶 Do you have the funds available?
🏡 Do you have a property to sell first?
🏦 Will you require a mortgage?

And occasionally this doesn't go down terribly well. 😂

So let me explain why I ask.
𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤.

I'm trying to establish something much simpler:
𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖?

Needing a mortgage isn't a problem. But please have spoken to your bank first to see if you are in a position to get a mortgage!

Having a house to sell isn't necessarily a problem.

Being at the beginning of your search isn't a problem.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠. 🔔

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫. 😏

Because arranging a viewing doesn't just involve me turning up with a set of keys.

A vendor may clean and prepare their home, change their plans, arrange childcare, move animals, leave the property for the viewing — sometimes they've spent the entire morning making everything perfect for you.

I may also have driven a considerable distance to get there.

So I don't think it's unreasonable to establish beforehand whether the finances behind the potential purchase actually make sense.

Vendors quite reasonably like to know the position of the people coming to view their home.
Imagine I've arranged a viewing.
Joe Bloggs arrives, spends an hour looking around, absolutely loves the house and tells the owners it's perfect.
Brilliant! ❤️
Then he casually adds...
“𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟐.”
You can only imagine the look on the vendors' faces. 😂

𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐉𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒.
It's about understanding where you are in the buying process so that I can be honest with you, honest with my vendors, and make sensible use of everyone's time.

𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑…
Not being in a position to buy right now doesn't automatically mean you can't view a property.
Some vendors — and sometimes I — are perfectly happy to arrange a viewing even if you're at the very beginning of your plans.
Why?
Because viewings can still be useful.
You get to understand what's available for your budget, and vendors get valuable feedback about their property.

𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄… 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓.
If you're hoping to buy next year — tell me.
If your house isn't on the market yet — tell me.
If you're only starting to investigate mortgage possibilities — tell me.
If you're in France for a week and simply want to start understanding what's available — tell me.
None of those answers necessarily means I'm going to say no.
It simply means I know your position, the vendors know your position, and everybody can make an informed decision about the viewing.
𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐍𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐘 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓.

A straightforward answer makes life considerably easier for everyone. ❤️

So please don't be offended when your estate agent asks about your financial position.
We're not asking for your PIN number. 😂

We're trying to make sure we're showing you properties you could genuinely buy.
And ultimately, that makes for a much better house hunt for everybody. 🏡❤️

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 — 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠?

21/09/2026

💧 Some properties are houses. Some are a little bit of an adventure…

This one definitely falls into the second category.

Hidden away in the Creuse countryside, this former water mill sits beside the river, surrounded by over 2 hectares of land and woodland.

There are no close neighbours – just water, trees, wildlife and plenty of space to do your own thing.

And then you start exploring the property…

🏡 A substantial renovated house with 7 bedrooms
🌊 Around 500m of river frontage
🏚️ The original mill, with its historic machinery still in place
🛠️ A large workshop/garage with further space above
🏊 A swimming pool
♨️ A jacuzzi
🌳 Woodland and gardens
💻 Fibre internet

The old mill alone gives this property a completely different feel. It offers a huge amount of space and potential, whether you want somewhere to work, create, entertain, accommodate guests or simply enjoy having a rather unusual building on your land.

And despite the wonderfully secluded setting, you're not completely cut off from the world – Montluçon is around 20 minutes away.

This is the sort of property that could suit someone who doesn't want the usual French country house.

Someone looking for space, privacy, water, history and a property with a story to tell.

📍 Budelière, Creuse
💶 €495,000
🛏️ 7 bedrooms | 🌿 2.08 hectares

👉 https://www.frenchestateagents.com/french-property-for-sale/view/A37791GG23

Located 20 km south of Montluçon, just a few kilometers from the spa town of Évaux-les-Bains and close to the medieval village of Chambon-sur-Voueize (list...

18/09/2026

16/09/2026

✨ Character, countryside and an exceptional Energy Rating B…

This beautifully renovated stone house in a peaceful hamlet in Arronnes, Allier, is one of those properties that offers a combination that's not easy to find.

🏡 Approx. 140 m² of living space
🛏️ 4 bedrooms, including one currently used as an office
⚡ Exceptional Energy Rating B – particularly rare for a traditional stone house
☀️ Approx. 100 m² terrace
🌳 Garden of approx. 1,688 m²
🏚️ Barn and separate outbuilding
🏊 Swimming pool ready to be completed
🔥 Air-to-water heat pump
🌐 Fibre broadband

The house has been renovated to provide modern comfort while retaining its traditional character, and the large terrace creates a wonderful space for enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

Located just 8 km from Le Mayet-de-Montagne for everyday amenities and around 19 km from Vichy, it offers a rural setting without being isolated.

💶 €345,000 including agency fees

Take a look at the full details and photographs here:

👉 View the property – Ref. A47200ABR03

What do you think of this combination of traditional stone character and a DPE B? 🇫🇷

16/09/2026

🚂 A piece of French railway history – now a unique family home!

Dating from 1861, this beautifully preserved former railway station in Audes, Allier, has been thoughtfully converted into a comfortable home while retaining some wonderful original features, including the ticket window, doors and windows.

🏡 111 m² of living space
🛏️ 3 bedrooms
🛁 2 shower rooms
✨ 47 m² loft with potential
🔥 Recently installed woodburner
🏊 Above-ground swimming pool
🌿 Garden with pétanque court & barbecue area
🚂 Former station buildings for storage
🛋️ Sold furnished

And the location? The property sits alongside the Canal de Berry, offering a peaceful setting for walking and cycling, while Vallon-en-Sully is just 10 km away, Montluçon 15 km and the A71 motorway approximately 7 km.

This isn't just another French country house – it's a property with a story, character and a history of its own.

👉 €225,000

Take a look at the full details and photographs here:

View the full property details – https://www.frenchestateagents.com/french-property-for-sale/view/A47440ABR03

Please share with anyone dreaming of owning something a little different in France. 🇫🇷

27/08/2026

🇫🇷 GREAT NEWS FOR SECOND-HOME OWNERS IN FRANCE!

At last, second-home owners and other property owners in France have stronger protection against squatters.

A new French law came into force on 20 August 2026, extending the fast-track administrative eviction procedure to a much wider range of illegally occupied properties.

Until now, much of the protection focused on someone's home. The new rules extend the procedure to other residential properties, as well as commercial, agricultural and professional premises.

And there is another particularly interesting change for holiday-home owners:

👉 Someone who rents a furnished holiday property and then refuses to leave after their rental agreement has ended can now potentially be dealt with under this procedure too.

The process isn't simply a case of calling the police and having someone removed immediately. There are still legal safeguards and evidence requirements, but the préfet must normally respond to a request within 48 hours, with the notice to leave potentially as short as 24 hours for someone's home, or generally 7 days for other premises.

⚠️ One important distinction: this does not mean that an ordinary residential tenant who stops paying their rent can suddenly be evicted in seven days. Normal landlord-and-tenant rules still apply.

But for owners worried about the illegal occupation of a second home or other property, this is a significant strengthening of protection under French law.

And, contrary to some reports still circulating, this isn't simply a proposed law waiting to be passed. It was promulgated on 18 August and came into force on 20 August 2026. 🇫🇷🏡

05/08/2026

This beautiful 'corps de ferme' contains a large farmhouse with attached barn, a smaller house to renovate, and two separate barns. The farmhouse has a new r...

03/08/2026

We may not have the sea here in central France, but we certainly know how to make the most of the summer! ☀️🏖️
Just 10 minutes from me is France's first floating swimming pool on a lake. It's a great reminder that France has so many beautiful swimming lakes, beaches, and leisure areas to cool off in – no coastline needed!
Who needs the beach when you have places like this? 🇫🇷💙🌊

"C'est une première en France" : une piscine flottante installée sur un plan d'eau 👉 https://ebx.sh/X1IvEX