13/09/2026
☀️ A lovely morning here in sunny South West France!
Today is the brocante in our local town of Burie —You may think of them as a glorified car boot sale, but in much prettier surroundings! However its a great opportunity for the local community to sell unwanted goods , get to see old friends and eat together as there is always a BBQ provided by the community sometimes serving an inviting smelling andouillette sausage (but not for me !) 😂
I really love the idea of giving things a second life. So many of the things you find at a brocante have plenty of life left in them and are just waiting for their next owner. It’s also a lovely opportunity to see friends and clients from the local area and have a good catch-up.
Today was particularly poignant for me.
Around two years ago, I sold a house for a lovely older couple who wanted to return to the UK for health reasons. During the process, we got to know each other quite well and, as often happens with this job, we became friends. Chris even kindly provided many of the beautiful flowers from their garden for Lexie’s wedding. 🌸
Sadly, after their return to the UK, Chris passed away very suddenly. Her husband later contacted me with the sad news, but also with the thought that he might like to return to France — a place he still felt was home.
He gave me his “wish list” for a property, and I set about looking for something that I thought could work for him. It wasn’t necessarily in the exact area he had originally been searching, but I felt it could be the perfect fit.
A few months later, he decided to buy the house, and I was absolutely delighted to be able to help him make that move back to France.
And today, seeing him wandering around the brocante looking so well and happy was genuinely very emotional.
He told me how happy and fulfilled he feels in his new home — but, more importantly, how happy he is with his new community. He has made lots of new friends, both French and English, and is very much part of local life. He has even started giving French lessons to several English people in the area and has a full agenda!
It made me realise, once again, that being an estate agent is about so much more than selling houses.
There are all the little things that happen along the way — the conversations, the encouragement, the introductions, the local knowledge, helping someone find their feet in a new community, and sometimes simply being there when someone needs a bit of reassurance.
They may not appear on a sales brochure, and they certainly don't always happen during office hours! But they are the parts of the job that take time and energy — and ultimately, they are the things that make it so rewarding.
Helping someone find a house is one thing.
Helping them find a new chapter in their life is something else entirely. ❤️
And today, seeing Julian so happy reminded me just how lucky I am to do what I do, here in beautiful South West France. 🇫🇷
