Get Over It

Losing out on our dream French home really knocked us for six. For a while we couldn’t even continue our search. Our inbox was a graveyard of unopened estate agent emails - a digital monument to our despair. We needed a break to recharge our batteries, so we took one.

But as the daffodils dared to peek their heads above the sodden ground, so too did our spirits. The promise of summer and a return to France was the carrot we needed. Time to dust off the spreadsheet and dive back into the online abyss.

Losing out on that first house had been hard but the positive we took from it was that we knew our wants from our needs, and we weren’t afraid to be picky. Our spreadsheet swelled like a proud parent,

The revised list was much larger than in our previous search so we took the decision to arrange a viewing trip rather than use our holiday to look at the properties. This was the first time we had been to France strictly to view properties and it took some planning.

We planned a five day visit with six properties lined up to see. We set off to Edinburgh airport full of excitement to catch our flight. The following morning we landed in Toulouse and picked up our Liigu hire car using an app. This way of renting a car was a total game changer. No queuing for hours to collect your car. They notify you the car location 30 minutes before hand, you then use your mobile to open and start the car!

It was a beautiful sunny day in early June. Our first appointment was that afternoon and we headed off to meet the agent in a local town. Just being back here again felt wonderful. The disappointment of our previous trip just melted away as we left the city of Toulouse behind and drove through the luscious green countryside. We met with our agent and followed him a few miles to the first property.

Pulling into the short driveway, we were greeted by an impressive looking pale stone Maison de Maitre. Our agent informed us that the house has been a Chambre d’hotes for many years but the owner was retiring. Getting out of the car, the first thing we saw was an impressive sized pool, it needed a little TLC but it could make a wonderful outdoor area. The house was lovely, high ceilings, and lots of period features. As the house had been used as a B&B it would need a little re-jigging to make it a family home once more but the potential was there. We arranged a second viewing with the agent a couple of days later.

Having plotted the locations of the visits we opted for a hotel that seemed to be pretty central and headed there. It turned out to be not as central as we thought, but it was a pleasant hotel and we settled in with refreshments on the terrace to discuss the property and plan for tomorrow’s viewings.

Bright and early the next morning we set off for our second appointment in L’Isle en Dodon, on paper this one had been my personal favourite, despite not having a pool. Again we met the agent in a nearby town and followed her to the house. Turning off the road onto the drive the imposing maison de maitre came into view. I loved it! Perfect symmetry across the three floors and huge original windows. Even on this foggy, damp autumn morning the grey slate roof sparkled like gemstones. I was even willing to overlook the quite close neighbour that had not been mentioned in the agent’s listing.

This was a typical detached maison de maitre in a large mature garden. Great sized rooms and a perfect country kitchen, pantry and back kitchen that was straight out of one of my dreams. Downstairs was fantastic, it needed some work but we were excited. As we ascended the staircase to the beautiful, ornate hallway, something was off. The staircase was not original, it had been replaced at some point. So what? You may say! Well, the way it was done left the slimmest of access to the two bedrooms at the front of the house. So slim in fact you could only just walk down them. Our first thought was how would we get any furniture into those bedrooms? Our heads were spinning, so much to love but also some concerns. There was a lot to consider as we headed off for lunch.

Later that day, we headed to an area largely unfamiliar to us, the area referred to as the Golden Triangle. The triangle d’or is a beautiful area found between the towns of Albi, Gaillac and Cordes-sur-Ciel. The scenery was breathtaking, Tree lined country roads, vineyards as far as the eye could see and gorgeous sleepy villages nestled amongst the rolling hills.

As this was the third viewing of the trip, we had started to name the houses to avoid confusion. This old winehouse was respectfully named “Amy” and on paper was my husband’s favourite. As we pulled up outside it did not disappoint. A traditional, stone wine house surrounded by the most gorgeous views I had seen so far. The garden was large with plenty of room for a pool and a couple of outbuildings that needed a little TLC. This property was a private sale and we were warmly greeted by the owners who offered us refreshments on this hot and sticky evening.

The kitchen and living room were just gorgeous. Just what we were looking for. Great sizes and crammed with original features . There was little to do here. Upstairs however was underwhelming in comparison and required quite a lot of work to make it right for us. There was a huge old drying barn attached to the house that had great possibilities and an attached outbuilding that could greatly increase the living space. A lot to think about! The lovely owners answered all our questions and wished us luck with our search. As we approached Montauban, the sun was setting and we saw the first flash of lightning.

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