The Dordogne Property Market
What can I buy?
There's a vast array of different types of dwelling to be purchased in the Dordogne. Here's a brief guide, starting with the smallest and moving up the scale...
Cottages, "Fermettes" and Barns
The typical Dordogne cottage that usually attracts UK buyers will originally have been a smallholding, sometimes described as a "fermette". This term is used by Dordogne estate agents to describe a small farm, just as "kitchenette" denotes a small kitchen. The house will comprise two or three rooms, and may not have an upper floor. There may be a possibility of expansion into a neighbouring barn.
Barns can sometimes be acquired on their own, but will usually be linked or next to a small house.
Maisons de Maitre
A more imposing house, with a regular façade, may be described as a "maison de maitre" This is used to describe a free-standing rectangular house, usually of two storeys plus an attic, with a symmetrical façade. There will be three or five windows across the first floor level. This is a more formal – and consequently usually more expensive – type of building than the cottage.
Country houses and farms will have varying amounts of land – and sometimes small lakes or ponds. Buyers sometimes get carried away by the amount of land available, and subsequently find, to their cost, that the upkeep is more than they bargained for. Care should therefore be taken to consider the implications of size when purchasing.
1970s houses
In the 1970s many houses were constructed on the edges of Dordogne towns and villages in the form of living space over a basement garage and utility room. This has the advantage of avoiding outbuildings while at the same time often profiting from a hillside location. These houses are not greatly favoured by UK buyers but have the advantage of solid construction and cheaper running costs than some older properties.
"Pavillons"
Small modern properties may take the form of a "pavillon" – a bungalow strictly rectangular in shape. Larger newbuild properties, however, will often have the addition of a small turret to make them more consistent with local architectural heritage. Newbuild properties may not have the charm of a quirky period house, but are more likely to be draught-proof in the Dordogne winter!
"Chartreuses"
A "chartreuse" has nothing to do with the liqueur. It is a flexible and confusing name for a house that is of a larger size, and usually on one level only. If there is an upper floor, it is likely that the windows will be in a mansard roof. There may be towers at either end.
"Manoirs"
The term "Manoir" will usually mean a substantial house without turrets, formal and imposing in appearance, with separate outbuildings in the form, for example, of a stable block.
"Châteaux"
"Château" is a similarly vague term, and may at times just mean a very large house. Technically, a château has to be listed as such on the heritage register, but in fact the term is used to describe a wide variety of places. It may cover a fortified medieval castle, a Renaissance hunting lodge, a symmetrical eighteenth century structure or a whimsical fantasy constructed in the 1800s. Size and surroundings are usually the determining factors.
The exception to this arises in the wine-growing areas. Here the term "château" is used for the vineyard, regardless of the size of house.
How much will I pay?
One of the joys of Dordogne property is that every property is unique. Price will depend not only on the size of the house but on its condition, location and the amount of land that goes with it.
Gone are the days when you could pick up a tumbledown barn for £20,000. You should be able to find a small property – one or two bedrooms – for around £100,000, but at this level it's more likely that you'll have to undertake some renovation and improvement.
If you're looking for something larger or more formal than a cottage and barn, you need to think more in terms of £150,000 upwards. Maisons de maitre or larger farms with a few hectares of land won't come in at much under £200,000. If you want something grander than this, you can pay anything – it depends on your wallet!
The secret is to shop around. You obviously get more for your bucks than in the UK, but there are still wide discrepancies in price.
Agent's Fees - less with MCM!
Dordogne estate agents usually include the fee in the advertised cost of the property. This is the same as the UK. However, in the UK the agent's fee is borne by the vendor and deducted from the sale price on completion. In France the buyer is made responsible for the agency fee, so that on completion the buyer pays the relevant part of the purchase price to the vendor and the balance to the agent.
Dordogne agents' fees are higher than UK ones, and are conventionally between eight and ten per cent of the sale price. In other words, a property advertised for €110,000 will include agency fees of, say, €10,000.
At MCM Dordogne Property we charge five per cent of the sale price. This means that you get a better deal by buying through us!