The Charente was the "finest stream in the kingdom" of Henry IV and anyone who knows the river will surely back up this fabulous claim.
It's no wonder that I seem to be constantly looking for riverside properties on behalf of clients. My latest search is for a lovely couple from the West Country in the UK who are looking for an old water-mill to renovate.
The bad news is that I'm struggling to find anything special. There's plenty of property that has been reduced in price and there's plenty that I have no doubt would be open to offers....but I'm still to find anything that sets my heart soaring.
I'm hoping that this lack of good stock is either a) a blip or b) because my search is limited to water mills - but I fear that 2013 might be the year that international buyers come back to France only to be thwarted in their efforts because new sellers aren't coming to the market.
Sounds strange doesn't it considering that we're still in the midst of a crise financiere, perhaps many vendors are waiting for the Spring and I'm worrying for no reason.
It hasn't been for the want of trying I can assure you - the market is being well and truly scoured from the biggest of agents to small one man bands and from notice boards in the local notaires to the private sale websites and freesheets.
The good news is that my clients aren't out for a few weeks yet so there's still time for me to put a decent short-list together.
Anyway, watch this space for an update throughout the year....I'm confident that I will be active on behalf of cash buyers but will we be able to meet their needs?
Time will tell.
www.cognacproperty.com
