Charente property - what makes it special?

I was chatting to an old colleague from Chestertons this week-end and he asked me that very question.

"I know you love it out there Graham, but what makes the houses so special"?

The answer was threefold:

• the cost of land & housing. Even with the pound & euro at virtually identical levels you can still find a beautiful family home for around €250,000.


• the landscape. Regular readers will have gathered that I love the region deeply - and not just when the vines and sunflowers have their annual battle for your attention.


• the care that the "artisans" take when renovating the older properties. The stone masons were adding a terrace to my in-laws house and when they finished they had created a couple of wonderful carvings into the stone at each end because they felt it was "appropriate", no charge of course.

I know that everyone has different views on what they want & don't want in an area (it's what makes the world such an interesting place) but I really do feel that we struck lucky back in 2003 when we decided, on a whim, to book into a hotel in Jarnac overnight.

www.cognacproperty.com

Jarnac property search pays off

The senior partner received a text from some Arsenal season ticket holders who also happen to have gone from being old clients into new friends.

They are settling into the beautiful riverside house I found for them in Bourg Charente (pictured), midway between Jarnac & Cognac.

I was out cycling with a couple of friends and happened to be passing their house....I couldn't resist letting rip with a quick "come on you spurs" as we sped by.

The text read "Is your yob of a husband out cycling at the moment. If the answer is yes then you need to have words as he scared our guests".

Of course I have subsequently issued a grovelling apology and all isn't lost as we were invited to a truly scrumptious BBQ with them the other night.

It's a perk of the job that I sometimes get to enjoy the pleasures of the houses (and gardens) that I find in this way.

It's an added incentive when I'm searching to know that if I play my cards right there's a decent chance that I'll be invited to share a cold beer on the terrace - or, if I'm really lucky, maybe even some prime entrecote, a decent Bordeaux and plenty of laughter as with David & Lorraine.

www.cognacproperty.com