Here in Gascony, and in particular the Gers, is a part of France that seems to have been left behind modern times. It is still one of the most rural departments, least populated, least industrialized and as yet, unspoilt. Crime is almost unheard of, and where else can you leave your car and house doors unlocked? One of our neighbours speaks of their former life in Lille where even the police are afraid of apprehending suspicious looking persons for fear of retribution. To return to the country is truly to enjoy a long lost way of life.

The Gers is a wonderful place for vacations, catering to sporting events, being the home of the famous NOGARO motor track. Cycling enthusiasts appreciate the close proximity of the route for the Tour de France. Flight schools, walking, touring, wine tasting and of course sampling of the local Gascon cuisine are all available to enjoy. For young families, the area has a number of rivers and large lakes with sandy beaches offering an array of aquatic activities. For the golf enthusiasts, there are a few courses, but perhaps it is the diverse number of musical festivals that bring in a large number of tourists, with the Marciac jazz festival having world renowned fame.

The average foreign resident is either retired or usually self employed, since employment opportunities are very low. Industry is almost unheard of in the western Gers, and unfortunately for the young, opportunities to stay in the area are difficult to obtain. Many students graduating school opt for the larger cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse. For the gifted artisan, self employment is usually the route.  Employment for a non-European is almost impossible. Usually, the Europeans who do come and reside in the area find themselves working in the building and restoration business or find themselves running a form of hospitality business, such as a small B&B or Gite business. Others with bi-lingual ability seem to do quite well in real estate for foreign buyers.

The second home market attracts a number of Europeans primarily from England, Ireland, Belgium, and Holland and of recent note, Scandinavia.  With a huge number of discount airlines flying in to the area and opening up numerous new routes, the second home market is booming.  There are multiple flights per day and there are more than a dozen new easy access routes into the region, flying in from an equal number of different locations in the UK, and Ireland alone.  Most of these flights are under 1 ½ hours from the UK, and with one way flight often costing less than 50.00 euros, a secondary home in the sun has become very affordable.   A new direct, daily flight from Stockholm to Bordeaux was introduced this spring by Sterling, opening up yet another location in the sun for sun loving Scandinavians, and Ryan air now has a direct flight from Dublin to Biarritz.  The American enclaves have usually kept to Bordeaux and Toulouse where they have active social clubs.  A few are now venturing into the heart of the Gers.

With easy, hassle free flights into smaller airports, retrieving luggage and getting into your car rental often takes less than 30 minutes.  The western Gers from Bordeaux and Toulouse and Biarritz is about 1 ½ hours by car, and less than 1 hour from Pau. Fortunately, roads in the region are free of congestion and other than the fast driving Frenchman, are generally easy to navigate. Do watch out though for all of the farming vehicles, which are numerous in spring and fall.  After the grape picking is over, the roads become strangely quiet again.  Unfortunately, the one big complaint is the absence of good public transportation, which is sorely lacking.  Train and bus service is very limited.  A car is essential, or take a motorbike or cycle for those easy trips in to the local village.

A few other frustrating ways of the French includes the closing of small business for at least 2 hours for lunch and the infuriating 35 hour working week, which effectively closes a lot of small shops on Monday too. The Gers however has a unique and enviable South West climate.  It is protected from the harsh Atlantic winds in winter by its neighbour to the West, the Landes department and is sheltered from snow in winter by the tall Pyrenees and it enjoys mild and early springs, often calling in February.  The long languorous summers continue well into October and finally close with a late autumn before the onset of winter in late November.  This part of the western Gers has been blessed with a micro climate.  Bathed in magnificent light and sunshine for almost 9 months of year and with a relatively dry climate, makes for excellent outdoor recreational activities and almost year round al-fresco dining.  It is not unheard of for the local Brits in residence to enjoy their Christmas dinner, al-fresco, in some years.

In summer, day temperatures climb up into the high 80´sF and low 90´sF, with spring and fall temperatures hovering in the mid 70´sF.  Refreshingly, the nights stay cool, with no need for air conditioning. It is as close as I know to the climate of Napa and Sonoma valleys.  No wonder some of the wines here could easily stand alongside some of the gold medal winners of California, but without the same price tag.

So, for those of you who might like to explore this region, or even have thoughts of an “escape”, a few things to keep in mind.  A little French goes a long way and a little Spanish makes things easier too.  For the most part, English is widely spoken and is growing with tourism.

Many of the Gers´ traditional homebuyers are from England, Belgium and Holland, but today there seems to be renewed interest from the French too, who are moving in to escape the large, crowded and often crime ridden cities.  Good properties move quickly.

So what does all of this do to house prices?  Well, they are heading upwards, but not at the same pace as other well known, very pricey and British invaded places such as Provence and the Dordogne, where a small 3 bedroom cottage, more than one hour from the coast will set you back more than 400,000.00 euros.  Here is the western Gers, depending on your budget, 100,000.00 – 1,000,000.00 plus …. You can still find a nice cottage for 200 thousand euros and if you don´t mind lots of hands-on work, it is still possible to buy for under 100 thousand euros.

For some people though, the thought of owning a home or vacation property in a traditionally non English speaking area can be daunting.  Dealing with the taxes, insurance, property maintenance, etc. and when only using it 3 – 4 times each year, it is often not cost effective.  Handling rentals from a long distance can also be difficult and without good local management almost impossible.

However, there is a way to have your cake and eat it too.  Ever thought of co-ownership?  In France, there is a vehicle, specifically set up to take advantage of co-home ownership.  It is called an SCI company (Society Civile Immobilier).  An SCI allows for any number of its shareholders to purchase and own a property outright.

This is not a time share program.  For example, when 4 families decide to buy a property to share,  providing each family agrees to 25% ownership, then once a property is found, the capital to buy the property is first put into an SCI company (with the use of a notaire), creating a company with shareholders.  The SCI then buys the property, giving each shareholder equal rights and ownership of the property.  Then a legal document called a “Home Owner´s Operating Agreement” is drawn up, (prepared by a notaire or local avocaat) where all shareholders are bound and governed by the same rules of ownership, use and property maintenance and operating costs.  So, each family would have the sole right of use for 13 weeks each year and each family would have a 25% obligation to an annual fund to cover taxes, insurance, utilities, property maintenance, etc., thus spreading both the initial purchase costs and annual operating costs between 4 families.  This still provides plenty of vacation time for most families, spread over 13 weeks each year.  When not in use the property could be rented out to create additional income.

Note. There are good inheritance law advantages gained when buying a property through an SCI.  Also, as a shareholder, the SCI allows for the sale transfer and assignment of shares at any time.

A second form of shared home ownership, not unlike the above, is when a much larger property is desired, and these are often these are on the market, since they are not economical for one family ownership.  In this case a large property may have a main farm house with a number of outbuildings.  These could be former wine making building, stables, storage building and even bread maker´s building.  Following local rules governing refurbishment and renovation, it would then be possible to convert the secondary buildings into vacation residences.  For example, a restored property with several refurbished outbuilding may provide 4 – 5 individual vacation cottages, all on one property.  Again, capital would be invested in the SCI company and the shareholders would then have an individual ownership in a “defined” building but with co-ownership of the entire property.  This is also managed through the creation of a Home Operating Agreement, but in this case, annual fees would normally only cover taxes, building insurance, grounds maintenance, pool use, and possibly water use, with electricity, heat and personal content insurance being paid for separately. 

The above two non traditional foreign home ownership options may be of interest to those persons wanting to test the overseas market, but with a more cautious approach to that of full home ownership. 

Whatever your dreams, if you have an interest in France, come and visit Gascony.  Once you do, it will be hard to tempt you away.

Note:  Author's warning:  When searching for a property in Gascony there is no such things as a MLS listing! (Not in any of France to my knowledge). Therefore, beware when contacting numerous real estate companies. Since there is no MLS and almost NO exclusives, it is not uncommon to see a property with 3 different agents and at 3 different prices!!! The reason being, there is no difference between a selling agent and buyer's agent and real estate fees can range from 4% to 7.5%, which are for the buyers account! Most agents want you to buy their proerties! When buying in France, be prepared to add about 10% to the house price for Notaire, taxes, fees, commissions, etc.

For more information and ideas on buying in Gascony  you can contact the author of this articleRosemary Jaworsky
email her on:

rosemary.jaworsky@wanadoo.fr
Canteau@hotmail.co.uko its shared border with the Spanish Basque people.