Plan Your Move to Provincial France

Join the thousands of Brits living out their relaxing dream deep in the French countryside. There’s no need to make your dream cost more than it should and planning your foreign exchange with Moneycorp can help you save thousands.

The geography of France is packed full of character; each region has its own distinct flavour. The wooded hills of the Ardennes have an altogether different feel from the rolling fields of Alsace, the rugged Pyrenees are wilder than the deep valleys of the towering Alps and the refined Riviera of Provence bustles more than the bracing beaches of Brittany.

If you do feel the siren call of provincial France, chances are it is Aquitaine or Midi-Pyrenees that is calling you. These are by far the most popular rural areas with the British; according to the French statistical office, there are around 25,000 Brits permanently living across the two regions.

Dordogne in Aquitaine is the most popular single department (outside of Paris), with over 6000 permanent British residences, which has earned it the epithet ‘Dordogneshire’. The rustic honey-stone houses, classic market towns, 1500+ castles and clear rivers flowing down hidden limestone forested valleys are all an obvious draw to Brits seeking second homes or a new place to live.

House prices in Dordogne start at about €60,000, however, for this price you’ll be purchasing what is euphemistically known in estate industry parlance as a “character property” or a “fixer upper”, depending on whether you want a DIY adventure or not. More realistically, prices for a 2-4 bed house range between €90,000 and €250,000, which will get you a comfortable ready-to-live-in home. Of course, if you’re after something special, prices in Dordogne run right through to multi-million euro chateaus at the high end.

So, even purchasing a modest home will involve transferring hundreds of thousands of sterling to euros, where small fluctuations in market exchange rates could see the value of the property change considerably. In 2013 the sterling/euro exchange rate pairing had a variance of around 5%, moving between lows of €1.15 and highs of €1.21 to the pound. This meant that a €150,000 property in Dordogne could have cost you between €130,000 or €124,000 depending on when you made your transfer.

Even if you are just paying the typical 10% deposit, once you add in the fees and charges to pay to agencies and notaires, you would typically still need to transfer £10,000+ into euros. So being careful with your foreign exchange can save you thousands.

Moneycorp have the foreign exchange expertise to help you time your transfers to get the maximum value out of your money. Not only are Moneycorp’s exchange rates usually better than any high-street bank’s and their transfer fees typically £20 cheaper, but every customer is assigned their own personal foreign exchange dealer who can offer expert guidance on the currency markets. Their professional insight of the markets can save you thousands by making sure you understand the best time to move your money.

As well as their expert guidance, your dealer could help you target a better exchange rate, not currently on the market. Alternatively if the current exchange rate is favourable, you can consider fixing it for a future transfer that can happen any time within the next two years.

Even after you’ve purchased the house and you’re relaxing in the French summer sun, you’ll be able to save with Moneycorp. You might need to make frequent small payments from the UK to France to cover bills and living expenses in France or pay for a mortgage in euros. In this case Moneycorp’s Regular Payment Plan can make these frequent payments hassle free; you can make your transfers automatically at a schedule you’ve set and even fix the exchange rate for up to two years. This means you could effortlessly save hundreds a year on bank fees and possibly thousands on exchange rates.

You can also manage your Moneycorp account online 24/7 at your convenience. You can view all of your past transactions, get an up-to-the-minute exchange rate quote and make a transfer whenever you want. So there’s no need to disrupt your routine to fit into 9-5 British business hours, but if you need it, the expert help of your dealer is always at the end of a phone.

Moneycorp can make your move to beautiful provincial France easier by saving you thousands on your dream home, whether you’re buying a charming chateau in Champagne, a delightful domicile in Dordogne or an admirable abode in Avignon.

As a limited offer Moneycorp offers free transfer fees for life to French Entrée clients that open a trading facility. To register with Moneycorp please click here. This does not involve any cost or obligation plus the account can be cancelled at any time.

Should you want to receive more information about the services of Moneycorp you can contact them on +44 (0)20 3773 6355 and if you mention French Entree you are entitled to FREE transfer fees on all your currency payments. Alternatively you can click here. and submit an enquiry.