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Normandy

Normandy France, for which we are principal estate agents, is split into two regions as follows;

Haute Normandie (Higher Normandy) with its departments of Seine Maritime and Eure.

Basse Normandie (Lower Normandy) with its departments of Calvados, Manche and Orne.

The total population of Normandy, which we cover as estate agents, is 3.26 million (Figures estimated at January 2006) with a population density of 109 inhabitants per km2.This compares favourably with the UK which in 2003 had a population density of 344 per km2. France is roughly 2.5 times the area of the UK so for all new House buyers to France there is still plenty of room!

The capital of Haute Normandie is Rouen where we operate as estate agents and the population there is 518,000 approximately which by many expectations is low for a principal city. The capital of Basse Normandie is Caen with a population of 370,000 approximately.

Normandy in France

Other major towns in Normandy for which we are estate agents include;

Le Havre, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Coutances, Granville mostly based on the coast or by the sea. This is of course a popular area for house buyers as many dream of living by the sea and as French estate agents in Normandy we can offer a range of seaside houses for sale that are not hugely expensive. Living by the sea in France can still be relatively cheap so a new permanent home or a holiday property should not cost the earth!

Normandy has proven popular with the English for centuries who have always liked having a house in France. Of course in the early days they tended not to pay and preferred to take by force! However, they may claim that this was all started by William the Conqueror in 1066!

Nowadays, house buying in France and Normandy in particular has become a more formalised and less violent procedure and Immoboulevard Normandie estate agents can assist you through the turmoil of understanding the French Legal System and help prevent misunderstandings about the various contracts that you will be signing. Of course, it could be argued that French property prices represent something of a steal anyway - especially when compared to prices in the UK and Ireland!

Normandy and its department have many regions extremely popular with French house buyers and these include:

Suisse Normande with its hilly terrain. Immoboulevard Normandie estate agents are fully represented here - of course!

The pays d'auge is a predominantly agricultural area and again popular with house hunters and property buyers and as specialist estate agents in Normandy we can offer all types of property from gites to longeurs and barns to chateaux.

The Roumois is based around Rouen and there are a wealth of properties for sale in this part of Normandy. It includes the communes of Bourg Achard and Bourgtherould Infreville.

For Lieuvin estate agents and property buyers. Lieuvin is in the Eure department and includes the towns of Beuzeville Epaignes, Lieury and Thiberville.

Again if you are looking for Manoirs, gites. longeurs, barns or chateaux then please contact us as Immoboulevard is one of the most enthusiastic and efficient estate agents in Normandy.

Much of the Normandy coast represents great business opportunities for those people who want or need to earn some money when they relocate to France and Normandy in particular. Starting a new business in France can be difficult but living by the coast offers a variety of options. Buying a holiday property which you intend to let out as a gite can often bring a reasonable contribution to its cost and also represents a nice holiday home for you and your family. Often, however you may be looking for a house or property with potential to develop. This could mean buying a house with gites already done up or buying a dilapidated farmhouse or property needing renovation which has other buildings on the land which can be renovated or done up to turn into gites. You could then have a main house which could offer bed and breakfast or Chambre d'hote and two or three gites on the land for Summer rentals. It would probably be wise to offer the gites for short term lets as well. This is because out of season the market is not so strong and there are an increasing number of gites which are only let in the Summer and school holidays. Having a swimming pool is a must as people often won't consider a gite without a swimming pool. This may be slightly ironic as the weather in Normandy is not significantly better than the south of England but it is a fact that letting a gite without a swimming pool is much harder than with. Also you can ask considerably more money on a letting basis. The other option in the winter is to let the gite to the Many English incomers who need somewhere to stay whilst their new property is being renovated.

One of the other main business opportunities is to buy a property which can be converted into a bed and breakfast business in Normandy. Bed and Breakfasts or Chambres D'hotes as the French call them can be quite good businesses in Normandy but the tariffs can vary widely. A typical French run Chambre d'hote can cost as little as 30 euros per night which is about £20 reflecting the difference in property prices. This means that you cannot expect to reap huge dividends in terms of income by running a bed and breakfast in Normandy. As estate agents in Normandy we can help you find a suitable property to turn into a bed and breakfast. We also have some bed and breakfasts for sale in Normandy that are already operating successfully. This means that the marketing aspect of the business is already established.

Location is of course very important in terms of where you wish to buy your new home in Normandy and we, as specialist estate agents can certainly help advise with regard to meeting the requirements of your wish list. Many people decide that what they really want is a property miles from anywhere. A house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by countryside and with acres of land. If you are moving from a congested area then it is understandable that, considering land prices in Normandy, you would want to own your own country estate for a relatively low amount of money but the truth is that living miles from anywhere can cause you many problems. Land does not look after itself. All land will need maintaining and whilst you may have a helpful French neighbour who, for a pittance, would be prepared to cut your grass or put his animals on your land for grazing there are many laws which could make you regret this decision! For example, once you have let your local farmer allow his animals to graze on your land it is his right to graze them there for perpetuity unless you have a written contract. The other problem with living in the countryside is that with limited French and no local shops you could become cut off in the Winter or have trouble with medical emergencies if one or other of you were to fall ill. In general your French neighbours in agricultural areas of Normandy will speak no English and be unable to explain how to seek assistance. Also, shops and other utilities will be a long way off so be prepared for some long drives to do your weekly shopping.

Converting barns to gites when found through your local estate agents in Normandy can also present a problem. Barns may look great for conversion but the costs can be prohibitive. Planning can be a problem as generally you are not allowed to put in new openings for windows if there were never windows before. You also have to get a planning application for change of use from agricultural to residential use. Even if it is grantedn by no means certain - it can take months. Then you have to have a new fosse septique and water and electricity laid on. This may prove expensive. Let Immoboulevard estate agents Normandy guide you through this process as we have much experience with this type of situation. Buying a house in Normandy can be arduous but we can assist you in every step.

Normandy is also popular with buyers of property from the UK because it is so close and has good communications with both ports and airports. In Normandy you have Dieppe, Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg with regular ferry services so buying a house or property near to these ports can mean that you can make regular trips without breaking the bank. Calais, Boulogne and St Malo are also very accessible to the Normandy area which means you have a wide choice of places easy to get to in the Normandy region. It also means that we as specialist estate agents can be on hand almost from the moment you arrive to start your house hunting trip in Normandy.

Some other areas worth considering for buying property in Normandy and where we have many house for sale in the Normandy area are Coutances, Barfleur - a pretty little fishing villahe, Saint Lo, Briquebec, the seaside resort of Granville, Barneville-Carteret and Carentan all based in Manche on the Cherbourg Peninsular. Avranches is one of the largest towns heading towards Brittany and has a good range of larger shops for buying goods.

The Pays de Caux occupies the greater part of the Seine Maritime department in Haute Normandy. There are a good number of properties for sale in this part of Normandy and as main estate agents we can find houses for sale that accommodate most budgets. Le Havre, Fecamp, Yvetot and Etretot are principal towns in the region of Pays de Caux.

Bessin is another principal region of Normandy. This includes the historic town of Bayeux sometimes misspelt as Bayeau which is famous for its Bayeux Tapestry and is a lovely little town with good restaurants and hotels. It is close to the sea and the d day beaches which make it a great place to have a house or holiday home. Guess which estate agents in Normandy you should approach!

The Pays de Bray east of Rouen which extends over the departments of Seine Maritime, the Somme and Oise. In other words it spans the regions of Normandy and Picardy.

The Rivers in Normandy include La Seine, Orne, Vire, EureRisle, Robec, Touques and Couesnon. The Pont de Normandie straddles the Seine and is wrth every cent of the toll with far reaching views over Le Havre and Honfleur another property hotspot, a fantastic fishing village cum Holiday resort which is popular with the French and, estate agents we could recommend for business opportunties.

Houses for sale Calvados	Houses for sale Eure	Houses for sale Manche	Houses for sale Orne	Houses for sale Seine-Martime