French Property Buying

WHEN thinking about leaving their home country and heading to France people will have many hopes, questions and dreams running around their heads.

It’s with this in mind that Au Revoir Angleterre, by Paul Jenner and Christine Smith, should be read by anybody thinking of leaving their own country to live permanently elsewhere.

Using their own and other people’s experiences of moving abroad the authors bring to life a warts and all account of everything involved both on a personal and bureaucratic level.

The book opens with a fun questionnaire, which should be compulsory for anyone thinking of packing up and heading off!

Not surprisingly it told me I should be heading out the door with my suitcase.

Each chapter begins with a few short paragraphs on the ‘dreams’ that many people have when thinking about selling up and starting afresh.

So whether the dream is to do more sports, live in a healthy environment or write a book, the rest of the chapter outlines the reality of these wishes.

The book relies quite heavily on statistics, which bogged me down sometimes, but the end of the book features findings from a survey the authors undertook of 100 expats.

And the conclusion was that most people were glad they had upped sticks and started a new life, which is encouraging for others.

The best advice was to learn the language and be prepared for any paperwork, and this book would be a useful place to start your preparations.

Contents:
Enjoying A Better Climate
Experiencing A Different Way Of Life
Life Will Somehow Be Better
A Less Stressful Pace Of Life
A Healthier Lifestyle
A Better Place To Bring Up Children
Life Will Be Cheaper
Enjoying Outdoor Sports
Making A New Start
Finding New Stimulation
An Affordable Dream Home
Being Near Sunny Beaches
Personal Growth
Restoring An Old Ruin
Becoming Fluent In Another Language
Being Near Ski Slopes
Retirement In The Sun
Romance
Living Amongst Like-Minded People
Foodie Heaven
Becoming A Real European
Becoming An Artist Or Writer
Living In The Wilderness
Having Your Own Olive Grove
What People Say About Living Abroad

Au Revoir Angleterre, by Paul Jenner and Christine Smith
Paperback. 192 pages.