As you might have noticed, here at Secret London, we’ve got a bit of a soft spot for our capital city. There’s nowhere quite like it. And certainly nowhere else we could imagine ourselves living. Unless, of course, some gorgeous little town in the French countryside was selling off a house for €1. Oh wait…
That’s right, folks: tucked away in the depths of rural France is a tiny town called Saint-Amand-Montrond. And in that town, there’s a two-bedroom house up for sale for just €1. That’s roughly 86p. Hmm, perhaps it is time for me to pack up my big city life, after all.
Why is the house being sold?
There are around 9,000 people currently living in Saint-Amand-Montrond. So, in a bid to attract more permanent residents, the house is being sold for about as much as it would cost us Londoners to buy a first-class postage stamp. The property boasts two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a garage and a courtyard. It’s really putting my Zone 3 box room to shame, that’s for sure.
However, the house isn’t exactly ready to move in to. Think shabby chic – well, more shabby, less chic (at the moment). Nobody has lived in the house for 12 years, and the cost of the renovation is estimated to be €127,800 (around £109,000). Don’t let that deter you, though – because François Blondieau (the town’s deputy for urban planning), has said that the town would offer “significant subsidies” towards the renovations too.
Who is eligible to buy the house?
Unfortunately if you’ve spent the last few minutes dreaming of buying this property as a very chic holiday home; you’ll need to rethink your plans. As the grand plan is to attract more permanent residents to the town, the committee that will oversee the applications will be rejecting those applicants who plan to buy the spot as a second home. The house will be sold to someone who plans to live in the house permanently, for at least a decade.
Unfortunately, for UK citizens with a British passport (and no visa), there would also be a rather large Brexit-shaped hoop to jump through to secure the pad. Who knew starting a whole new life in a rustic French town for a euro would be so darn complicated, hey?
Applications to buy the house opened on April 1 and will close on June 15. Prospective buyers are able to visit the property from May 15. The successful applicant can expect to sign the deeds in January, 2025 and the renovation is set to be completed by January, 2028.
Bonme chance, mes amis.
Find out more and fill out your application here.