Why are chateaux so cheap in France?

Why these properties are so seemingly cheap is obvious to the French: The castles are a money-suck. They demand constant repairs. The lower-priced ones are often located in isolated areas, far from the nearest train station or grocery store. They consume massive amounts of energy.



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If you're looking to buy a property in need of TLC, knock it into shape and put it back onto the market, in the hope of earning a quick profit, a château may not be the right choice. Not only because of the reasons mentioned above but also as they tend to stay on the market for a long time before finding a new owner.

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Olivier de Lorgeril, chairman of La Demeure historique, credits the upsurge in sales to the houses' expensive maintenance as well as to a shift in generational mindset. The chairman concludes, 'the younger generations are urban. They often want to have international careers and to live in towns and cities'.

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According to the experts, both an increase in maintenance costs, as well as a shift in generational mindset, have prompted inheritors of these properties to sell up. Olivier de Lorgeril, chairman of La Demeure Historique, says that ?the younger generations are urban.

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Dick's firstborn James, 38, followed by Charlotte, 36, come from his first marriage to British engineer Brigit. Which child would eventually inherit the chateau has been a hot topic for years but James has finally revealed that it will fall into the hands of his half-siblings.

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You will potentially have to add, for example, estate agent's fees (if the sale is concluded through an agent), Notary fees, land registration fees, possibly exchange rate surcharges, loan fees, and lawyer's fees. Be careful not to pay cash to the seller in order that the seller pays lower taxes.

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Escape to The Chateau's Dick Strawbridge is an inventor, engineer and ex-army lieutenant who is now well known for restoring his 19th century French castle, Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson, with his wife, Angel Strawbridge.

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