The hardest thing about owning a home in France is leaving it. From the moment I looked through a viewfinder at the age of eight and saw slides of rolling French landscapes, I’ve been hooked. But it wasn’t until 2004 that my lifelong dream of owning a place in France became reality.

When I tell people, at first they think I’ve purchased an ancient, dilapidated country shack that will cost thousands of dollars to refurbish, or that I must have received a big inheritance. But nothing could be further from the truth.

For just $90,000 I got my own vacation home nestled in the south of France. Better yet, I not only cover my expenses by renting it when I’m not there…I actually make a profit!

My house is a newly-built two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath, semi-detached villa, with a fenced garden and a shared pool in a gated community. It’s located in the quaint village of Loriol-du-Comtat. I bought it pre-construction and all the transactions were handled in English, electronically and by post by Patricia Février (see sidebar below).

I’m in the perfect location, at the foot of Mount Ventoux and near some of the most picturesque perched villages in France—Gordes, Roussillon, and Bonnieux—just minutes from the historic and vibrant city of Avignon.

Situated amidst fertile agricultural plains, Loriol-du-Comtat is typical of most Provençal villages. The main square is the site of a Sunday market offering locally grown produce and crafts. A café, bakery, grocer, hair stylist, flower shop, postal office, and boulodrome (place to play bouls) surround the square that leads to beautifully manicured gardens upon which the Mairie (Mayor’s office) rests.

If I ever tire of village life I can take the car on the autoroute (highway) to Nice, Monte Carlo, Genoa, Marseilles, and the Mediterranean beaches of St. Tropez and Cassis. And Paris, the Alps and Barcelona are only a few hours away by train.

The mild weather means a multitude of activities year round. The world-renowned film, theater, opera and music festivals of Aix-en-Provence, Orange and Avignon attract thousands of visitors, and I enjoy the antique markets of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

My taste buds are never happier than here. The rich soil of the region produces the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the black truffles of Carpentras, the lavender fields of Apt and the melons of Cavaillon.

The benefits of a newly-built property are numerous. Properties are constructed according to strict French building and energy-saving regulations; property taxes—usually a mere fraction of those in the U.S.—are exempt for the first two years after closing. The legal fees are half those charged for an existing residence and rarely exceed 3% of the purchase price. There is no agency fee; all purchase contracts are strictly regulated by French law; the initial, fully-refundable deposit is only 5% of the purchase price; and, most importantly, French law requires the developer to provide a 10-year warranty on all newly-built residential structures.

During the past few years, France has experienced a high demand for new properties.

As an example, a couple of villas comparable to mine have recently sold for over $300,000. In just five years, and despite a sluggish world economy, my home has more than tripled in value!

Mortgage rates are also at an all-time low, and mortgages for 100% of the purchase price are available through various French banks.

Since I purchased my home outright, my annual household expenses average $3,500. They include electricity, insurance, association fee (including water), property taxes, telephone, cable, internet and a gardener. My expenses, however, are easily recovered by renting the property short term to vacationers from Paris, Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. Fortunately, most of my rentals have been generated by word of mouth from my neighbors, one of whom maintains the house and meets the guests upon arrival.

Although my professional responsibilities keep me in the U.S. for now, owning a place in France has given birth to a new dream: making France my permanent home. There is no greater delight than walking up the steps to my own petit château (little castle), welcomed by the fragrance of the lavender and rose bushes surrounding the garden. Each day brings a new adventure.

Soon I’ll be forever awed by vistas of France…and it won’t be through a viewfinder.

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Affordable France

Purchasing a property in France requires research and timing. An English-speaking estate agent whose specialty is newly-built properties will offer invaluable assistance not only in locating the property you want, but also in navigating the purchasing process and its legalities. As a buyer, you pay no fee for the estate agent’s services; the developer does that. Another option is to contact the developers directly. Most have English-speaking agents.

Here are some examples of properties on offer today:

Patricia Février and her team have several projects available in Nice and nearby coastal locations for less than  $204,000. See: Aplaceinfrance.co.uk.

Contemporary apartments in the center of historic Avignon are available from about $174,000. See: Sextant-new-build.com.

France’s leading property developer, Nexity, is offering newly-built one- and two-bedroom apartments in a private community in the lovely town of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue starting at  $114,250. See: Nexity-housing.com.

Cogedim is developing new apartments just minutes from St. Tropez for just  $161,840. See: cogedim-logement.com.

Editor’s Note: This article was taken from a past issue of International Living’s monthly magazine. To get full access to all past and future articles and to receive the magazine in the mail or online each month, you can subscribe here.

Read more articles from our sample issue here.