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00:00I'm Maggie Malloy and I'm on a mission to help Irish house hunters discover the
00:05overlooked gems of affordable European property. We're on the hunt in Italy,
00:10Spain, Portugal and France for great bargains. You've definitely surprised us.
00:16Feels nicer in the sun for sure. Property experts in each country will help guide
00:20our search. Vanity and toilet you'll be like 3,000 euros. And our very own
00:26intrepid reporters Kevin McGahern and James Cavanagh will be getting to know the
00:31regions we visit. Can we give it a bit of welly? I suppose we could. Clubs are a great
00:36way to connect with people. They'll be giving our house hunters a head start on
00:40local complexities, customs and most importantly the crack. What you just said
00:46is I want to live. It's wonderful. I want to live here. From forever homes in Portuguese
00:51villages. Massive crack. Not in a good way. To sun-drenched Spanish cities. We need to
00:57talk about this price. You could throw anything at me. I'll help find the best
01:01homes a modest budget can buy. It's a cracker of a house. It's massive inside. So grab
01:07your passport, pack your bags and join us on the hunt as we go in search of cheap
01:12European homes.
01:19Myself and Kevin are in the south of France this week, starting in the city of
01:23BĂ©ziers, one of the oldest cities in the country, with a history stretching back
01:28over two and a half thousand years. It's a place where medieval streets and classic
01:34French cafe culture sit comfortably alongside high street shops and lively
01:39squares. Weaving its way through it all is the Canal du Midi, the famous waterway linking
01:45the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
01:48Well Maggie, we're in BĂ©ziers and for what I can see so far, this place is absolutely
01:53gorgeous. So I cannot see how you're going to find an affordable house around here.
01:57Yeah, it does have that look about it, doesn't it? But that's the south coast of France.
02:01To the east of here, you're going million euro homes. Everything is just super pricey.
02:05To the west, you're going towards the Spanish border. So you're getting a little bit
02:08more affordability.
02:09So it's not exactly cheap European homes, but slightly more affordable in an expensive
02:13area European homes.
02:15Yeah, kind of like cheap Dublin homes.
02:17Okay.
02:18Which is an oxymoron in itself.
02:19It's all relative.
02:20I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
02:22Yeah.
02:23Let's go.
02:23We do it.
02:2663-year-old Nuala Harper from Wexford is a psychotherapist edging towards retirement.
02:32She and her husband Dick have long dreamed of moving to the south of France.
02:37If Maggie could find us a house anywhere near or on the Canal du Midi, that would be our
02:44dream come true.
02:46Dick is a little bit camera shy.
02:49I've managed to persuade Claire, my best friend, to come with me.
02:54Just looking at houses and stuff like that excites me.
02:56Like I've done my own house up and I love interior design.
02:59Claire would be absolutely honest with me.
03:03I'd pull her in a bit.
03:04Rain her in a bit, I suppose.
03:06What we're looking for in a house is a house.
03:11Not an apartment.
03:12A house.
03:13Ideally, two bedrooms.
03:15We're not afraid of a project.
03:17Dick is excellent at DIY.
03:19We do a lot of cycling, hiking.
03:23Swimming would be my go-to activity.
03:26And we'd like to do it over there.
03:27The limit on our budget is €250,000.
03:31And that would have to include renovations and all of that.
03:34But if Maggie can do her magic and come up with something a little bit cheaper than that,
03:40we would be very grateful.
03:46Since the collapse of its wine industry in the 1980s,
03:50BĂ©zier has reinvented itself and buyers are definitely taking notice.
03:55It's a relatively affordable property market.
03:58However, ongoing revitalization and growing demand from retirees,
04:01young professionals and investors have all helped push values up in recent years.
04:07Yet, property here still offers far better value than coastal hotspots like Nice or Cannes,
04:14making this a smart time to buy.
04:17With a budget of €250,000 in a region where average prices are closer to €270,000,
04:25finding the right home for Nuala won't be easy.
04:28But being open to the renovation option gives us a fighting chance.
04:33Her biggest priority is location.
04:36She'd like to be close to the historic Canal du Midi, the 17th century waterway.
04:42So we'll keep our search focused along the canal between BĂ©zier and the village of Capistang.
04:48Hello ladies.
04:49Hello. Hi.
04:50Welcome to BĂ©zier.
04:53You're familiar with this area, aren't you?
04:55Yeah, and we've been coming here on and off for the last 10 years.
04:58It's funny because on the outside, it seems like a very ancient city.
05:02It hasn't changed in a hundred years.
05:03And then you get inside here and it's a bustling metropolis full of shining happy people.
05:09It's beautiful.
05:10Well, my job is to get under the surface of BĂ©zier.
05:13So by the end of it, hopefully we'll have you feeling like a local.
05:15Oh, I'd love that.
05:17Yes.
05:17And my job, of course, is to find you a house.
05:20Yes, please.
05:20So how would you feel if I told you that your first place is only seven minutes from here?
05:26Really?
05:26Sound good?
05:27It sounds great.
05:28Do you want to have a look?
05:29I absolutely do.
05:30Right, come on.
05:31Let's go.
05:33Our first property is in the suburbs of BĂ©zier.
05:36It's a neat, two-bedroom, mid-terraced house with a great garden.
05:40And while some renovation is needed, that helps keep the price down at €210,000.
05:47The layout and location take a lot of boxes for Nuala.
05:51And architect Paul Sheraton is joining us to assess its potential.
05:56It's big.
05:58Yes.
05:58It looks like you could move in.
06:00Mm-hmm.
06:00Very solid looking house.
06:02Yeah.
06:02So we have a bus stop across the road that gets you into the centre of BĂ©zier in ten minutes.
06:08Wow.
06:08And you also can drive in in seven minutes.
06:10Wow.
06:11So myself and Paul had a look around earlier together.
06:13Paul, what age do you think this house is?
06:15Well, this is a very typical 1970s property.
06:18It's pretty much bomb-proof.
06:20A lot of concrete went into the construction.
06:22I think in Ireland, properties built at that time would have a cavity-type construction.
06:27Whereas in France, they just don't do that.
06:29It's a solid wall.
06:30So from my point of view, it's good because it means you know what you're getting.
06:35It's very predictable.
06:36You ready to have a look inside?
06:37I'm very ready, Maggie.
06:39Can I have a look inside?
06:39Okay.
06:39Well, here's your notebook.
06:41Any questions you have for Paul, write them down, and we will meet you out in the back
06:44garden in a few minutes.
06:50Oh, Claire, this is the kitchen.
06:52Interesting little room, isn't it?
06:54It's warm.
06:55Everything's so solid.
06:56I know it's dated.
06:58You could update it very easily.
07:00Yeah.
07:00Like a paint.
07:01Like you could come and use this kitchen.
07:03Oh, no, you can move in.
07:04Yeah.
07:04The only drawback is the size.
07:06And I'm wondering what's back there, because is it something that could be opened up?
07:11Yeah.
07:12Or even the side as well.
07:13What's the other side of that wall?
07:15That's what I'd love to know.
07:16Oh, the carriage.
07:17Oh, yeah.
07:18Yes.
07:19Dick has lost his DIY space before he knew he had it.
07:24Great size room.
07:26Yeah.
07:26When I came into the house, I didn't think you'd have this depth in it, I suppose.
07:30And these windows are beautiful.
07:33There's wallpaper, it's lifting, you see it?
07:35Yeah.
07:36And that line there.
07:37Yeah.
07:37Doesn't look like a huge job, but it's worth noting.
07:41Look.
07:41Look at this.
07:42I think we might have found our upstairs.
07:44Oh.
07:45And there's the garage.
07:46And this is obviously the back of the kitchen.
07:48Mind your step, Claire.
07:50Okay.
07:50A bit of health and safety here, Claire.
07:52My God.
07:53It's very steep, isn't it?
07:54Now, this is the 1970 piece of this house.
07:58And I don't think, Claire, there's any insulation in that roof in there.
08:02There's definitely some damp in there.
08:04Yeah.
08:04But this is the project piece of the house.
08:06Yeah, it is a project, yeah.
08:08Yeah.
08:09Oh, this is lovely.
08:10This is really lovely.
08:11And I love these tiles.
08:13They're running all the way through the house.
08:15They're all the way through.
08:15Yeah.
08:15Yeah.
08:16It looks like we've got a bedroom to the front.
08:20And we've got a bathroom with a separate toilet between these two rooms.
08:24Yeah.
08:25And then we've got this.
08:26So you've kind of, you're left with a beautiful two-bedroomed house.
08:30Absolutely.
08:30And the potential then of what you can do upstairs.
08:33And the potential upstairs.
08:33Yeah.
08:35Hello.
08:36Hi.
08:37Hi.
08:37So what do you think of this garden?
08:39The garden is actually making it for me.
08:41Good.
08:42I love the terrace.
08:43It doesn't feel like a suburban garden.
08:45Exactly.
08:46There is a big difference between the front of the house and the back.
08:48Absolutely.
08:49When it comes to the noise quality.
08:50Yeah.
08:50It's lovely back here.
08:52Mm.
08:52How did the inside of the house go?
08:54This house was loved.
08:55You know, it's a bit tired, but it was loved.
08:57But there are some issues that would absolutely have to be addressed.
09:01And one would be that damp.
09:03One of the issues with these typical 1970s properties is that they were not insulated.
09:07Yeah.
09:08For me, in the roof space, it's a legacy issue.
09:12I think the roof is good.
09:13Okay?
09:14And I think it's been repaired and it looks in good condition for me.
09:16I think it's just a question of redoing the plasterboard, putting in some insulation.
09:19Yeah.
09:20In the living room, you've got signs of damp.
09:23It's a different issue.
09:23It's not a leak.
09:24That, for me, is a ventilation issue.
09:26And that's now an obligation by code.
09:28So I'd be looking to put in insulation, redecorate, proper ventilation system, and the
09:35interior would be much, much better quality and those issues will be gone.
09:38What is possible with the kitchen?
09:41I'd like to think maybe we could go more into the garage.
09:43I'm looking at that living area.
09:45I actually think that living area is really big.
09:47You could put a worktop along that wall and just have a lovely big open plan kitchen living
09:52area opening out onto your terrace.
09:54That sounds like a really good idea.
09:56And Dick would still have his garage.
09:58He would.
09:59He would.
09:59So no divorce.
10:00Maggie, you have him in your mind.
10:03Yes.
10:03What do you think, Claire?
10:04I think it's a great idea.
10:06You know, I think this house is just ready to move into.
10:08Yeah.
10:09You know, that's what I love about it.
10:10Okay, so will we get on to this price?
10:12Big breath.
10:13Yeah.
10:13It's on the market at the moment for $210.
10:16$210.
10:17Yeah.
10:17Okay.
10:18That doesn't surprise me.
10:20In France, it's different than Ireland.
10:21If you put in an offer at asking price, the house comes off the market immediately.
10:26There are no bidding wars.
10:28Okay.
10:28You're very protected as a buyer, probably more so than the sellers, to be fair.
10:33It's also very common to bid under asking.
10:36You know, you're not going to offend them once you're not offering like $20,000 for it.
10:40Yeah.
10:41I'm all for a good deal.
10:42Yes.
10:42I have a little bit of a heart sink because I'm thinking it needs money to be put into it
10:46as well.
10:46That doesn't need that much though.
10:48No.
10:48That doesn't.
10:49It's beautiful.
10:50Yeah, it is.
10:51And the potential is amazing.
10:54Well, that went better than I'd hoped, which makes me wonder how Kevin is getting on.
11:00Of course, holiday in here is one thing.
11:02Living here is another.
11:03To get a better sense of what life is really like, I done a bit of digging.
11:08Tony O'Rourke moved to BĂ©zier from London five years ago.
11:12A former journalist, Tony is just the man to give me the lowdown on this comeback town.
11:18So Tony, tell me a little bit about this place.
11:20It's the longest continuously inhabited settlement in all of France.
11:27Wow.
11:27So how far back are we talking?
11:29Neanderthal.
11:30Wow.
11:30Okay.
11:30There were Gauls, there were Romans, then the Franks, and now the proper modern French.
11:36And would this be a good time to buy in BĂ©zier?
11:39Oh, yes.
11:40The best time to buy would have been when I moved here, maybe four or five years back,
11:44you know, because there's been so much change.
11:46It was very easy to pick up very, very cheap property at that time.
11:50But still, you know, it's still a very, very good time to get in.
11:53So as well as being connected through airports and train systems, you also have the Canal
11:58du Midi.
11:59Absolutely.
12:00The Canal du Midi, an amazing feat of engineering from what, the 1600s or thereabouts.
12:06It was created by a visionary who this alley is named after, Pierre Paul Riquet, whose statue
12:15is right at the end here.
12:17They love him here.
12:18You know, the best way to see the canal is actually on a boat.
12:21And luckily, I've got a pal who's got one.
12:24So, do you want to go?
12:25Sounds good.
12:26Après vous.
12:27Merci beaucoup.
12:30Noula is keen on the Canal du Midi, and it's easy to see why.
12:34Stretching for 240 kilometres, this tree-lined waterway has become one of Southern France's
12:40most loved visitor attractions.
12:43How are you?
12:43How are you?
12:44How are you, Josie?
12:45How are you doing?
12:45People come here to walk, cycle and boat at an unhurried pace.
12:49A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's a slow, elegant ribbon of water with a rhythm and culture
12:56all of its own.
12:57And the perfect place to lose an afternoon.
13:00So, Noula is going to be a fellow immigrant like yourself.
13:04As somebody who's gone ahead, do you have any advice for her?
13:07I think possibly one of the most important things to do when you arrive is to immediately
13:12start building a network.
13:14You often find that people will give you a huge amount of advice about the place where
13:18you live, just by talking to the neighbours.
13:20But not only that, build a network, a network of expats and a network of French people as
13:26well.
13:27Because they're going to be so helpful to you.
13:29So, have like two groups of friends really.
13:31Have your French local friends and then have your Irish friends.
13:35And also, the other really big tip is learn the language.
13:40All right.
13:40You know, my wife speaks fluent French.
13:43Whenever we have any bureaucracy to deal with, I have to rely on her because I can't
13:47deal with all the forms that need filling out.
13:50And you know, there are a lot.
13:52The French are big into bureaucracy.
13:54Well, they like wine, they like cheese and they like bureaucracy.
13:59And the occasional revolution.
14:01Oh, yes.
14:02Absolutely right.
14:07Joji, what is it about canal life that you love so much?
14:11I just love the peacefulness, the freedom.
14:14The moment when you're on the boat and it's just, you're just feeling like you're floating.
14:18I notice as well, when people on boats see other people on boats, they always wave.
14:23The boat community is so friendly.
14:25I mean, they look after each other.
14:27You know, if you have a problem, they're always there to help you, you know.
14:30You're from Limerick.
14:31Is that correct?
14:32I am.
14:32Yeah.
14:32How long are you here?
14:33Oh, I'm here about eight years now.
14:35And you love it.
14:36I absolutely adore it.
14:37It's so wonderful.
14:41Do you mind if I have a go?
14:42I don't know.
14:43Are you good at this?
14:45We'll find out.
14:46All right.
14:46Go on then.
14:47Okay.
14:48So give me some tips.
14:49Right.
14:49So this is your tiller straight ahead.
14:52If you put it to your right, you're going to turn left.
14:55If you put it to your left, you're going to turn right.
14:57Oh, it's quite easy to move, like.
14:59Yeah.
15:00This is very cool.
15:01Mm-hmm.
15:02Can we give it a bit of welly?
15:03I suppose we could.
15:05Why not?
15:05I am captain now.
15:08There we go.
15:08All right.
15:09Woo.
15:11Oh, yeah.
15:12Now you can really feel the power.
15:16I didn't realize Kevin produced such accomplished sailors.
15:20Fair play, Kevin.
15:21Now I've got to see this canal for myself.
15:24So I've brought Claire and Nuala down to the water to meet up for a few end of day drinks.
15:30So you've spent a lot of time kind of moving over various parts of Europe.
15:34What is it about this spot that attracts you to it?
15:36I love the canal.
15:38Mm-hmm.
15:38You know, there's life.
15:39And I know, like, we love the coast as well and we love the beaches.
15:42But there's life on the canal.
15:44There's a community on the canal.
15:45Look at this boat.
15:46It's beautiful.
15:47You can sense that community just as you're kind of moving up and down the river.
15:51And there's just a calmness, particularly around this area.
15:55Like, it's lovely.
15:56Well, great first day.
15:58Yeah.
15:59Cheers.
15:59Great job, everybody.
16:01Cheers.
16:01It's been a strong start.
16:03House one was the safe bet.
16:05All boxes neatly ticked.
16:07Which, of course, means I'm about to throw something very different into the mix.
16:12Your very own turret.
16:14Oh, my God.
16:16And Kevin persuades the ladies to join him for a bracing swim.
16:24Myself and Kevin are in BĂ©zier in southern France this week with Nuala Harper and her best friend Clare Murphy.
16:32Nuala's approaching retirement and is looking for a new home for herself and her husband Dick.
16:38She wants at least two bedrooms, doesn't mind rolling up her sleeves for a renovation,
16:42and wants to be close to the Canal du Midi.
16:48Bézier and the surrounding area have seen prices rise in recent years and Nuala's €250,000 budget is a little
16:57on the low side.
16:58But because she's willing to take on a renovation, it gives me far more scope to find her a place
17:04that works.
17:06Our first property was a lovely move-in ready two bed house with a fantastic garden in Bézier for €210
17:15,000.
17:15The garden is actually making it for me.
17:18Good.
17:19A short drive north brings me to the village of Thaisanne-le-BĂ©zier, where our next option pushes the definition
17:26of a house.
17:27Formed from the battlements of an ancient fortress, this two bedroom property is in serious need of work.
17:34But the payoff could be extraordinary.
17:37It's not for the faint-hearted, but at €88,000, Nuala and Dick would have plenty of headroom to turn
17:44this historic structure into a one-of-a-kind home.
17:48Architect Paul Sheraton has a real passion for unique French properties such as this.
17:53I'm looking forward to his insight.
17:55So the property stretches from the greenery on this side to the very small window above the first door.
18:01What do you think?
18:04I'm not going to lie.
18:06You wanted a renovation.
18:08Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's beautiful, but there is some amount of work on it.
18:14The stonework is beautiful on it.
18:15Even the height of us, Maggie, you know?
18:18It's about 11th century, 12th century.
18:20I know.
18:21Yeah.
18:21This was part of the battlements of the original citadel of this town.
18:26Is there kind of like a preservation order on the building, or...?
18:30Fortunately, we were able to speak with the mayor this morning, and he said, actually, no, it's not. We're not
18:34in a classed area.
18:36They were actually very enthusiastic that someone was going to come and buy the property, especially from Ireland as well.
18:41They love that.
18:42From my point of view, the structure is good.
18:45You know, considering how old it is as well.
18:47So this is a big house.
18:48Big project.
18:50So I'm thinking myself and Paul will go in and walk around with you on this one.
18:53That would be helpful.
18:55Yeah.
18:55Yeah.
19:01So we're straight into the living room here, just to give you a little bit of orientation. We have a
19:06little kind of kitchen area over here, and then a beautiful terrace just behind Paul.
19:11Oh, Claire, look. It's beautiful.
19:13This is absolutely a full renovation, though. It's a very, very old house. It's a big house, and it does
19:19need work done. This is my, I suppose, wild card for you.
19:23OK, but it does have a roof.
19:25It does have a roof.
19:25That was one thing I said. As long as it had a roof.
19:28People have such low expectations of me.
19:31Look at the size of those beams.
19:34They're absolutely in really good condition. What I would do is I'd strip them back, you know, get the paint
19:39off, get back to the original woodwork. They'd be absolutely beautiful.
19:43And then to add to that authenticity, I'd even strip back the walls, because you'd find some really nice stonework
19:50underneath with a bit of re-pointing with some lime, and it would just look stunning.
19:53I love it. The authenticity of it. I think it's really, really classy.
19:58Yeah, it's kind of like meeting a grand old lady, you know. You want to respect her.
20:05Yeah, you want her to look her best again, don't you?
20:07Yeah.
20:12So just so we can orientate ourselves a little bit up here, we're on a kind of a split mezzanine
20:18level first, and then we have another loft area above us, a staircase then up to another floor that has
20:25two bedrooms and a bathroom.
20:26And it kind of becomes more civilized on the top floor. This bit just kind of went a bit crazy,
20:33I think.
20:34There's a lot of stuff that's been put in that it's hard to make sense of. And also, the loo
20:41with the view. I'll have the view without the loo.
20:44You need a certain amount of vision, obviously. That can be where it's tricky, is seeing past all the confusion
20:51at the moment.
20:52And it wasn't just one renovation, several people have done several things over the years, which is quite fun, it's
20:57quite interesting to see that.
20:58But like I say, it's not very coherent, so strip it back and do something.
21:02But look, it does have potential, doesn't it?
21:05Oh, it does.
21:05Yes.
21:06And I have something a little bit special to show you in the back garden.
21:09OK.
21:12So directly out of the kitchen on this little terrace, we have our last surprise that this house has. Your
21:18very own turret.
21:20Oh, my God. I nearly missed it. I've got to look up. Oh, my God, a real life turret there.
21:28Amazing.
21:29The whole house obviously was one really big property back in the day. This was the access point to all
21:34the rooms. And without it really, the house is a little bit disjointed on the inside, which would explain why
21:40you've got the most random staircases inside the house.
21:43Yeah, it makes sense now. Yeah.
21:45You could move the toilet from the window. You could put it on the top of your tower.
21:50That would be a loo with a view. There you go.
21:54We need to talk about this price.
21:55You could throw anything at me, and I can't imagine, yeah.
21:59It's on the market at the moment for 88,000.
22:02What? Are you serious?
22:04That's not a bad price for a house in the south of France.
22:06It is not.
22:06That's, what, 10th century, 11th century.
22:08Yeah.
22:09So do you think we need Paul to burst our bubble on renovation prices?
22:13Paul.
22:14Paul?
22:15There's approximately 100 square metres here, so I'd be budgeting 1,500 euros a square metre if you were prepared
22:22to do some of the work yourself.
22:25If you want to get just contractors in and leave it to them, you might be pushing towards 2,000
22:30euros a square metre.
22:31So that gives you an idea between 150,000 euros, 200,000 euros if you want someone else to do
22:37all the work, basically.
22:38Yeah.
22:39Yeah.
22:39But at that price, you're going to end up with a beautiful home to live in.
22:43Yeah.
22:43Yeah.
22:43But it needs to be factored in.
22:46Oh, yeah.
22:47Yeah.
22:48Not to think about.
22:49Yeah.
22:52Noola loves the outdoors, especially swimming in the sea.
22:56Her budget doesn't quite stretch to a beachfront home, so I've been thinking about how she might keep that habit
23:02up if she were to move inland.
23:05That's where wild swimming comes in, taking a dip in natural, often non-designated spots like rivers and lakes.
23:13It's hugely popular here in the south of France, where the landscape offers endless places to swim.
23:19Although, I'll admit, I'm no expert when it comes to knowing the safest spots.
23:24Rather than trust my own judgment, which would be reckless, myself, Noola and Claire decided to consult an expert.
23:32Our very own Paul Sheraton has been wild swimming in this region for years.
23:36Hi Paul, what's the crack?
23:37I've talked him into giving us a crash course at one of his favourite spots, the Gourdes de Rique.
23:43What is it about wild swimming you love so much?
23:46For me, nature is sanity.
23:48So, I feel much more saner in this kind of environment, basically.
23:52You feel the cold, invigorated water, and that's it.
23:55You've got nothing else to think about, and you're just in the space.
23:59I love it.
23:59And to be able to do it in such a lovely place.
24:02You've got to kind of find the good spots, go a bit of a trek, and you've got to work
24:07for it a bit.
24:07There's more of a sense of adventure.
24:09Yeah, exactly.
24:10So, do you have your own little private spots?
24:12Yeah.
24:13Are you going to show us?
24:14No.
24:15Why not, Paul?
24:17You lent me a towel.
24:18Yeah, I did.
24:19I did.
24:19For the moment, that's as far as it goes.
24:22All right, fair enough.
24:23Part of the magic of these spots is that they, you know, you keep them kind of low-key.
24:28You know you can go there, and you're just going to be in your kind of your private little space.
24:31I don't want that to change, so yeah.
24:33For the moment, I'm not going to tell you.
24:35Okay.
24:35Well, you can show us the popular spots.
24:37Yeah, exactly.
24:38Okay, sounds good.
24:38Sounds wonderful.
24:40Yeah.
24:41Looking forward to it.
24:42Yeah, me too.
24:50After a little bit of persuasion, or strong-arming, Paul has agreed to take us to one of his secret
24:55spots.
25:10Oh!
25:12Oh!
25:15Oh!
25:16Oh!
25:18Oh!
25:18Oh, my goodness.
25:20Oh!
25:22Oh!
25:22That's ice cold.
25:23Oh!
25:24Oh!
25:25Oh!
25:26Oh!
25:28Oh!
25:29Oh!
25:30with everything else oh kevin i feel so invigorated
25:37it's so fresh it's incredibly like it sharpens all your senses doesn't it absolutely i mean look
25:43look at the views yeah wow i can see why this would refresh you if you did this every day
25:51this is a wow isn't it absolutely you love it i love it thank you thank you
26:01so how was it i found it amazing yeah yeah really different to the sea yeah but yeah beautiful
26:09crystal clear yeah really nice really enjoyed it uh it was like a thousand volts into your system you
26:16know so you're ready you're ready for anton after that it was an amazing experience and i'm glad i
26:20did it it was amazing thank you yeah well when you're living here this is it this is going to
26:24be
26:25in your back garden yeah yeah your plunge pool invigorating is not the first word that comes
26:33to mind but i'm hoping nula will warm to our next property we're in the village of capistang which
26:39is on the canal de midi this townhouse was originally three houses that have been merged it has two
26:47bedrooms and a large garage and is for sale for 195 000 euro now that paul has had a chance
26:54to drive
26:54off it's back to work so house wise we have this massive property in front of me it leads from
27:00that entrance door down at the bottom the whole way up here to the garage a lot of our living
27:04space is
27:05on the top floor which is quite typical in france isn't it yeah yeah it's in good condition some cracks
27:10on the facade however i don't think they're an immediate problem at the worst you're probably looking
27:17at maybe like 10 000 euros just to correct that okay so far so good then yeah yeah will we
27:22go inside
27:23so when we come up the stairs from the street we're straight into the kitchen lovely big kitchen modern
27:30then you come up in here and you have a dining room slash bar which is a prerequisite for every
27:36house i
27:36think two bedrooms one upstairs and one to the left and then this really cool terrace living room
27:44this is probably the nicest part of this house i think because the windows open right back brings
27:48so much light into the space which i love and that's also going to help with the energy consumption of
27:53this property so the owner of this house is actually a carpenter so this is why everything in this place
28:00is just so immaculately done so nula i know you love the canal de midi so i think this house
28:07is in a
28:07great location for you today absolutely we have basically everything you can see in front of us
28:13up to that large garage door and then up above all of your living space stretches over two floors okay
28:20wow um and i'm noticing like the lovely windowsills and the frames for the flower pots and i see air
28:27con
28:27are you feeling as positive claire i think it's a lovely vibe it's a really nice little little street and
28:33then as we're walking down you could kind of get the the breeze from the canal it was lovely yeah
28:38it's
28:39a really nice little village from a structural point of view it's good it's a little bit tired
28:43could do a bit of love it wouldn't take much just a little repair and and i think just just
28:48painting
28:48it as it is it looks actually look really nice there's a couple of places i've seen where there's some
28:53cracks i would suggest getting a specialist in just uh just to check that so overall for me it's in
28:59it's in good condition yeah that's good to hear okay so you have your notebook why don't you guys
29:03go in have a look around jot down any questions you have for paul and we'll meet you back out
29:08here
29:08in a little while okay enjoy this is a bit unexpected isn't it okay look at that with burning stove
29:17it looks quite modern it does look very modern yeah i like it i like the cladding at the back
29:21and the
29:22kitchen looks fairly modern it does i'm wondering about lighting though because it's recessed back
29:28yeah and it's making me curious about what's at the back of this building wow pool table this is a
29:37man's cave and a bar and it looks like those doors slide across yeah and when they do you've still
29:44got
29:44that safety wooden rail yeah and that would create a lovely flow like through the room for air
29:51i'm not sure about all the wood you've got the chunky bar if whatever's going on here and then
29:57the wooden rail wooden railing yeah definitely wood overload it's definitely yeah this seems to be
30:04the master bedroom nice it's bright yeah and after the other bedrooms the height is low and did you
30:11notice there was no bathroom up there yes you'll be coming down at night or yeah it's not it's there's
30:16not great access up there no but you know what i love about this room what do you love there's
30:20no
30:20wood what do you think dick might think about it he wouldn't like higgledy-piggledy okay but the
30:29street is lovely the town is lovely lovely it's a fabulous it's as close to the canal as you can
30:37get
30:38yeah so plenty of food for thought so nula how'd that go it was very interesting mag i have one
30:45big
30:45question right what's at the back of the house i would assume another house yeah but be another
30:51house behind there yeah okay i had this feeling that i was on it inside a wooden boat it's quite
30:57masculine do you know yes i thought that too a lot of timber that can all come out that's not
31:02a problem
31:03that's kind of cosmetic you can redecorate it to your taste how did the bedrooms work for you did you
31:09feel like you could use them or would you like to maybe rejig i'd have to reject them yeah there
31:13was
31:13something higgledy-biggledy about them so let's have a little chat about this price let's do that
31:19it's on the market at the moment for 189 000 okay i'm not surprised because of the location right
31:28the lack of outdoor space it might be a deal breaker why don't i just maybe keep that in mind
31:36before we head to the next house i'd really like yeah it's been a busy couple of days so it's
31:41time
31:42for a rest back in bezier where kevin is already conjuring up his next bit of homework for nula
31:48how's your french it's schoolhouse french you know i can speak enough to get me by i think i might
31:56have
31:56something in plan to help you with that i look forward to it yeah so claire do you think if
32:02nula hadn't
32:04reached out to us for help do you think she would have been another five years sitting on the fence
32:09about this house yeah in one way i would say so but i like nula when nula makes the decision
32:15to do
32:15something she carries through yeah but i think this has been a really helpful experience to kind of to
32:21bring her to that putting the toes in the water yeah and making that leap to be honest myself and
32:27dick
32:27probably have been spending more time than we should have on the edge too nervous yeah to step in
32:36the last few days have been really supportive i think that's the thing though we're all in it
32:41together with you aren't we yeah every one of us yeah it feels that way look at us like stabilizers
32:46yeah i'm glad nula is finding value in our adventure because i think my last two properties
33:00have been a little bit controversial but i still have a real showstopper up my sleeve it's a lot of
33:07house only after kevin has taken nula back to school what you just said is i want to live i
33:15do it's
33:16wonderful wouldn't live here
33:22our trip to bezier in southern france has been something of a mixed bag so far i've been house
33:28hunting with nula harper and her friend claire murphy with a budget of 250 000 euro nula is searching for
33:36a
33:36two-bedroom home near the canal de midi where she and her husband dick hope to enjoy their retirement
33:43so far we've seen three very different properties a two-bed mid-terrace house in bezier for 210 000
33:50euro an incredible renovation project in thaisanne le bezier for just 88 000 euro and most recently
33:59a charming townhouse in kapistan for 195 000 euro while kevin is taking nula for a bit of francais
34:07immersion therapy i have a chance to visit a beautiful parisian style house back in bezier
34:13that's been restored by robert mochamp so robert there's no denying that this is a very grand
34:20huge house did it look like this the first day you saw it no no no when we arrived it
34:25was a rain it was
34:27totally left of us for 16 years so no water no electricity no floors no garden the roof was
34:34perfect they were read on the roof five years before we we visited the house so it's a copper roof
34:39so it's quite unique in bezier did this all exist originally these glass rooms and all was this all
34:45here yeah the glass room was here is more than 40 years old but it was completely rotten so a
34:50lot of
34:50glass was falling down so it was a lot of work to be done none of a carpenter want to
34:56do it so with
34:56my partner we're going on youtube we say how are we going to do carpenter and we learn on youtube
35:02you
35:03renovated the glass rooms yourselves yeah most of it i will never do it again wow robert this is amazing
35:15it's huge isn't it extremely huge yeah we love big kitchens was any of this here no there was no
35:21kitchen in the house so i was quite surprised when we bought the house so i love cooking so i
35:26say i
35:27want a big kitchen so i take the biggest room of the house and we've done a huge kitchen and
35:31you've this
35:31lovely little living room just off of it then obviously your sun room off to this side it definitely
35:37feels like the kitchen is the very heart of the house here oh yeah it's the heart everybody's coming
35:41to the house they always come to the kitchen your staircase is just a show stopper of a staircase
35:47it was there they completely destroyed when we bought it and we was need to refurbish the whole
35:52staircase so we it was carpet on the stairs and a lot of glue so it was hard work to
35:57put it back to
35:58original okay so we've two bedrooms up here on this level is it two bedrooms floors and one in the
36:05ground
36:06floor five bedroom all together so free renting for guests and two for us on the top floor so we've
36:11access here out onto the second floor the sun room yes wow this is why it makes so much different
36:16the sun room is a big part of the house you've a lovely bathroom of each room as well and
36:21the art
36:22everywhere really makes these rooms very unique it's all over the house it's all over the house
36:27heart is part of our life we've been collecting heart for almost 30 years with my partner and we want
36:33to share our passions with our guests it's very different and it makes the rooms a lot more personal
36:38and you feel like you're staying in somebody's home a lot of the guests in our days are too like
36:43a
36:43hotels and we don't want to have this feeling so it's why we make it with peace of heart and
36:48make
36:49it feel like home so talk to me about how much you bought the house for big house big money
36:55so we done
36:56a good deal six years ago we bought it for 245 000 euros okay so that was an extremely good
37:02deal for this
37:02kind of house what was the most expensive job plumbing that was more expensive we need to redo
37:08the whole plumbing system in the whole house so that cost us quite a lot of money so what's your
37:13plumbing system now what you how many bathrooms have you got we have five bathrooms six toilets
37:17the kitchens the water system for the garden so that's quite a big work so all in with the purchase
37:24and your renovations you're at 395 exactly and you got it valued recently yeah we get it value a week
37:30ago and now it's value 850 000 so it's a good deal yeah we can go on holiday yeah yeah
37:37are you proud
37:38we're extremely proud yeah yes it's it's just fantastic thank you maybe
37:45renovating a house this size is a huge undertaking and robert's attitude was fantastic if there was a job
37:52and he knew he couldn't do it himself sure he'd hire someone but if he thought there was even a
37:57hope
37:57that he could learn how to do something he went online and he figured it out and i think we
38:02could
38:02all take something from that one of the biggest hurdles of moving here isn't just finding your home
38:15it's finding your voice nula loves the idea of living here but the reality is you can't live in france
38:21without french across france there are casual meetups where english-speaking immigrants practice
38:28their french this is the au kraken bar in bezier and i've brought nula and claire to join today's
38:34chat-a-thon and to help nula get the most out of it i'm about to very politely hijack proceedings
38:41madame monsieur this is nula her french is uh for want of a better word merde
38:50so today we thought we would do language class speed dating style so that's two minutes per person
38:59after that i will ring the bell and then you get up and you move to the next table and
39:04you talk to that
39:05person nula okay your two minutes begins now
39:13bonjour
39:18you come from ireland i come from ireland how do i say i come from ireland
39:26je viens ireland je viens ireland je viens ireland je viens ireland
39:32ireland okay okay tu veras tu vas te plair ici you're gonna love it over here oh there's me
39:39change come on hurry up i'm not
39:43je vais parler moins vite less less fast
39:48more vite more vite and it was just change
39:54another new arrival here is jennifer crespin a french teacher who works closely with the immigrant
40:00community in bezier the best way to learn a language is just don't be so worried about being perfect
40:08all the time no one expects perfection yeah you know if you can say anything in france and make
40:14yourself be understood you are communicating would you mind just sitting in with nula and just giving
40:20her some lessons because she needs a little push she needs a little push all right yeah i can do
40:23that
40:23thank you so much jennifer bonjour nula bonjour
40:28so let me just ask you this do you know how to say i want no okay
40:35je veux that means i want and it's a really good one to learn because you can say i want
40:42to do
40:43something and then you've got a sentence yes so so if you want to say i want to live yeah
40:49how do you
40:49say to live yeah the video je veux vivre je veux vivre now what you just said is i want
40:56to live
40:57i do it's wonderful live here but yeah what if you want to say i want to live in busy
41:02so jennifer
41:07i want to live in busy so i want to live in busy so i want to live in busy
41:12so you just made a sentence
41:15you see how you can just put together these little bits of print
41:20hello how are you doing well how was that for you do you know it was very good it was
41:24very very useful
41:25i feel a lot freer something's loosened you know that kind of i can't speak to maybe i can well
41:33i
41:33hope that this was of some help to you and i hope this made learning french a little less daunting
41:38it
41:39does your job was to get under the skin of bezier and show it to me and over the last
41:46few days i've
41:46been feeling that yeah and it's it's comfy besides well it was a pleasure thank you
41:55our house hunt is coming to an end but i've been keeping one final showstopper up my sleeve
42:01we're in cruisy 10 kilometers west of bezier this three-story four-bedroom house comes with a striking
42:08barn a terrace and a newly built apartment just seven minutes from the canal de midi it offers
42:16plenty of outdoor space and more than enough projects to keep dick entertained priced at 211 000
42:24euro i'm already sold but what will nuna and claire think i definitely get the fancy feel to this
42:31street i love the shape of it yeah there's something very very sturdy about it very impressive
42:38looking house from what i can see the structure is is good it's it's very solid uh it's obviously been
42:43there it's been there a long time i think i saw a date of like 1850 and it would have
42:48been a wine
42:49growing family that would have had this property so we're seeing the the front side of the property
42:54where they would live and at the back would be where they they actually make the wine so this is
42:59quite a big house with a lot going on so i think maybe myself and paul will come in with
43:03you on this
43:04one sound good sounds very good great so directly in off the street we're in these two lovely little
43:10living rooms we have a small kitchen to the right at the back and then a fairly nice stone staircase
43:16to
43:17the left but this is your whole ground floor i am loving the tiles on the floor there's something
43:25dignified about this very true it kind of reminds me walking into an old irish farmhouse with the
43:30parlour just sitting inside the door i'd love to see a little bit of more open space in it so
43:37certainly
43:38you can think about possibly opening up some of these these interior walls removing them however
43:43having said that just because the wall is thin doesn't mean it's not helping to support the structure
43:48um so i'd certainly look at getting a specialist then so just take note of the really beautiful
43:55handrail ladies so once we come off the staircase we have two lovely bedrooms we have a bathroom and a
44:03toilet light is beautiful yeah and the height of the feelings big size room when we were coming up the
44:10stairs i noticed this big huge stove right at the bottom and the this big metal pipe going up the
44:16stairs is that is that the heating yeah that was the original uh heating system it's quite a clever way
44:22of
44:22doing it there are electric radiators in some of the rooms so that's how the house would be heated now
44:28up above us again we have another two bedrooms so this is four bedrooms and four really equally sized
44:37good bedrooms they're lovely size yeah now i want to take you outside and show you another really nice
44:43aspect of this house so one of the main reasons i brought you here is because of this outside space
44:50yeah it's beautiful space it's quiet yes and i'm noticing it's doesn't we're not overlooked well my
44:56favorite part of the property is the barn that's a barn that's where they made the wine yeah absolutely
45:03you could almost make a separate property there you could there's a lot of potential here so
45:08everything we walked around is the house and back here there's another big building and the top floor
45:13is already converted into an apartment and work has begun on the bottom floor to do the same
45:19yeah so i want the both of you to go up have a look at your self-catering apartment
45:27oh my god claire i love this look at the size of the beams
45:34myself and dick could live here yeah comfortably the original house you could sympathetically
45:41restore it in your own time because you've got somewhere to live yeah it's a great space it's
45:48a gem yeah there's so much property so how'd you get on in this apartment it's beautiful i kind of
45:56see
45:57three pieces there's the back with the apartments there's the original house and the barn and any one
46:04of them would be a project yes so obviously there's a huge amount of potential here but that means there's
46:09also quite a lot of work uh re-plumbing re-electrics you bathroom your kitchen so you're probably going
46:15to have to be thinking about employing contractors and artisans to do that kind of work how would i do
46:20that here in france i would highly recommend that you talk to the locals they will know reputable
46:27trades people to use yeah so how much does all this cost in france that's the question isn't it
46:32the big question hold on to claire well it's on the market at the moment with a guide price
46:37of 211 000 that's surprisingly low it is a lot of house it's a lot of house uh lots of
46:49potential
46:50but i'd really have to talk to dick well you've a lot to think about with this house honestly you've
46:55a lot to think about with all the houses so why don't the two of you head off maybe gather
46:59your
46:59thoughts and i'll meet back up with you in a little while and i'll see where you land great sounds
47:05like
47:05a good idea okay it's been a varied and really fascinating week in the south of france and we've
47:12seen four very different properties first was the two-bedroom house in bezier for 210 000 euro next was
47:21the house built from battlements in tezanne le bezier for 88 000 euro then a carpenter's dream home in
47:29capistan at 195 000 euro and finally this large property in cruzi for 211 000 euro back on the banks
47:41of the canal de midi the moment of truth has arrived so nula has one of these houses come out
47:47on top yes
47:48okay house number one really i would never have thought suburbs for us but when you opened the
47:56door and brought me into the back garden of that house something happened that was some back garden
48:02what do you think claire i i did love house number four but i would agree with nula i think
48:08the first
48:08house just gives you so much access to the whole area i think it makes perfect sense have you bought
48:14dicks tickets yet i've got to go and negotiate when he's going to come back out to see house number
48:21one with me yeah yeah and i'll contact the agent because i'd like to know how long it's been on
48:26the
48:26market yes linking in with paul to see if we do need any surveys and then put in an offer
48:32you need to
48:36leave here to go home thank you so much i've really enjoyed it i'm delighted i'm delighted yeah come on
48:42okay let's do it
48:47this house was actually a really modest choice for nula she could have gotten way more bang for
48:52her book if she had moved slightly further out of town but to be fair she loves bezier
49:00what i love about this area is you've so many influences from different countries like people
49:06have been coming here for centuries and you feel that influence as you walk around it gives the
49:11whole area lovely flavor and you know the property prices are still good and for a city on the south
49:16coast of france that's phenomenal it's slipping away yeah but it is there still as my father says
49:23buying points in the pub drink it now it'll never be as cheap
50:06you
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