French Chateaux For Sale

Living the dream of owning a large, spectacular and historic building in many countries can often be somewhat difficult to realise. Not so, France. Almost every department has its share of imposing tower-topped chateaux dominating the landscape, if no longer the people. From long-forgotten manorial houses to the very largest monastic and secular palaces, chateaux offer a vision of mystique and romance that perhaps the more solidly defensive English castles cannot touch.

Why buy French Chateaux?

At present, large estates are offering superb value for money compared to other prestige property around the world. Boasting acres of land, lakes, outbuildings and their own capacious floor spaces, chateaux give one the opportunity and space to choose how to live and work. Taking the figure of 1 Million Euros as an example, French chateaux at this price will far outweigh, in real terms, the real estate offered by other luxury and prestige property of the same price. In many locations, you are paying for exactly that - location - and will no doubt be jostling with other similar properties for the best view. French chateaux offer the rare ability to look out from your window and survey no land but your own.

The rise in disposable income and the freedom to travel between countries ensures that there is strong interest in buying such property for a family home or a tourism business - perhaps for fishing, an equestrian school, hunting, outdoor sports, walking or wildlife watching. The fairytale bulk of chateaux is also one of its main attractions, particularly for weddings or hotel accommodation. What bride would not wish to be married within an ancient chapel bathed by soft light streaming through its stained glass windows, then withdraw across the lawn to the main building with its ornate decoration a background to the big day and the sounds of history echoing from its walls?

Many such properties also have existing income from timber or wine production.

Types of French chateaux

If you are looking for French chateaux for sale, be it for pleasure or business, we have over 200 beautiful properties to choose from with prices of approximately 300,000 EUR to over 20 Million EUR. These properties take many forms, from smaller Logis and manor houses to fortified farmsteads and enormous stately homes encompassing many hectares of land with woods, lakes, guest houses and outbuildings.

Chateaux, because of their size and history, typically have large amounts of land, even with lower budget examples. While there is a limited supply of French chateaux that are up for sale at any given time, there is likely to be a great variety. You may wish to buy a large building with little land to make your money go further. Or you may wish to buy a smaller Logis-style property, but utilise the land for horses, hunting or wildlife. However, there are many examples of chateaux for sale on the market with a large floor space and several dozen hectares, but they are understandably more expensive but not overly so. 1 million EUR can easily buy you 500m2 of floor space on several levels plus 20 hectares of land.

Whether a chateau dates from the 10th or 20th century, it will have its own style and history of decoration. Some can be a mix of styles from different periods as fashion and the owner's availability of funds changed. Other chateaux appear not to have changed since they were built. Many were built in the early 19th century as France became more dominant and wealthy. There are similarities between properties in that you are likely to find original features such as stone fireplace, parquet flooring, mouldings and carvings dotted around the rooms.

Where to buy

French chateaux encompass all states of preservation. From windowless shells requiring total renovation, to those requiring part-decoration, to immaculate 19th century bourgeois stately homes, the amount you will need to spend will depend on how much work you are willing to undertake. Being large properties, renovations can be very costly and time-consuming but need not be outside the budget of most serious buyers if planned correctly. Typically, to arrive at a habitable building you will need to spend around a total of around 500,000 Euros, whether you opt to renovate or buy an already renovated example.

Obviously, the more you spend to begin with, the larger the chateau, outbuildings and land you will acquire. While not alw ... More

French Chateaux For Sale

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Dax French Chateau For Sale - 885,000 EUR

60km South of Paris French Chateau For Sale - 13,000,000 EUR

Charming French Chateau in Jonzac area - 1,060,000 EUR

50 minutes from Biarritz French Chateau For Sale - 2,200,000 EUR

French Chateau in Cluny, Saone-et-Loire 71 for sale with 140,000m2 of land - 1,750,000 EUR

French Chateau in Mont de Marsan, Landes 40 for sale with 94,053m2 of land - 690,000 EUR

190km from Paris French Chateau For Sale - 1,600,000 EUR

Gers French Chateau For Sale - 3,286,000 EUR

20 min from Angers French Chateau For Sale - 750,000 EUR

French Chateau in Dijon Area, Cote d'Or 21 for sale with 400,000m2 of land - 10,500,000 EUR

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Last update: 23 May 2013 at 09:50

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