6 bedroom House for sale with Income Potential in Orthez, Aquitaine
Built in 1773, this amazing property of 470m2 comprises a main residence of 350m2 in immaculate condition, a self-contained two-storey apartment of 120m2 to renovate, a small two-storey outbuilding with a meditation room and a lovely garden with an ornamental (plunge) pool fed by a waterfall.
This character residence is ideal for a large family, within walking distance of local shops and schools. Also a great option for a business premises or to set up a boutique hotel, Bed and Breakfast or even open a Gite d'Etape for pilgrims following the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, which passes through Orthez.
From the street, an entrance gate leads into a covered entranceway, with room to park a car (more private parking available at the far end of the garden). To the left is the front door into the main residence; to the right is a door into the apartment. The front door of the main residence opens into an entrance hall with a carved wooden staircase, which leads up to three bedrooms on the first floor and two huge attics on the second floor. To the left of the entrance hall is a lovely reception room with a parquet floor and an open fireplace.
A second reception room to the right of the entrance hall also has a fireplace, parquet floor and wood-panelled walls, which conceal a secret walk-in wine cellar. A small interconnecting room gives access to a guest WC and leads into the light and airy kitchen, which has a door out to the garden.
From the kitchen, a couple of steps lead up to an interconnecting room with a second wooden staircase and into a huge third reception room with a marble floor, a fabulous 16th-century stone fireplace and French doors out to the garden.
The main house has six bedrooms on the first floor - three accessible via the first staircase; three accessible via the second staircase.
The first staircase leads up to a master bedroom, which has a luxurious en suite bathroom, and a second bedroom with an en suite shower room and access to the bathroom. A corridor leads to another bedroom, which has an exterior stone staircase down to the garden.
The second staircase leads up to the other three bedrooms, two of which have en suite bathrooms. The third bedroom has an adjacent WC.
The apartment (in need of complete renovation) comprises two rooms and a WC on the ground floor and three rooms on the first floor for bedrooms, along with three smaller rooms which could be converted into bathrooms/shower rooms.
The property also has two huge unconverted attics - one above the main house (180m2), the other above the apartment (90m2).
Outside, the wonderful landscaped garden has terraces for outdoor dining, a magnificent ornamental (plunge) pool, a small conservatory and a two-storey outbuilding with a meditation room on the first floor.
Situated in the centre of Orthez in the Bearn, the property is close to surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast (50 minutes), ski resorts in the Pyrenees (80 minutes) and several rivers for exciting watersports, fishing, picnics.
The town's numerous shops, amenities, schools, restaurants and bars are all within easy walking distance. There is even a leisure lake with a beach on the outskirts of the town (La Base de Loisirs d'Orthez-Biron), to swim, sunbathe and picnic.
THE MAIN HOUSE (350m2) Ground floor: - a gated entrance with room for a small car and access to the main house, the apartment and the garden - an entrance hall with a traditional wooden staircase up to three of the bedrooms on the first floor + attic space on the second floor - a reception room with an open fireplace (30m2) - a second reception room (26m2) with a fireplace and wood-panelled walls concealing a secret wine cellar - an interconnecting room with access to a guest WC - a kitchen with access to the garden (26m2) - an interconnecting room with storage cupboards and a wooden staircase up to other three bedrooms on the first floor - a vast third reception room with a 16th-century stone fireplace and French doors opening out to the garden and dining terraces (49m2) First floor: - a master bedroom (19m2) - an en suite bathroom (15m2), which is also accessible from the second bedroom - a second bedroom (15m2) with an en suite shower room - two further bedrooms (14m2, 10m2), each with an en suite bathroom - a fifth bedroom (9m2) with an adjacent WC - a sixth bedroom with built-in wardrobes and exterior stone steps down to the garden Second floor: - two unrenovated attic spaces: main house (180m2); apartment (90m2)
THE APARTMENT (120m2) Ground floor: - a room with a staircase up to the first floor - a room (currently used as a workshop) with door out to the garden - a WC Second floor: - three rooms suitable for bedrooms - two rooms suitable with plumbing suitable for creating bathrooms/shower rooms - a WC
THE SMALL OUTBUILDING (with exterior steps to first floor) Ground floor: utility room/boiler room (20m2) First floor: meditation room (20m2)
THE WALLED GARDEN - various dining terraces with extendable awnings for shade - two large lawn areas linked by decorative stone steps, landscaped and planted with mature trees and shrubs - a gorgeous ornamental pool deep enough to use as a plunge pool - a rock waterfall (the water is filtered and chlorinated, making it safe to swim in) - a small jardin d'hiver/greenhouse/conservatory - a two-storey outbuilding (utility room/boiler room + meditation room) - a stone staircase up to the sixth bedroom in the main house
In immaculate condition and in an excellent town-centre location, this superb mansion comprises 350m2 of living space, making it perfect for a fantastic family home or a luxurious holiday home, especially since it is halfway between beach resorts and ski resorts. and with six bedrooms to choose from, you will have plenty of room to accommodate your friends and family when they come to visit you. You might also want to renovate the self-contained apartment (120m2) for accommodating grandparents or for renting out on a long-term basis. If the grandparents prefer a one-bedroom studio apartment, the detached outbuilding of 2x 25m2 would also be ideal. If you work from home, several of the ground-floor rooms have separate entrances, so would be ideal for using as an office or consulting room, as would one or both floors of the outbuilding. The apartment would also be perfect for transforming into business premises or for hosting yoga classes and retreats, cookery and wine-tasting courses, theatre workshops, corporate seminars/team-building events. There would also be more than enough room for setting up a beauty salon and spa, a restaurant, a cosy teashop or even an art gallery. If you are hoping to find an excellent-value property that could be rented out, the apartment (3 bedrooms) would be perfect to convert into a gite for families or the main house (6 bedrooms) could accommodate larger parties. In addition, the detached outbuilding could be converted into a studio apartment to accommodate couples. With four of the six bedrooms upstairs having en suite bathrooms/shower rooms, it would also be easy to offer wonderful Bed and Breakfast accommodation to holidaymakers - or even to incorporate the apartment into the main house to create a boutique hotel. You could also offer luxury accommodation to pilgrims who are walking the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle, since the pilgrim route passes close by in the town. Pilgrims are looking for accommodation all year round - and they are particularly delighted if you are able to provide hearty suppers when they arrive, delicious breakfasts and even picnic hampers for lunch, especially if they are full of local delicacies. The area's proximity to the Pyrenees and the Atlantic coast brings many visitors to the B
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Buying a Property in France
1. Signing the Agreement (Compris)
On finding a property you wish to purchase you will need to negotiate the terms, price and conditions of the sale with the owner.
The next step, once you are in agreement, is to sign the preliminary contract (Compromis de Vente). This is a legal document and after ten days will be binding on both parties. Rules change frequently in France and it is best to consult with your notary about when this period starts. Generally the compris will be signed in France with the Agent.
Variants can be included in the compris, for example an Acte (clause) can be added if the name or names to go on the title deed have not been finalised. If a mortgage will be required to purchase the property, the details for this, including the name of the mortgage company, must be on the compris.
2. Paying the Deposit
Generally the deposit will be 10% of the agreed purchase price. This will normally be paid to the notaire. There are exceptions to this, if the agent holds a carte professionelle, is bonded and fully registered then you may pay them, but do not hand over the deposit to anyone else. If for some reason the purchase does not go through, for example, if you write to the notaire and the agent that you do not wish to go continue with the purchase before the contract is binding (within seven days of signing the compris), then your deposit would be repaid. This would also apply if a condition had not been met, or the mayor or S.A.F.E.R. (a government agency that has the right of first purchase on most rural property that comes onto the market in France) could oblige the purchaser to give way. If you decide after the seven days 'cooling off' period that you do not wish to complete the purchase and pull out of the sale you would lose your deposit. If however the vendor pulls out of the sale then you will receive your deposit back plus the same amount from the vendor.
3. On Completion
Generally it will take around two or three months to complete the purchase.
During this time the balance of the purchase money must be paid into the account of the notaire, this must be done well ahead of the completion date. The notaire will prepare the documents, check that the deed of sale (Acte de Vente) is in order and have the legal title ready to be signed over. It is possible to have someone sign on your behalf if you give them power of attorney. An interpreter may be of use at this point if your French is not very good and many Notaires will suggest (or insist) that an interpreter is with you.