Castles (real castles!) and country life

View from a house in the country near Nice, France.

We've been looking at houses in the country again. And, I'm still torn: the city gives us conveniences like stores and activities for the kids, but the country gives us so much fresh air and space!

I'm still not sure when we'll make the leap, but there are some amazingly beautiful places out there in la France profonde (that description always makes me laugh) -- from huge fixer-uppers to ready-to-move-into mansions. We're probably looking for something in between.

And then there are the non-realistic ideas: There are even castles for sale!

For anyone interested in dreaming along with me, here are a few of the real estate sites in France:


www.explorimmo.com
www.seloger.com
www.logic-immo.com
www.mls-cotedazur.fr
www.maisonsetappartements.fr
www.leboncoin.com
www.bellespierres.com
www.pap.fr
www.agent-immobilier-france.com
www.fnaim06.fr

*Note: A viager is an amazing idea, but it's always a risky bet. The houses come with elderly occupants (sometimes they live there, sometimes the place is empty) and can be bought at very low prices, but then you usually have to pay rent. The rent gets paid for either a fixed amount of time or until the occupants are no longer alive to collect it.