LOCATION
West of Senonches, eight Orne communes now form just one – Longny-les-Villages. There’s an accommodation- based business opportunity at Longny-au-Perche, one of the eight and a Petite Cité de Caractère – a converted riverside mill, with nine rooms, 5.5 hectares, ideal for chambres d’hôte or gîtes (€602,000, Odile Gauvin at Sextant France). For Laurence, the plus points
of northern Perche are linked to nature. “The forest, fi shing and horse riding are popular in this area.” She moved here from the southwest around 15 years ago and was surprised by the number of riders in the area. When we spoke, she had just had another enquiry from prospective buyers looking for a house with pasture for their horse. Land may be hard to come by, but water isn’t. “There are lots of étangs, while houses have mares.” Both words mean pools or ponds (jetez un pavé dans la mare means to make waves).
THE PARIS EFFECT In general, prices are about €1,500/m2
architecture, houses with character, it’s well preserved.” To the north, check out
The houses in Senonches are built from the local limestone
“A patchwork of fi elds, medieval manors, ancient forests and fi sh-fi lled rivers”
but that’s been compensated by the forest. “I’ve discovered how to live in proximity to the forest – it’s a great asset.” We head south now to the
in the Senonches
area, “perhaps a bit less around Longny because you’re further from Paris. Senonches is just 11km from the railway station in La Loupe, so you can be in Paris within 90 minutes,” she says. Although scarcer since
Covid, you may still fi nd old farm properties for renovation. For the investor, there’s a market for both long-term and seasonal lets. Senonches has a rich community, people are friendly. Laurence says she’s missed the fruit and vegetables, and the sun of the southwest
On the market
medieval sub-prefecture of Nogent-le-Rotrou, on the Orne border, close to Sarthe. It has a population of around 10,000, an 11th-century château, and the River Huisne runs through it. “In the historic centre, the Pâty quarter, terraced pale-limestone houses with local fl at terracotta or slate tiles – often hôtels particuliers, private mansions – date back to the 16th and 17th centuries,” says Arnaud Traversa at Pâty Immobilier. Most remain intact – not split into apartments – and any alterations are subject to approval by the state-run Bâtiments de France architect. These hôtels particuliers
often have enclosed grounds to the rear, referred to as parcs. Older houses have smaller plots, 500m2
-800m2 , alongside
the property. If you’re partial to a hôtel particulier expect to pay €400,000–€600,000. “The majority of dwellings in the Pâty quarter have been renovated and are well maintained,” says Arnaud. Leave the Pâty quarter and
around the central square you’ll fi nd 19th-century bourgeois properties selling for €300,000-€350,000. Some have been converted into apartments (e.g. town centre studio, €37,100, Offi ce Notarial Actaperche) and there’s a good rental market. “Since Covid and the
discovery of homeworking, le télétravail, lots of folk live most of the week here in Nogent and travel the hour and a half by train to Paris for meetings,” explains Arnaud. “Buyers prefer properties
– small, terraced maisons de bourg – in the Orne countryside rather than Eure-et-Loir,” he adds. “You fi nd attractive
Verrières and Rémalard (e.g. four-bedroom 1880 village house, €99,860, BCV Immobilier). “We have lovely hills and fi ne walking paths, forests and very attractive houses,” says Arnaud. Here there are local shops, and you can buy your produce from markets or direct from the farm. You may fi nd old farmsteads and longères for renovation. For a renovated one “with a hectare of land, a lovely view of the hills, without noise pollution or roads, the price is €250,000–€300,000”. Building land is harder
to come by because we’re in a regional park, so new construction is quite limited. And if you want some land for your horses, you’ll need to buy the farm that goes with it. Nogent-le-Rotrou has a good number of associations from hiking to sport to culture to theatre. There’s unspoilt
the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche
farmsteads and longères, manors and châteaux –
Perche has properties to suit all pockets
Channel ferries, then car, train or bicycle
FIND MORE PROPERTIES ON
FRENCHENTREE.COM Easy access by Town and village houses,
forests, verdant valleys and pastoral pastures of
TO BUY HERE Bucolic bocage, fi ne
3 REASONS
€99,000, Senonches: Three- bedroom, south-facing town house for renovation with attic for conversion, cellar and walled garden (Perche Nord Immobilier)
€229,000, La Loupe: Close to the forest and Senonches, this fi ve-bedroom ‘longère’ sits in grounds with outbuildings (Perche Nord Immobilier)
€86,000, La Madeleine Bouvet: Ripe for renovation, this one- bedroom house, with adjoining two-room building is near La Loupe (Perche Nord Immobilier)
€447,000, La Ferté-Vidame: Near Verneuil-sur-Avre, a 19th- century renovated property with four commercial units and seven studios (Perche Nord Immobilier)
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023 71
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