In Occitanie, he said, “you get more for your money, but you very much get what you pay for.” A village house, for example, can be bought for 150,000 euros (or about $167,000), but “when you live there, you’re not going to get the bright lights and the bling, the nightclubs for your teenage children, and you’re not going to get masses of Michelin-star restaurants.”
In the past few years, foreign buyers have showed growing interest in the region, Ms. Christinger said. “Properties that can generate income are currently very attractive to buyers,” she said. “I think they choose Languedoc because of its broad-based appeal in terms of scenery, including beautiful mountains, some stunning beaches and quaint villages.”
Mr. Perenchio said he has foreign clients looking for seaside homes in Occitanie, as well as wealthy clients looking for castles and wineries: “The region is more and more popular with foreigners, because they can invest for much lower prices than the French Riviera and Provence, while enjoying so much sunshine.”
Ms. Cavé-Darbey said she has many European buyers in the Uzès area, as well as clients from Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
British buyers have traditionally been the largest group of foreign buyers, but they’ve thinned out since the 2016 Brexit vote, Mr. Baldock said: “The local French market is by far the biggest, with some Parisian buyers.”
Buying Basics
There are no restrictions on foreign buyers in France, brokers said. Notaries working on behalf of the government handle transactions for both the seller and the buyer, and the fee is paid by the buyer.