We find a great house and offer to buy it

Tuesday 5^th November

We went to see a house in a small village near Collioure today; we decided it was by a good measure the best house we have seen and we can just afford it if the vendors accept an offer.

It is a house on two levels, with the owners living upstairs, kind of the ground floor, and the lower floor (the house is on a slope) used as two independent apartments, or one large apartment. It has beautiful gardens. It is a 5 minute walk to village centre, with corner shop, post office, church, doctor’s surgeries, and two small restaurants.

It is in the village of Villelongue dels Monts, 12km from Ageles sur Mer (nearest nice beach) , 17km from Spanish border and 35km from Perpignan. 1 hour to major airports.

Automatic iron gates lead to a gravel driveway, and open parking. An open gateway allows parking for several cars beside house or to the front, for guests downstairs. The lower floor has three bedrooms, and a lounge diner, and kitchen, with two shower rooms.

The main upper floor has a large L-shaped lounge and dining area adjacent to the kitchen. There are two bedrooms, although one is currently used as a dining room. There is a shower room with twin basin, and a toilet, and  the master bedroom (13m2) has full-length windows facing the front garden and the mountains, des Alberes. There is a large tiled terrace facing south with a wind out awning.

The mezzanine floor has an office area, and a spare room either a single or a tight double, 6m2.

The garage has been converted into a workshop and utility room and plumbed for sink and washing machine.

There is ample living space for the two of us, with a nice study and sewing room on the upper floors. Very special views, and not overlooked. There is an old people’s home across the mountain brook, screened by mature deciduous trees, and an oak. 

The garage lends itself to motorcycle storage – 3 bikes with ease. There is then parking for at least two and possibly four or five cars. A motorhome could be parked in the lower drive section, if we are able to keep it. Probably need to sell it to raise all the funds we need.

Downstairs is very flexible accommodation for guests or family, allowing for being quite self-contained.  It has its own front door from the lower driveway. We could sleep two couples with children or even three couples downstairs if their lounge is sacrificed for bedroom space, with a screen to provide a corridor. The main house upstairs could sleep two in the master bedroom and a guest in the mezzanine upstairs, or even a couple with a child in the study, although the bathroom is not on the mezzanine floor.

The mezzanine allows for a double height lounge, which therefore feels very spacious, although it currently seats only 4-6 people. However the L shape would suit larger gatherings as there is a cosy area next to a wood burning fireplace.  All the main bedrooms have fitted wardrobes. The roof has exposed wooden beams, which are very appealing.

The whole house could sleep 9 people in some comfort, and at a push, 10. There is currently no bath, but there are three shower rooms, one in the main house and two downstairs.

The beach is just 20 minutes away at Argeles sur Mer, or Collioure. Perpignan is about 25 minutes away, and Céret about 10 minutes.

The village has a church, a primary school, a general store (Casino) boulangerie, post office and two restaurants.

The area is served by seasonal airports – Perpignan in summer, or Gerona (Spain), or Carcassone, or Béziers, all within an hour’s drive. The autoroute to Spain is being developed to take more traffic

The plot adjacent to the house has recently been sold to a Belgian couple who are due to retire in 4-5 year’s time and will build a retirement home in 4 years. So there will be building going on next to us.

This has frightened off other buyers, and made the sale difficult for the owners, but allows us to put in an offer. After a few hours of negotiation, the vendors accept, since we could go no higher.

Now we have to decide what to do with Beech Lane; ideally we would rent it out so we could return if we needed to, but a sale is also a possibility.