Happy Family in their Dream French Chateau

It’s always great to receive feedback from satisfied buyers, especially after a very long time spent searching for that dream historic property in France.

Their Dream Château

This special property is a restored 19th-century French château with turrets set in its own five-hectare park with a long private drive situated between Brive and Limoges in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

The first visits to the château took place in the autumn of 2021, amid many COVID restrictions and concerns. They viewed a handful of carefully selected châteaux and fell in love with this property and its peaceful surroundings. This is the one; they decided to act and promptly made their purchase offer.

Navigating Challenges

As ever in property, nothing is straightforward. The owner was far away, at sea, with patchy communication, and for a while things didn’t look promising. After considerable effort on behalf of our client, we were informed that, in the meantime, the seller had received an offer from another party, which he intended to accept. 

“Sacrébleu,” disaster! Suddenly, it looked as if the château project wasn’t going to happen after all, or at least not with this one.

A Fortuitous Return

But earlier this year, the property came back to the market, our client reacted quickly, and so did the team. Their (improved) offer was resubmitted promptly and was accepted shortly afterwards. Our clients completed the process a few months later after a fairly straightforward procedure. Everyone was motivated to make the dream come true, and it has! 

Historical Connections

In the early 20th century, the château was a summer retreat for Helene, Simone de Beauvoir’s aunt, boosting its cultural importance. Martial Dauriac, her nephew and estate owner, confirmed that Simone spent summers there, visiting regularly from childhood to her early twenties. 

As a child, she preferred Meyrignac, feeling secure and loved, but later developed a strong affinity for the estate, where her Aunt Hélène fostered her intellectual curiosity. These sites nurtured her independent thinking and philosophy, with a nearby village honouring her by naming a road and a library after her.

Château Testimonial

They now happily live in their own country chateau, with family and guests visiting from the UK, across Europe, and around the world. This is what they had to say about us :

“Patrick was very supportive with locating and buying the chateau, and then making sure we got to see the property when it suited us (during COVID times). Patrick also worked on our behalf with the agent and owner of the castle, making the whole process easier for all concerned and securing the purchase of our dream château in France.

I would highly recommend Patrick and the MFH team to future clients considering relocating to France. - Sharon”

As mentioned above, real estate can be surprising and never easy, particularly when buying a French château. Like Sharon, don’t miss out; sign up to receive alerts about new castles for sale.

To learn more about the challenges and rewards of purchasing a French château, visit our buyer’s guide, filled with expert tips and advice. And discover more château stories and inspiration on our blog.