The steal of a price for Courbefy, in the unspoilt French boondocks is due both to France’s failing economy and the long-term decline of rural communities.
Buyers have until Friday to put in for the village, which is situated in the Limousin region in the centre of the country,just under 30 miles from the city of Limoges, which has excellent rail and road links to Paris.
All of Courbefy’s buildings – which are mainly made up of family homes and a village hall – are available, together with the pool, stables and tennis courts.
Jean-Pierre Chateau, who lives in the nearby countryside, told Le Figaro newspaper that it was ‘heartbreaking’ to see the place as a ‘ghost village’.
He said it once had a unique atmosphere with ‘village festivals which were held right up until the 1960s’.
Courbefy is of huge historical interest as there are ruins of 13th Century castle nearby, as well as an ancient chapel.
Mr Chateau said locals, many of whom were farmers, started to move out in the 1970s, as they chased jobs in the new industries.
During the 1990s there was an attempt to turn Courbefy into a holiday village, complete with hotels and restaurants, but the hugely expensive plan was abandoned.
Since then it has been over-grown and is mainly visited by ‘thieves, drunks and squatters’, according to another local.
Courbefy was put up for auction by the Limoges judicial authorities last Monday, but nobody bid.
Accordingly it is now up for sale, with the price of 330,000 euros meant to reflect the amount of work necessary to return it to its former glory.
Bernard Guilhem, the mayor of the area of countrywide which covers Courbefy, said it would be ‘lamentable’ if nobody came forward, suggesting that anyone with a fair offer could probably get it for less than $400,000.
If no-one comes forward then Courbefy will remain in the hands of Credit Agricole bank.
The country is going through an economic downturn at the moment, with property prices falling through the floor as the cost of living and unemployment rises.
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3 Responses
i tried to find the empty off-grid lot in france and its a bit difficult so can you help me?
Dear sir or Madam,
I am interesting for to buy this farm our village but I need more data and information about it and to know about investment ‘s rule and if rules of French has limitation for foreign people and Iranian or not. Could you please let me have some more information.
Best regards,
J.Seidy
Ok, but really, what’s the catch? Will the buyer be liable of back due taxes or to maintain the whole area or have limitations imposed by the government, or is the area contaminated, will one have to purchase access to services like water and sewage or similar, or… ? This offer makes no sense… I mean any group of people would purchase it in NO TIME FLAT if there was no catch, many are seeking not only off-grid living but also to create self sustainable communities. The problem is that if the local government will choke the buyers with taxes and levies then that would make it a deal breaker. If this had a government exemption then it would be different. In any case… where are the info for the bid? They haven’t been provided here.
Thanks for the interesting article…