Families are attracted by a good selection of schools, both private and state. “We are nine miles from the New Forest, surrounded by beautiful rural countryside,” says Matthew Glover of Connells “Salisbury also has a fast, frequent rail service to London. Wiltshire’s only city also has global recognition, thanks to John Constable’s familiar paintings of the cathedral nestled amid bucolic water meadows.
The landscape retains its allure. Salisbury has a clock dating from 1386 that still keeps time, one of four extant copies of the Magna Carta, and a cathedral whose 404-foot spire is England’s tallest. Having started the process, I’m now even keener to find out what’s possible.”Interviews by Ginetta VedrickasIf you would like House Hunter’s help, write to House Hunter, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, or e-mail househunter independent.co.uk. The house is a bit over-budget for me although I could up my budget a little, if this helps.”I plan to visit France at Easter and will drive around all the areas I’m interested in to see what is on offer. I’m interested in the sound of the two flats in the Rouen area and would like to know more as they sound like the kind of property I’m after in terms of being able to let.

Good condition throughout.VIVIENNE’S VERDICT”From the brief amount of information I gave, this has been very helpful. There is a living room with open fireplace, fitted kitchen, bathroom and separate WC The villa also has a garage and gas central heating. Very good condition throughout.Property three: Villa near RouenAgent: Agence Desert, 00 33 235 709726Price: €146,011Agent’s details: This is a four-bedroom villa near the town centre which is set in a garden of 395sqm. The entire property is light and bright and has parquet floors. There are two bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, living room, bathroom and separate WC, kitchen. Good views, light and airy, plenty of storage.Property two: Modern apartment near Rouen train stationAgent: Live France Group, 00 33 468 456919Price: €91,469Agent’s details: This is a first-floor apartment, built in 1980. It has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and separate WC, cellar, terrace, lift and private parking.

She could do some window-shopping around estate agents too, but I’d advise against viewing specific properties at this stage until she is clear about exactly where she wants to live, and how she will finance her purchase and subsequent move.”The three properties I’ve picked for her are intended to serve as an illustration, and give an indication of the budget she’ll need.”Live France Group, 00 33 468 456919 or 0871 7174143 THREE PROPERTIES FOR VIVIENNE TO VIEWProperty one: Two-bedroomed apartment in central RouenAgent: Agence Desert, 00 33 235 709726, Price: €89,944Agent’s details: This third-floor apartment is in a serviced block near the town centre. However, she needs to remember that any income generated in this way is taxable.”Holiday times are pretty much the same as in Britain: 18 April will be a bank holiday as will the 21st, so these aren’t good days to expect agents to show you around or, indeed, for vendors to want to welcome you into their homes!”There are also quite a few bank holidays in France in May, plus July 14 (Bastille Day) and August 15, so I’d always check the French calendar before booking a trip.”My advice to Vivienne at this stage would be to spend some time in the towns she has nominated, get a good feel for the surroundings and decide where she’d be happy to live permanently. Many students start looking for flats in May and June before the French holiday season begins, and term starts in September. Also, everyone needs to have their privacy – landlord and tenants alike – and students may not necessarily be the quietest of lodgers.”Vivienne should be able to rent out rooms relatively easily if she buys a house in a good, central location close to public transport. Renting out rooms within your home can help cover costs, but it won’t necessarily make you money.

If Vivienne was able to take out a mortgage and increase her budget she could buy a larger house with more living space. Rouen may give her more scope and a wider selection of properties, but it’s fair to say that demand currently outstrips supply.”One way of getting round the problem would be for her to rent a flat in her chosen location and base herself there while waiting to buy; this way she’ll be on the spot and ready to act immediately.”A budget of around €100,000 will buy a compact but attractive two-bedroom apartment in fairly good decorative order in the centre of Rouen, but notaire’s fees on top will eat up all her cash. She needs to remember that, in France, notaire’s fees of 7 to 9 per cent are payable in addition to the price of the property, and she should allow some extra for redecoration, fixtures and the move overseas, of course.”Of the three towns she has identified, Caen might be out of Vivienne’s price range, while Le Havre, although cheaper, has less property of this kind on offer generally. Can you please advise me?”LOUISE’S ADVICE”Vivienne has a budget of £70,000, which is rather low for the kind of property she wants to buy. I’m interested in the university towns of Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg as I hope that these would all be good places for rental returns but I don’t really know what my next step should be.”Also I’m considering going to France on a house-hunting trip at Easter but am worried that this may not be the best time to go, as many estate agents’ offices could be closed. This is the first time I’ve ever bought anywhere – I don’t even own a property in the UK, and feel that at the moment because of the property market in Britain, prices are now too high for me to do so.”My mother is French and I speak French as well, so I feel it would be a logical step for me to take and in the long term I plan to live there myself one day.”I’ve been considering the idea of renting to students, but don’t know which towns would be best. THE PROBLEM

THE PROBLEM
“I would like help as I am considering buying a property in Normandy as an investment.