Come to the Charente and follow the sun

Over the years we have heard many reasons for people wanting to buy a house in France – from a love of our safe, sandy beaches to a lifetime desire to own a vineyard.  However, the reason that our clients give more than any other is “for the weather”.  This was emphasised further by a Global Briefing paper produced by Knight Frank earlier this month where “climate” topped a list of 10 factors given by the wealthy when choosing their second home.

Our head office is based on the edge of the Charente/Dordogne border and we thought it would be interesting to compare the hours of sunshine we have enjoyed so far this year with that seen in Great Britain.
The results were conclusive. From 1st Jan to 31st August the total hours of sunshine have been:
France (La Rochelle) – 1707 hours
England (Heathrow) – 1125 hours
Wales (Cwmystwyth) – 1099 hours
Scotland (Paisley) – 1091 hours
That works out at around two and a half extra hours of sunshine every single day of the year so far in 2011….no wonder that we have seen an increase in both enquiries and sales to UK buyers.
It’s a well known fact that our bodies create vitamin D when the sun shines and that a clear blue sky in the morning can make your spirits soar.  So, the next time you’re stuck indoors on a rainy day, gazing out at the grey sky above, why not take a browse around the 6,500 properties we are marketing  and see if you can bring a bit of sunshine into your own life!
Sources – Meteo France and the UK Met Office.