Absolutely free! The best advice you'll ever get about looking for a house in the Aude.
Explore first!
Really, it's that simple. Don't look at houses as soon as you arrive. You've heard it before and it's true, in real estate it's location, location, location. The Aude is so different, one area from another. The Corbieres is not like the Razes which is not like the Minervois. The northern Corbieres is not like the southern Corbieres, nor is the northern Minervois like the southern Minervois.
Time and again people have said to me 'it doesn't matter what part of the Aude we look in.' So we go and look. They find a house they love in an area they don't love. They then start a frustrating process of trying to find an identical house in a different area. It's not going to happen and they waste a lot of time.
The best way to buy a house in the Aude
If you have 2 or 3 days:
Spend all the time exploring. Contact us about 2 weeks before you arrive. Tell us your wish list and budget. We'll send you listings of properties that meet your criteria. Rent a car and just drive around and explore. Stop in the villages with houses for sale and get out and walk around. Check out the walking and cycling opportunities, look for lakes and rivers.
Some areas will sing to you, some won't. You'll know where you want to look. Plan another trip soon to look at houses.
If you have a week:
Spend two or three days exploring. Rent a gîte and get a feel of life here.
Call us after you know where you want to look and we'll make appointments to visit houses in that area for the following days.
If you have two weeks:
Same as above but you'll have time for a vacation as well.
Buy a map
The very best map is Michelin 344 Local Aude-Pyrenees Orientales. You can find it at the airport, at service centres on the auto route, and at some tabacs and Presses. Check our map page.