Len and Jo Casson struck gold after winning the National Lottery. And having always hankered after a property in France, they felt a visit to the A Place in the Sun Live show would provide them with all the advice they needed to make their dream of the good life a reality.
Now, after spending time discussing their options at the Leggett Immobilier stand, they're the proud owners of a three-bed property in the Fontaine region of the Dordogne, with a pool, a separate wing for visiting guests and that all-important walk-in wardrobe. And their journey is being captured in the first episode of a new ITV1 series following estate agents Leggett Immobilier called 'House Hunt in France'.
The programme, which starts at 3pm on Tuesday August 30th, follows the Casson's as they sign for the property and get a visit from the Mayor, all with the help of Joanna at Leggett Immbolier.
“The staff at Leggett, and in particular Joanna, were fantastic.” said Jo. “They took care of so much including setting up bank accounts, negotiating buying costs, and setting up the gas, water and electricity, which was a real peace of mind.”
As part of the service the agents also arranged for the couple to meet the local mayor. Despite not being able to communicate properly, they found that they were more than able to forge a relationship after a local tipple or two: “He didn't speak a lot of English, and we don't speak a lot of French, but after a bottle of wine he was perfectly happy!” said Jo.
The couple decided to buy the property because it was an area they knew well. They had been taking holidays in the Dordogne for the last ten years, and had fallen in love with its charms, but had always been too scared to make a permanent move abroad. Having bitten the bullet Jo has these words of advice for anyone considering relocating to another country: “Don't be scared. We put it off for a long time, but the day we came here and I was given the key I was like a kid with a new toy.”
However, they also spoke of the importance of doing your research, and having made their decision to relocate, they believed that they would not have been able to get the information they needed without visiting the A Place in the Sun Live show. “You can pick up so much information because everyone is collected together under one roof. Once we'd talked to Leggett Immobilier, we were able to go straight to a law firm on the stall next door who also gave us advice, which was invaluable. We can't recommend a visit to A Place in the Sun Live highly enough if you are thinking about buying” she said.
A Place in the Sun Live takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 30th September - 2nd October 2011. You can meet the staff from Leggett Immobilier on stand FR9 in The French Village with the show.