Gers Region Of France Sees Uptick In Buyer Interest

Once popular with retirees, more and more young people and families are choosing the Gers for its laid-back way of life plus excellent internet service for home-working – in fact, it was one of the first departments in France to deploy high speed broadband and fibre optic networks.

A compact and bijou region in southwest France, it's a quaintly rural area and, just 60 miles wide, peppered with perfectly preserved and pristine medieval towns and brimming with beautiful villages including 6 Plus Beaux Villages de France.

As the birthplace of D’Artagnan, Alexandre Dumas’ hero from The Three Musketeers – and France’s oldest brandy, Armagnac, Gers, also known by its ancient name of Gascony, is steeped in history. The region is home to a spectacular array of beautiful landscapes, outdoor activities, castles, historical sites and the most delicious gastronomy – this is the authentic France you dream of.

The biggest town is the capital, Gers but you couldn’t call it crowded with a population of around 22,000. The whole region has less than 200,000 inhabitants.

The Pyrenees are just two hours by car, great for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The west coast beaches, Basque country, Spain and the Côte d’Azur are on the doorstep. Toulouse city can be reached in around 1.5 hours by train from Auch. The seasons are distinct with winters tending to be cold and wet in January and February. Generally the weather is clement year-round – spring sees an explosion of flower, fauna and birdlife. The summer is long, fields of sunflowers are everywhere, and the good weather often lasts well into September and mellows in October, and it’s not unusual to be able to eat outside in the sun in December.

There’s a varied style of property available including modern, timber-frame and traditional limestone houses which are always popular. The average price for an entirely renovated small village house is around €150,000 – €200,000. And you can still buy properties to renovate starting from less than €30,000 for a village house. Large country mansions start from €350,000, and farmhouses, plus properties with lots of land, suitable for horse owners are popular. There’s also the possibility to buy land in this low-population department.

The Armagnac-producing Tenarèze area is known as the ‘Golden Triangle and includes the stunning town of Lectoure, Condom, Castera Verduzan, Saint Puy, and the prefecture capital of Auch. Historically, this area was the wealthiest because of the Armagnac trade and the lovely honey coloured limestone houses here reflect the investment in property. Vic-Fezensac and Eauze are attractive towns, with many stone buildings. As you go bit further south towards the steeper hillsides surrounding Marciac where the annual and renowned jazz festival is held, properties tend to be more timber-framed style.

The distances between villages and services mean that a car is essential as public transport is not widely available. Despite being very rural, The Gers is accessible with Toulouse or Bordeaux airports in easy driving distance and TGV high speed trains can speed you from Agen to Paris in five hours.