With a local market in the small village nearby, barely further away than the distance covered by the estates’ long meandering driveway, trips for fresh bread, meat and produce and the like would be a pleasure and, from her perspective, seemingly the stuff of dreams.
The chateau itself, with its beige stone façade and twin turrets, featured twelve-foot ceilings and boasted almost the same number of bedrooms. The vaulted windows provided ample sunlight across the oak floors which reflected it beautifully – and advantageously – bringing light into those rooms that struggled to achieve it naturally.
Despite its three stories’ height and over four thousand square feet of living space, the article noted that this country castle is referred to by those in the know as a “petite chateau”. The potential owner of it, no doubt considering her North American and real estate background, jokes that she prefers the adjective “starter”.
Where the West’s “cottage country” properties may feature cabanas, cabins, boathouses and berths, this slice of her heaven featured a number of outbuildings, built, incredibly, around 1500, and which would have been used for lodging, winemaking, stables and storage. A caretaker’s house, rented to an Englishman named Alec who lives there with his faithful dog, was undoubtedly a much-appreciated factor as it provided someone to watch over – and look after – the property.
Returning home, she planned to visit again, but circumstances delayed the return. This did, however, provide her with plenty of time to think about the purchase. During this time, she and her husband, on a summer trip to see family in cottage country, briefly discussed getting a secondary property there.
Weighing their options, and especially considering that the property she had been captivated by a year earlier was still on the market, they apparently crunched the numbers and compared the two purchases.
With the costs of a property near family showing no real price differential whatsoever between the two options, further rationalizations were realized. One such was that their daughter could, just like her mother did before her, learn French and explore Europe, albeit under very different circumstances. The decision to purchase was unanimous, not to mention apparently easy!
Cheryl’s article recounts that completing the process of buying a property in another country was certainly challenging, but she, like anyone that wants to make the most of their lives here in the First World, seemingly embraced it. This embrace extended to that which embodies both the ongoing challenges faced in renovating her new (very old) castle, and the sheer joy that surely accompanies each task when completed. From DIY painting, wallpapering and, of course, treasure hunting for furniture, to establishing “French connections” in the local trade pool. With a budget for all of this work estimated at approximately US $350,000, even an elevator is part of this fairy tale.
In reading this story, I was struck at the breadth and scope of all that can be accomplished when one “makes more monie”. Considering that this regular family, simply by virtue of one making personal, prudential decisions, whether they be fiscal, educational, or otherwise, are able to now call two different continents – let alone countries – home; one of them in their newly-found paradise, brimming with historical culture and haute cuisine. Like others profiled here, she seized upon opportunity provided her by circumstance and her own significant efforts, broadening her horizons to wherever she herself dictates.
Like those of us at Make More Monie, this profile’s subject surely appreciates the smart choices made along the way, by herself and her mother on her behalf, all the way back to kindergarten.
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