Okay, so you're probably wondering (like I did for a while) why we decided to buy a plot of land, and what we plan to do with it.
Vanessa has always been interested in investing, and has owned many properties in several countries in the past. I've also had property in the UK, Australia and Panama, but since selling my "whole life" in 2008, I've never had another mortgage.
When I bought the island in Panama I was in the fortunate position to be able to make a cash purchase. All the money I put into developing the island and building my off-grid home there came from savings.
In the years since selling the island in 2014 I have had very little interest in buying another property, as the freedom of the house sitting lifestyle has suited me perfectly.
But in 2021 we live in a very different world to the pre-pandemic days of 2019... and I don't think we're going back to those good old days any time soon. I think a very different future lies ahead.
While not impossible, travel has become much harder, and a lot less enjoyable. Vanessa and I have been fortunate enough to have had 7 amazing years of globe-trotting freedom together, so to take a break from endless travel isn't too hard to bear.
We're happy to stay in one location for a while now and do more local house sits, while we wait to see how the future of travel, and our freedom to do so, plays out over the coming months and years.
Having decided to base ourselves in France for a while, and after being approved for French residency, buying a property here began to make much more sense.
We are also aware that we're living here in Burgundy because of the kindness of our UK-based home owners, and are aware that they are considering selling their holiday home at some time in the near future.
So, if we want to stay longer in this area, buying our own place here makes sense.
We've had the "what if?" chat on many occasions, and have often discussed what type of property might suit us, if we wanted a home base.
I don't mind a DIY project, and loved building my off-grid home in Panama, as well as more recently doing our campervan conversion... also like a tiny off-grid home. So a project property would suit me, I've always suggested.
I've always enjoyed living as independently as possible - off-grid in Panama, in a self-sufficient RV in the States, and again in our smaller campervan. So I've also always thought we would want somewhere with enough space to set up a decent off-grid, independent lifestyle.
Vanessa suggested room to grow our own food would be a key consideration, and having had chickens on the island, I'd like space to have a few producing our daily eggs again.
In January, when we walked past the property that we ultimately bought, we realised immediately that it fulfilled almost all of our criteria, and at a price that meant we could buy for cash without using all our savings.
So, having bought a French property with a couple of barns, a slightly dilapidated garage, and a lot of overgrown land, it was time to get to work...
