Another Stunner…(we wish we had been ready)
The very next day on our 2019 trip, we saw this chateau in Laval. It checked a lot of boxes (no pun intended re: the checkerboard floor!). Great floors, really tall ceilings, fireplaces…all just lovely. The bedrooms for sure needed refreshing (there was one that smelled decidedly of “cat”, if you know what I mean). We found it interesting that sellers in France don’t really stage a house. So it was as if we walked into someone’s home who was in the middle of cleaning it. Not a judgement, just an interesting difference in culture.
We found out after our trip that this chateau was featured in Escape to the Chateau (season 2). The comment from Dick was that this chateau was priced high, but a lot of the work had been done (upgrades to plumbing & electrical, rebuilt turret). Most of the work to be done here would be updating bathrooms, painting walls - an overall freshening up of the property.
In retrospect, we wish we’d been ready to take action on this one. We had not, at the time, been “pre-approved” for a mortgage. This was pre Covid, then of course the world shut-down. This was on the market until towards the end of Covid, & it has since been sold. Our next trip, coming up in September 2021, we are much further along in the process to be prepared to make an offer when the time comes.
Again, like the first, this was a great learning experience. For sure, it helped solidify what we wanted & what we’ll not compromise on. Musts: those herringbone floors, tall ceilings, at least one working fireplace & a place for several dogs to run, chasing a ball. The new owners for this chateau are lucky - this is going to make a great home for a family & a place for guests to unlock their inner royalty!
