Original subtitles

This view is priceless.

[narrator] Imagine a world of bargain dream real estate...

-Just $41,000. -[Larry] What?

This is unheard of for the States.

...global destinations...

-Bonjour. -I'm gonna embarrass myself.

-Fromagerie. -I love it.

Great way to meet your neighbors.

-Yeah. -[woman #1] Yeah [laughs].

-This architecture is amazing. -[bell tolls]

...and local expert know-how.

[woman #2] The cost of this in the States...

I think would be double for sure.

The cost of living here is so much more affordable

than the U.S. -It is definitely a bargain.

Thank you.

You can afford it to live your dream...

-Whoo! -[both laugh]

I can't believe this is going to be my new home.

...at a price you never thought possible.

You did incredible.

This is exactly what we came all this way for.

[bell tolls]

What is this? That is really creepy.

-It's like a nutcracker? -[Marisa] That makes sense.

[Regina] This stuff is absolutely fascinating.

I think this is a game of figure out what these things

are for. These are so cool.

-What is that? -I think it's a coffee grinder.

Grind it. And there's your coffee.

Oh [laughing].

[gentle music playing]

Occitanie --

a vast region in the southwest corner of France.

[saxophone crooning]

Just a little over a five and a half hour train journey

from Paris, and within easy reach of the Mediterranean

Coast and the ski resorts of the Pyrenees,

you can still snap up a bargain home here for as little

as 150,000 U.S. dollars.

-I'm Regina. -And I'm Marisa.

And we're here looking for, um, a house for me.

Every time I've come here, I've just grown more and more

attached to this place, to the lifestyle, and I was

just like, this is it. This is just it.

At this point, I just want to settle down and just feel like

I have a new home and I have a new start in life.

I was born in Budapest.

The dual citizenship allows us to come here and live

anywhere we want.

I'm on this journey with her too because I wanna

make sure she finds a nice place

for me to come and crash at, something I like as well.

But with both being over 5,000 miles away from their hometown

Seattle, Regina and Marisa will need help

finding a bargain.

I'm Australian through and through,

but I've always loved France.

I moved here six years ago, and I specialize in helping

international clients who wish to buy a property here,

but who don't speak the language.

Where we are, there's some great public transport links,

an airport not too far, Spain is two hours away,

the beach is under one hour, the mountains is two hours.

It's an incredible location.

[accordion playing]

The jewel in the crown of the southern Occitanie

region is Carcassonne,

famous for its medieval walled city.

[accordion continues playing]

[gasps] That -- that is calling my name.

You've got this one.

I'm not sure that can support anybody.

-Hey, guys. -Bonjour.

-Hi -- bonjour. -Oh, hi.

-Bonjour, you must be Regina. -Bonjour.

-We've got bonjour down. -Bonjour, how are you two doing?

So, tell me, why France?

The food, the people, the weather.

So I finally decided this is it.

Was there any reason that now

you decided to make the big move?

[Regina] And I am fortunate to work remote, so I will keep

my same clients and just do it from here.

I'm fortunate to have a dual citizenship

with an EU passport, which means I can move here.

So why wouldn't I?

OK, so what about you, Marisa?

What's your role in this?

I think she needs a little bit of help sometimes.

I tend to kinda go off the deep end sometimes,

so she kinda grounds me. -Yeah, she does.

-Voice of reason. -[Marisa] Exactly, yeah, yeah.

Definitely looking forward to coming and visiting

her as well.

Um, so, I wanna find her a nice big place with a enough room

for me. -Absolutely.

-So, yeah. -Tell me more about the house.

Like, what are we looking for?

Definitely at least two bedrooms, um,

obviously, to have space.

Absolutely, number one, I love natural light.

And I would really, really love to have some character.

What about the location?

I mean, will you have a car when you're here, for example?

Absolutely has to be walking distance to at least

the basics, to the boulangerie. -Very important.

I need to get my baguettes and my coffee on a regular --

my croissants on a regular basis.

You've got your priorities straight.

-I like that. -[all laugh]

-[indistinct] -You're moving here for the right reasons.

There you go.

Well, we're working with a budget of $100,000

to $150,000.

The fact that I could own for a third of what I'm paying

for rent right now is just -- is just -- is just crazy.

I mean, my expenses will go down

probably 70%.

I mean, I could never afford anything in the US by myself.

What are you paying in your rent currently,

and what do you get for that?

Well, my rent is a little over $2,200, plus a couple hundred

dollars a month in utilities, so basically $2,500 a month

for a one-bedroom apartment.

[Ben] You'll be shocked at how much better value the property

market is here in this region compared to where you are

in the States. -Well, that's why we're here.

Yeah.

[gentle music playing]

The search for Regina's bargain dream home will focus

on the towns and villages surrounding Carcassonne.

A largely rural area, it's seen

much slower growth than the coast.

And as a result, is one of the most affordable places

in the south of France.

Just over a 30-minute drive south is Limoux...

famous for hosting the longest carnival in the world.

For three whole months, life in this town is one long party.

But even on your average day, there's a busy town square

with a weekly market, cafes,

and the beautiful River Aude.

All within walking distance of the first house.

[Ben] Alright, ladies, what do we think about the location?

It's exactly what I was looking for.

I really wanted to be off the main area but within

walking distance, and I just

love how beautiful all these little streets are.

Just the shutters, the buildings.

I can tell I'm in France.

[Ben] And the other great thing about this house,

it's a very affordable $139,000.

Oh, wow.

I don't even think we can get a toilet back home for that.

-Or a closet. -[Ben] Yeah, well, we can budget.

-Yeah. -A shoe closet, maybe.

-Yeah. -[Marisa] Yeah.

That's -- it's honestly incredible.

[Regina] So exciting.

Wow.

I mean, it's got the beams, the character, the size.

I don't know what else I could ask for.

Set across three floors, this 1,200-square-foot historic

townhouse has been remodeled to maximize light.

A large living room and bathroom

are on the second floor.

On the top floor is the principal bedroom

and two further bedrooms.

[Regina] Well, I will say

this is very cute, but it needs seating, and definitely,

I would replace all the appliances.

Next, it's upstairs to the living room.

-Oh, now this... -Oh, wow.

-...I really like. -Here's your natural light.

Here's my natural light.

These windows, that's exactly what I was looking for.

Beautiful fireplace.

I mean, the warmth in these floors is just wonderful.

Oh, this is it.

I can see myself with a blanket, my baguette,

my wine, my cheese.

[Marisa] I mean, this compared to your living room back home

it's very spacious.

You kinda have it crammed

because it's very small in Seattle.

That is exactly what I'm not looking for.

I want it to have the look that I know I'm in France.

I want charming character with some updates.

Well, wow.

Well, this is a pleasant surprise.

Absolutely huge bathroom.

Technically, you do have a window.

[Regina] I'm not sure what it's looking at.

There is a window between the corridor

and the bathroom itself.

Not sure whether that will suit every person.

But the design of that is to let light into the bathroom.

Hi.

I can just see you taking a shower

or going to the bathroom.

It would actually have to be covered up.

Wow. There's my beams.

There's my beams.

[Regina gasps]

Oh, my God. Look at this.

Ah!

I love these beams.

I've got the sun coming in.

Oh, not what I was expecting at all.

This is huge.

I think this is definitely the right place for her to be.

She wants to find a place that she really can call her home

and not just move around

from apartment to apartment like back home.

But we need to do something about the closet.

That is not even enough for my shoes.

Never mind all my clothes.

That's a really tiny closet if that's all that there is.

[accordion playing]

[happy music playing]

[Ben] So what did you think?

[Regina] I gotta hand it to you.

I mean, this definitely checked a lot of boxes.

I mean, that bedroom, that living room,

it was all wonderful. -Mm-hmm.

And Marisa, what were your overall impressions?

I think I could definitely see her here.

There's so much space.

And let's not forget, this is only $139,000, so you can

really see how far your money goes here in France

compared to something in the US.

The value that you get for the money is just amazing,

and it is giving me a lot to think about.

[accordion playing]

If there's one thing guaranteed to put a smile

on everyone's face, it's a visit to a local fromagerie.

-Bonjour. -[Regina sighs]

[Marisa] There's so much cheese.

-It smells so good in here. -Welcome to the fromagerie.

[Regina] It smells like heaven.

All right, so the pronunciation

of fromagerie, the French R is in the back of the throat.

-Fromagerie. -I'm gonna embarrass myself.

-Fromagerie. -[Ben] Uh, not bad.

Not bad.

From -- mm.

-I can't get that R. -"Grr."

-[rolls tongue] -[Ben] No, that's --

no, that's Italian.

-Wrong country. -[Marisa] Merci.

-Oh, wow. -That's so good.

There's nothing better than

using cheese as your way of learning the language.

The only thing better could be wine.

[accordion continues playing]

On route to the next rendezvous...

[Ben] Give me a couple of sentences that you wanna learn.

I always have to go to the bathroom.

Of course. That's a very good one.

-Où est le toilette? -Où est le toilet.

Pretty good.

-Yeah, I'm giving that a 7 straight off the bat. -OK.

[bright music playing]

We're heading further southwest towards

Sainte-Colombe-Sur-L'hers.

-Oh my God! -Oh, here we go!

-Wow. -The view.

-[Marisa] That's amazing. -Wow.

OK, so there is a gorgeous lake just here.

-Wow. -It's called Lac De Montbel.

[bright music playing]

This secluded 1400-acres of crystal clear lake water are

perfect for swimming, sailing, and fishing.

[Ben] And ladies, this lake is right on your doorstep.

So while all the tourists are swimming at the beach,

the local French people are swimming here.

Wow. It is absolutely gorgeous.

[Ben] And it will look even better in summer.

-[Regina] Absolutely. -[all laugh]

♪♪

And it's all just a short drive from the next property

in the sleepy village of Sainte-Colombe Sur-L'hers.

As you can see, we've got a beautiful church here.

Very traditional to have that in the main square.

There's a lovely little hairdresser over here.

And you can see behind us is the mairie.

So that's where you go for all your local administration.

So they might even have French classes there.

Oh, that'd be great!

♪♪

[Ben] Now, I know we're not in the middle of a town like

yesterday, but we are only 10 minutes walk to the village.

What do you think so far?

I mean, I think it's just absolutely adorable.

It just reminds me of my grandma's

house when I grew up. -[Ben] It's got lovely shutters,

lots of original features.

It is on the market for a very affordable $145,000.

-Well within budget. -Yeah.

Right. I love character.

Um, I do know that this is a little too far out for me.

So 10 minutes away from the village, a bit too far?

About 10 minutes too far.

[romantic music playing]

I wanted to challenge you with this one.

I mean, it's a great price, but having to walk 10 minutes

to get coffee or anything, that'd be way too quiet for me.

[narrator] Well, that's a no then.

Even at the bargain price of $145,000, this spacious

three-bedroom property with kitchen, dining room and large

garden isn't going to persuade Regina to compromise

when it comes to location.

What could you get for $145,000 in Seattle?

Absolutely nothing I can get in Seattle.

Um, the wonderful thing about France is there's so many

beautiful areas that I could actually get something

within that price range.

[accordion playing]

December in Carcassonne means one thing --

a trip to the St. Nicholas Medieval Festival.

♪♪

[speaking French]

[Regina] Hi.

I took the liberty of ordering you both a mulled wine.

It's warm red wine with a little bit of honey,

some spices, very traditional at this time of year. -OK.

-Santé. -Santé.

-Wow. -What do you think?

That's not what I was expecting. That's good.

[Ben] How are you feeling right at this moment?

It's starting to become reality.

There's so much to discover, tasting new foods,

discovering new cities, just the people,

everything's to be new and it's gonna be very exciting.

That is exactly the right mentality.

[gentle music playing]

And is this the kind of thing you could run into back home in

the States, a festival like this?

Absolutely not.

Definitely not like this and not in a castle.

[mellow music playing]

After a medieval night, it's a bright French morning

and the search for a bargain dream home heads south

to Saint-Hilaire.

[Ben] So, ladies, we are headed into sparkling white wine country,

and I have a fun fact for you, OK?

[both] OK.

Sparkling white wine actually was not invented in Champagne.

It was invented right here in Saint-Hilaire.

♪♪

With no wine shops open...

-Bonjour. -Bonjour, madame.

Here she goes.

Trois chocolatines, s'il vous plaît.

...Regina's found the next best place to practice her French.

-Et voila. -Ah, merci.

-Au revoir. -Au revoir.

-Bonne journee. -How'd you go?

-[indistinct] -You made it.

-Good job. -Good job.

-It's warm. -[Ben] Très bien.

-Cheers. -Oh, cheers.

-Santé. -Santé.

Really, really good.

I mean, I will gladly practice my French if it's gonna get

me in this wonderful chocolate croissants.

Around the corner, this historic three-bedroom

house is right in the heart of the oldest part of the town.

I'm super excited to be showing you this house.

It's one of the oldest in the village.

I mean, this is so cute.

[Ben] Honestly, in my line of work, it's very rare to see

properties this old coming on the market.

You are genuinely buying a piece of French history.

Wow. That is exciting.

I would love to have something unique.

And it's also something that doesn't even really exist

in U.S., Australia, the countries like ours.

-Right. -So this is really something different than at home, right?

-Exactly. -You're not gonna find that scale.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

It's slightly over your budget at $161,000, but I personally

think I can negotiate that down a little bit for you.

-You definitely can do that. -[Ben] I'm gonna try.

[Regina] OK.

[dreamy music playing]

Wow. I did not expect this at all.

-Wow. -The beams.

[Marisa laughs]

It might be an old property,

but it's been recently renovated

with open-plan living, giving it its higher price tag.

It also has 1,100 square feet and a fabulous east-facing

classic French courtyard.

[Regina] Look at the size of this kitchen too.

-Gas. -Oh, my God.

The stone walls, that fireplace.

I mean, this is what I want. The floors.

I'm obsessed with these floors.

And one of the best things is that it's got modern

appliances, but it's got all this character around it.

And it's not dark.

[Ben] I've been really listening to her feedback.

If this one doesn't blow her socks off,

I really don't know what will.

[Regina] Just imagine sitting here with a fireplace going.

I could definitely get used to this.

Reading, relaxing with a blanket, glass of wine,

some cheese, fromage.

I would, yeah, this is just heaven, absolute heaven.

[softly] Wow. [normally] Now, this...

is an oasis. This is absolutely incredible.

And it's private.

This is way bigger than I thought it would be.

-[Marisa] I know. -Well, here we go.

There's so much space here.

On the first floor, there's a utility room and bathroom.

Oh, my God.

This is so unexpected. Beams in the bathroom.

[both laugh]

[Regina] Wow.

And they've continued my wonderful floors

that I'm so in love with. -My floors?

-This isn't your place yet. -Could be.

[softly] Oh my God.

[normally] You've got more beams.

[Marisa chuckles] This is so cute.

You can never have too many beams.

I'll put it that way. I could say this is my office.

Oh, wow. This is bigger.

-Yeah, this might be my room. -OK.

You can have the other one for your office.

OK, so I have my office and guest room,

and this will be your room.

They actually have foam here for people.

They're [laughs].

I've never seen something like this and probably never will.

Well, maybe not in Seattle anyway.

[Marisa] Oh, wow.

Mom, you have a ton of storage space up here.

For my shoes? Christmas stuff?

-Probably your shoes. -That is great to know.

You can never have enough storage.

This house is a little over budget, but with average house

prices in Seattle coming in at over $800,000, Regina's getting

a whole lot of beams and bang for her buck.

Well?

-I'm dying to know. -What did you think?

-What is there not to love? -I totally agree, totally agree.

It is amazing. Beyond what I was expecting.

Tell me what you loved about the house.

Open floor plan.

[Ben] Yes -- that's really rare, by the way,

for a French townhouse.

I can't get started on the beams.

I mean, there's beams everywhere.

-[Ben] Yes. -[Marisa] I loved it.

It seems like the typical French house.

There's no train station in the town, but we are only

20 minutes away from Carcassonne.

So how are you feeling about the fact that you might

need a car? -[sighs]

So the big problem with that is not a matter of me

wanting a car.

It's getting a French driver's license.

You have to know the language

to be able to pass that test. And I'm just not there.

And I know I've gotta make a sacrifice.

I'm not gonna get everything on my list.

So I have to think about if that location is worth getting

a house this beautiful.

[soft, dreamy music playing]

[Marisa] Well, now that we just saw the last house,

how are you feeling about this?

I mean, it's difficult.

Like, there's pros and cons, and sometimes you just wanna

pick the house up and put it somewhere else.

That first townhouse in the middle of the village was

exactly how I wanted it, location-wise.

I loved how close it was to everything, but I don't think

I could make that downstairs area work.

Walking right into a kitchen, there's too many stairs.

The house in the country, too far, too lonely out there,

that wouldn't work. Then, house I loved the most,

[sighs] I mean, what can I say?

That's got everything and more that I could possibly think of.

But one of the biggest hurdles that I -- was for me

a deal-breaker is not being close to a train station.

Yeah.

It's not even close to a bus station.

It's so far.

And having to force myself to have to get a driver's license

right away and learn to drive,

I don't know if that's possible.

What's really been great is that my budget is not

an issue in France.

So what do you think it's gonna be next?

It's packing, getting my life organized,

and booking that one-way flight.

We're gonna just keep looking until I find

the perfect home in the perfect location.