A couple from Manchester say they are now living 'like millionaires' after selling their three-bed home and buying a village in France instead. Liz and David Murphy sold their semi-detached property for £400,000 and bought a historic rural hamlet in south west France for the same price.
After realising they were in a 'rat race', Liz, 45, and Dave, 54, gave up their Manchester home and swapped it for a six 400-year-old houses, two barns and three acres of land complete with two swimming pools.
Since buying the village in in Poitou-Charentes in 2021, the couple have renovated it with the help of local builders and tradesmen. The pair spent spent £300,000 transforming the ruined buildings into homes for their family to live in, with the potential of creating a holiday let business.
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"We were both working 9 to 5 jobs in England, with busy lives and the kids were in after school clubs and it was like we were on an endless treadmill," said Liz.
"It wasn’t until Covid came and we were on this furlough and we realised we were in a rat race and life was passing us by. We realised we hadn't spent much time with the kids and we decided we had to do something to change all our lives.
“We had talked about moving to France for years. We had this sudden feeling to do it and so we did it."
The couple bought the buildings and the land for around £400,000. They moved into the main house with their two children Tom, 12, and Charlotte, eight, late last year.
In the house opposite lives Liz’s mum Helen, 73, and stepdad Terry, 72.
“My mum and stepdad decided to sell their house and come with us. We didn’t have a clue when we came, neither of us had done physical jobs," Liz said.
“Both me and Dave had done French in school but not for years, the only way was to immerse yourself here. We’re conversational now, we pick things up while chatting."
The remaining four houses and two barns in the hamlet have been turned into holiday homes which the couple plan to rent out for hundreds of pounds a week.
“We've got six houses and another big barn that has been converted into a playroom and a workshop, with three acres of land and a ruin," Liz added.
“It's really like winning the lottery without realising it.”
The family say they now live “like millionaires” and have no plans to return to the UK despite not speaking French.
Dave said: “Some people decided to buy a dog during Covid but we decided to move to a different country. We were amazed at what we could get for our house price in Manchester, we could get a hamlet.
“It was really quick. If we’d have thought about it too much and we just said ‘yeah’. I think we both loved France. We fell in love with it and coming over here on holidays.
“We're living like millionaires here. You'd have to be in the UK to own this. It takes two-and-a-half hours to mow the lawn on a sit on mower.
“In Manchester I could do the lawn in ten minutes. We've got two pools as well. The wildlife is insane around us too. We have to stop for deer and wild boars while you’re doing the school run, not other cars.”
Liz added: “When we first got there it felt really weird being across the way from my parents. It's really nice to be so close to them though.
“We were really scared about the move and making enough. For the first four months the kids hated school and we were thinking this was difficult.
“Now I don’t think any one of us would go back. Everyone is so welcoming."
The couple took advantage of cheaper land and property prices in France to achieve their dream.
Dave added: “France and Great Britain have almost identical population size but France is twice as big so land isn’t as much of a premium.
“I think young people are drawn to the bright sights of the cities. We'd gone from having a set wage every month to having a new business for us.
“You can come over here and be here without the worry of the language barrier. We felt like we’ve earned the living.”
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