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À propos de nous
Laura Murat
I set up Burgundy Relocation initially as part of the FrenchEntrée network of property finders, and have expanded the company to offer several relocation services under the Burgundy Relocation brand. Below you will find out how I ended up in this part of the world, and why I intend on staying!
My love for the French language and way of life began at an early age, as every year our family holidays were spent relaxing in the heart of the French countryside. From then on whenever I was asked what I wanted to do in life, my response was always “to speak French”!
I was able to reach my goal because after spending 4 years studying French and Economics at university, but with my spoken French still being quite hesitant, on a whim, I packed my bags and went to work as an au pair in the Beaujolais area just outside Lyon. I had only planned on going for 9 months, but after falling in love with the city of Lyon and then a French man, I ended up staying for 4 years!
At the request of my husband who now wanted to speak English fluently, we moved to London where we lived for 4 years also, Julien working as a chef, and myself as a personal assistant to the head of a well-known French bank. This is where I learnt that I thrived in taking care of the running of someone’s daily life, who did not have time to do it himself due to other professional engagements.
In 2010, my life changed forever at the arrival of our baby girl Chloé, which made us take stock and realise that the life we wanted to offer her was not in a big city but to go back to my roots of a country girl (born in Yorkshire), and back to the country I fell in love with 8 years ago. This is where I have been now since July 2010, and after taking a year out to look after my daughter, I finally decided to take things in hand and do a job that combines my two main strengths – knowledge of the French language and culture, and my love of helping others by taking the stress away from their daily lives so they can concentrate on other tasks in hand.
Our barn
Being a Property Finder for FrenchEntree was the perfect solution, as I already have good experience in buying and selling properties in France, as we have moved a few times whilst living here, the last time just recently to a lovely village in the heart of the Saône et Loire region of Burgundy called Tramayes. This experience made me even more sure that the services a property finder can offer really are necessary, as I only lived an hour away, but found it a real struggle to find somewhere, as the visits of properties had to be fitted in around my husband’s work, and when we finally got to visit the houses we had seen on the agency’s websites we were very often let down as the photos were far more flattering than the real thing!
Throughout the time spent looking for houses, I really got the chance to get to know the area of Southern Burgundy very well, and am very happy to have found a home not far from the beautiful town of Cluny, with its wealth of history, quaint cobbled streets and vast range of unique shops and places to have tea and patisseries! But we would not have been able to buy our house if we had not built up a good relationship with our agent who had come to understand what we were looking for after accompanying us on the long list of previously unsuccessful visits, and was able to contact us immediately about a house that was out of our price range, but apparently was open to negotiation. With his help we now have a large family home with lovely gardens and a large barn that we hope to convert in the future, all this for 112,000Euros!
View from the country road by our house
Southern Burgundy has all the things that the English countryside has to offer – beautiful rolling hills, amazing scenery but with the added bonus of having fabulous weather! Combine that with the low house prices and the fact that Burgundy has lots to offer with regards to tourism and a welcoming and relaxed way of life, this makes Burgundy the ideal place to live!
I hope that I will be able to help you find the perfect home, whether it be a holiday home for you to escape the stresses of daily life, or if like me and my family you are ready to start a new life in Burgundy.
View from our window