Buying a house abroad is a daunting prospect, but having a team of experts at your disposal makes it a lot easier. That was what encouraged Nuala Harpur to take part in RTÉ’s Cheap European Homes series. It worked out so well for her that she and her husband Dick are now looking forward to their first summer in their new home in Béziers, in the south of France. The couple from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford had spent many holidays on French campsites when their children were young and, as they freewheeled towards retirement, they talked about buying a property there. “The Mediterranean climate is a major plus,” says Nuala. “It really supports a feeling of wellbeing. For the past 10 years, we have a motor home and had become quite nomadic with it. The challenge for us was, if we were to put down roots, where would that be? And what became apparent to us was that each year, as we travelled in our motor home, we were naturally drawn back to the area around Béziers.”Fate intervened last year, when Nuala saw an advertisement looking for house-hunters to take part in the Cheap European Homes series. Dick had retired and she was self-employed as a psychotherapist, so the time was right to revisit the idea of a holiday home.“I didn’t expect to find a house that would work for us,” she says. “I just thought that I would learn about the process.” Led by programme presenter Maggie Molloy, she and her friend Claire Murphy spent eight days in the Béziers area in September. They looked at four properties ranging from a sprawling house built from battlements, to houses in Capestang and Cruzy. But it was the first house she saw – a suburban two-bedroom mid-terrace – that caught her eye. It ticked all her boxes, even though she never thought she would choose a house in the suburbs.“You can be romantic about buying a house in a village and going around with a basket on your bike but the reality is that you do need to be part of a community,” she says. “We’ve been to lots of different parts of rural France and by seven o’clock in the evening it’s dead, whereas Béziers has coffee shops, restaurants and bars open well into the evening. There’s a bus stop right outside and in less than eight minutes you are in the historic part of Béziers. That’s a real plus.”The house was built in the 1970s and only ever lived in by one family. “The house was tired but you knew it was a well-loved home. There was a lot of heavy French furniture that was polished to within an inch of its life. There was a good feel to the house.” As well as two bedrooms downstairs, there is potential for a large bedroom and en suite upstairs.The terraced garden was another big selling point for the couple. “When we walked into the main living area and the French doors were open, I was immediately drawn to the garden. It’s not overlooked and it gets the sun most of the day.”Nuala Harpur's house in Béziers The house was built in the 1970s Béziers: 'You can be romantic about buying a house in a village but the reality is that you do need to be part of a community' She went home to Enniscorthy and quickly returned with her husband for another viewing, “I see the roses, and he sees the cracks in the pavement so we work well together,” she says. Within weeks they had decided to buy the house. The asking price was €210,000, but they put in a lower offer because they knew they would have to pay transaction costs of about 8.5 per cent, which would cover the registration of the property in their names, French government taxes due from the purchase and the notaire’s fees. That offer was accepted. She says buyers have more protection in France than Ireland. “If you offer the asking price there is no bartering or haggling. It must be accepted, not like in Ireland when people are outbid all the time.”[ An Irishwoman in France: The absence of urgency is the most striking aspect of living hereOpens in new window ]The process of buying the house was much easier than she had expected. “It’s quite efficient. They have their own way of doing things and once you follow that, it is fine. Once you agree to the sale, the notaire looks after everything.”The notaire is a legal expert appointed by the state to handle tasks such as property deals and ensure that all documents are legal and fair. They did not feel the need to employ their own solicitor, because the notaire is an impartial official and adviser.As the couple were in Ireland, they gave power of attorney to the notaire so he could sign documents on their behalf. After he signed the first contract in November, a two-month waiting process followed while the sale was examined by the mayor’s office. “The mayor must consent to the sale,” she explains. “I think this allows them to ensure that the purchase aligns with the plan for the city.” The mayor’s office could decide to buy the property if it is in the interests of the local community, although this is a rare occurrence.As part of the sale, the seller must pay for a detailed survey of the property. “It covers everything to do with the house, environmental factors in the region, radon, any big plans that might undermine the house. Termites are a big thing in France so it must show there are no termites. I think we got a 30-page document at the end of it,” she says.Our claim to fame is that we could do six weeks in the camper van roaming around France and Spain and talk to nobody, but that’s not useful here. You need to start getting to know people and link in with community— Nuala Harpur Because they were not familiar with the French system, they commissioned their own structural survey from France-based architect Paul Sheraton, who appeared on the programme with her. “It concurred with everything in the other report. The biggest thing that had to be done was the rewiring of the house, because the electrical systems were dated.”Their estate agent Julien Fermaud was very helpful as the sale went through. “Any queries we’d have we’d contact him and he’d explain the process very clearly and that took the fear out of it.” He put them in touch with home insurance, electricity and gas suppliers, while their architect helped them find an electrician to rewire the house.Nuala Harpur and husband Dick enjoying their new home in Béziers They got the keys in February and hit the ground running. “We’re in the work phase now, sanding walls, stripping wallpaper and getting ready to paint. In Ireland, when you are stripping wallpaper you are wondering what you’ll find behind it, but actually the walls are perfect. The French just like wallpaper.” They have added gutters to the house and are replacing the garage door and window shutters.She says the restoration of the garden is probably their biggest task. They have to redo the two paved terraces at the top of the garden and replace supporting walls in the rest of the terrace. “There’s a lovely mulberry tree and a plum tree that offer great shade to the patios,” she says. “The soft hedging is nice and soft on the eye, but we’ll probably get rid of some shrubs and replace them with smaller Mediterranean type shrubs like lavender, because mosquitoes don’t like lavender. But we’ll take advice on that.”She has found a Facebook group, Out and About in Béziers, very helpful for tips and advice, and has already made friends through this group. “Our claim to fame is that we could do six weeks in the camper van roaming around France and Spain and talk to nobody, but that’s not useful here. You need to start getting to know people and link in with community,” she says.Valras-Plage in the south of France, the closest beach to the Harpurs' new holiday home The couple plan on spending a week or 10 days in the house every month or so, with longer spells in the summer. Their daughter and her family will spend time there this summer and their son, who is based in Switzerland, is already looking forward to his trips to Béziers. Happily, the region is well served with airports. “We’re only an hour from Carcassonne, which Ryanair flies into, and 40 minutes from Montpelier, which Aer Lingus flies into, and they also fly into Perpignan, which is just an hour away,” she says.The bus stop across the street from their house takes them into the centre of Béziers for €1, or just 60 cent with a travel card. Once in the old town, a bus will bring them to Valras Plage, the nearest beach. [ What will €400,000 buy in France, Portugal, the US, Greece and Co Sligo?Opens in new window ]“We will definitely be doing that. And we have our bicycles here, so we can cycle up and down the Canal du Midi. It is beautiful, with lovely little restaurants and cafes along the way,” Nuala says. “I swim three or four mornings a week at home and in the centre here is an Olympic-size public swimming pool, so I can access that with the 60 cent bus.”Her next focus will be on improving her French. “I have school French so I can understand a bit of the written word, but it’s the conversational French I don’t have. I’ve started to do Duolingo and there is the opportunity for lessons here in Béziers. But even being here, listening in the supermarket, your brain starts becoming familiar with the spoken French. And if you make any effort at all, [people] are very welcoming.”Looking back on her reality-show experience, she says she would recommend it to anyone. “We felt like part of the crew. We dined out with them in the evening and it was great fun and very relaxed. It didn’t feel like reality TV where you were the entertainment. It felt very respectful and authentic,” she says.On the Canal du Midi cycle route in southern France When the producers heard they were buying the house, they contacted them to ensure that they didn’t feel forced into the purchase because they had been on the show. “They said it’s not like a Tupperware party where you feel you have to buy something,” she laughs. “But we never felt that. It really was a great experience.”*You can watch Nuala’s episode (season 3,episode 3) on the RTE Player. Cheap European Homes is now looking for house-hunters for their next series. Anyone interested can apply to casting@av3.ie.