INTERVIEW
Karen Tait speaks to estate agent Gonzague Le Nail about selling historic 'belles demeures' in France
How long have you worked as an estate agent in France and how did you start out in the profession?
My father started as an estate agent nearly 50 years ago. I was born in a 17th-century manor house and always participated, tools in hand, with craftsmen in its restoration and gardening, forestry etc. So it is my life, and after my studies in business school in Paris when I was 22, I started in the family business and never stopped.
Which areas of France does your agency cover?
From upper Normandy to the east of Paris, all the way down to Dordogne, and back up to Brittany; we keep on developing and expanding that territory.
What kind of properties do you specialise in?
We have only ever only dealt with authentic properties, châteaux, castles, manors, estates, mansions, anything that has quality and history. Its condition is not an issue. We also have off-market properties that aren’t listed online.
A wide range of terms are used, according to size, architecture and history of the property. A château dates from the medieval period, when it would have defended a village and its inhabitants from invasions. Until the industrial revolution, they were mostly held by powerful people, aristocrats, those working with power and law. Since the 19th century, the word château was used by anyone who had a much larger place than others, with a few hectares of parkland. It became a matter of fortune, not of being born from. Also, the term château may mean a house that has a vineyard. The story is similar for manoirs. In medieval times, it was a character house for a landlord, with several farms depending on it. They may have had only four main rooms and a spiral staircase! Nowadays, a manoir could be a half-timbered mansion, 19th or 20th century, with a nice plot of land.
What links all your properties?
The price is not a criteria – I’m marketing a €275,000 townhouse from the 15th to 18th centuries – but the architecture and style is important. Modern is not in my DNA. I want to be fully immersed in the history and regional styles; in what our ancestors built for us to continue to enjoy today. The properties can be in bad shape or luxurious, as long as they are beautiful.
Of the properties you currently have for sale, what would be your dream home?
One for sale at €19m because it is my favourite period – 18th century – and has everything I consider most important: in the countryside + sea view + large walled estate + beautiful enfilade + chapel + formal gardens + elevated position + water …the pluses never end, I love it.
What kind of buyers are interested in your properties?
Someone
