Only 4 km from Uzes — A Homebase in France
$69,900 • Shares 1-6
If you’ve been fortunate enough to find your way to the delightful historic town of Uzes, you will completely understand why I’m thrilled to be offering you a chance to live a short distance from this beautiful vibrant town. Because of its designation as a “Ville d’Art et Histoire”, Uzes has been able to preserve much of its 17th and 18th century architecture.
My newest fractional property, 3 Rue du Four is in the center of the quaint village of Arpaillargues, a friendly village with all the essential services.
Arpaillargues (pronounced “ar pie ah gue” for non-native French speakers!) is in the eastern part of the Gard, about a 30-minute drive from Nimes and an hour from Montpelier. With its Mediterranean climate, you are blessed with blue skies and sunshine 300+ days of the year.
- Spacious village home (2200 sq. ft.) with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths
- Fully renovated and refurbished in 2016.
- Open living room/dining area with an abundance of natural light
- A private outdoor terrace adjoins the living area.
- Ground floor- Courtyard, large workshop and 2 vaulted cellars
- Walking distance from a bakery, bar/restaurant, pharmacy, clinic and chateau.
Many of us who have fallen under the charm of Uzes then began the search for a charming village property nearby. In 2010, I realized my dream of creating and completing a wonderful fractional property in Vers Pont du Gard.
This year, I was offered the opportunity to create another fractional ownership property near Uzes and this gem ticks all my boxes- 3 Rue du Four has been lovingly remodeled has four bedrooms and 2 ½ baths, is located in a village with all the services and is only 4 kilometers from Uzes.
*The first 6 shares of 3 Rue du Four LLC will sell at a discounted price which serves the purpose of raising enough funds so that International Property Shares can move forward and complete the purchase of 3 Rue du Four. The target purchase date is May 1, 2024. Shares 7-13 will be offered at a higher price point.
A 1/13th share entitles you to 4 weeks of use each year. Running costs are equally split among the owners except for the house manager who foregoes dues in exchange for managing the property. Dues typically average around 900 euros/year and include all the house expenses for the year (taxes, utilities, and a contingency fund). Rue du Four will use a rotational calendar for its booking system.
The owners of the house at 3 rue du Four are Patty and Jack Nelson, Americans from California. They have (reluctantly) decided to put their Arpaillargues home on the market for health-related reasons. Here they want to tell a bit of their story to all prospective new owners of the house they have found, renovated and loved for the last 8 years.
Why did you buy this house in Arpaillargues?
It’s a long story. Patty spent a study year in Aix-en-Provence (a long time ago :). In 2001, we made our first trip to Uzès, where we rented an apartment downtown for two weeks. What a marvelous town! Not only did we want to extend our stay (which wasn’t possible at the time due to work constraints), we became very interested in owning our own home there. “Someday…we’d love to buy a house here…” It took another ten years before we were able to return for an extensive stay of one month. We made repeated visits to Uzès over the next few years, we considered fractional ownership, and then “Someday” became “Now”. In 2015, we enlisted the help of Pierre to find the right home to buy.
As to why we bought this particular house? Well, we wanted a house with charm, that didn’t require structural work, in a village with services. We saw a number of property and we fell for this one – even though it didn’t look like it does now. Rue du Four, that’s it. Perfect. It was the beauty of it all!
Our “Rosé Terrace”, as we have named it, is the perfectly private perch for relaxing with a book, or a glass of wine with friends. The views from the terrace of our house allows one to observe nature …birds, bees, bats (at dusk) and plant life… as well as greet neighbors as they occasionally pass by on the path below the terrace on their way to the bakery…or elsewhere.”
What work did you end up doing?
Nothing structural. But pretty much everything else. Plumbing, electricals, heating, paint, kitchen, furniture, etc. We found a great team of local workers, very professional (don’t believe all the horror stories you hear!) – a number of them are still around and we continue to look after the house after us. Two things we didn’t do: we didn’t change the windows, which are still single glazing. That’s because we never lived here during the winter – for someone living here year long, we would recommend it. And the other thing is we didn’t install central air conditioning. The walls are really thick, and the house is bright and airy. But if we kept the house, we would do it now as the climate gets hotter.
What’s the greatest thing about the house?
Well, it’s more about the location than the house really. Over the years we have come to enjoy the luxury of having a base in France, in southern Europe, that allowed us to travel all around without having to go back to California. From here, it is easy to go to Spain, Italy (both 4 hours’ drive away), or get on a cruise ship in Marseille (2 hours away) to explore the Mediterranean countries. Recently we drove north to Alsace, and we have also being to Brittany. It was great. It is all so easy from here.
The house itself is really well organised: when it’s only the two of us we spend our time on “our” floor. When we have guests, they have their private quarters upstairs.
How do you get along with the neighbors?
Everybody we have met in the village over the last 8 years has been friendly! Our nearest neighbor is higher up in rue du Four, her name is Yvette. She is an older French lady who is part of the family who sold us the house – and says she was born in it! There is also a tenant in the house just next door to the south, very pleasant – who always insists on speaking to us in English. And we have English friends down the placette, who live here 6 months a year. Also, when we are up on the terrace we can easily chat with people crossing the village to the bakery or the grocery! This gives us a nice feeling of being included.
Do you have a car? How do you get around?
We have considered buying a car. But we have a better set-up: every time we come we rent a (brand new car) car on a longer term basis – it can be a few weeks or six months. It doesn’t cost us more than if we owned it, and it comes with full service and insurance. We usually drive a Peugeot 308, always new. Perfect deal! We don’t have a garage in the house, but we can always find public parking: at the end of the street (20 yards away) or in the 2 public car parks 3 minutes away. We have never had a problem parking our car!
What’s the village life in Arpaillargues and nearby?
Quite lively! We have only been here part of the year – but every time there were events and gatherings. During the summer there are music festivals and concerts in the park. Jack likes to go a play pétanque with an English-speaking group of friends in Blauzac, the next door village. In Uzès there are groups of English-speaking expatriates, one of which meets every morning in a café. In Nîmes there is social group called BritsNimes , offering a wide range of regular social and cultural activities.
The town of Uzès fulfills the dream to experience the centuries’ old history of a beautiful town kept alive with numerous cafes, restaurants, boutiques, banks, and everything one could ask for. Not to mention the Marché. Oh my! A visit to the Wednesday farmers’ market causes the visitor to wonder if this is all a dream: luscious fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, poultry, incredible baked goods, olives of every type, aromas of rotisserie chickens dripping their juices onto the potatoes or pasta below…and so much more! As if that weren’t enough, on Saturdays, the market expands to include many beautiful local products, such as olive wood bowls, spoons, and cutting boards; then there are the vendors of
lavender in all forms (the scent is mesmerizing), linens, clothing, art and artisan-made goods….oh là là! Who wouldn’t love this?!!
How do you feel now that you have decided to sell?
We have had great experiences in and out of our house for the last 8+ years, and will forever be moved by our sense of gratitude to the French people and way of life for allowing us to learn what a beautiful and complex country this is. But we are both not getting any younger, there are some age-related issues. We have realized that we can’t travel like we used to. We have even considered moving here permanently, but we decided that our true home is in California. So we will sell with regret!
But now, we are offering this experience to others who are looking for the real French atmosphere (outside of Paris!), where the pleasures of everyday life are still there for those willing to take the step and follow a dream so worthwhile. We know our lives have been so enhanced by this place. We couldn’t have asked for more.