SOUTH WEST FRANCE: PAULINE
Jim is back in the south west of France with Pauline, who's looking for a retirement home on the Mediterranean. This week, Pauline's daughter, Michelle, came over from London to help her in her search.

Suzanne O'Reilly, Pauline's contact in Perpignan finally found her an apartment by the sea. Unusually, it's in a former hotel. It's got two good sized bedrooms, although the balcony isn't large, but at €100,000 it's below Pauline's budget and it's definitely scoring in the location department.

Pauline's next viewing was a villa about a kilometre from the beach, but very close to a salt water lake. However, it's in a rather glum, isolated spot, that doesn't seem to have much in the way of a village atmosphere that Pauline is after. It's a 3 bedroom house and has an asking price of €130,000, unfurnished, which is really stretching the budget for Pauline.

Jim ends this section by heading back to Perpignan to chat with Suzanne and Karen O'Reilly, who run a property finding service called Bids in France. They give him the low down on purchasing a property in France.

Perpignan, the capitol of Rousillon is located near the Mediterranean Sea and Spanish border in South West France and has a Spanish influence. It is a good base for exploring the Pyrennees to the south or just enjoying the Mediterranean to the west. With miles of sun-drenched coastline, it's hardly surprising that the population explodes during the summer months. It is a pleasant city with a lively street life. The heart of the town is pedestrianised and dominated by cafes, brasseries and lots of good places to eat and drink. Pauline viewed 6 properties with the help of Suzanne and Karen O'Reilly, two sisters from Limerick, who now run their own property agency in Perpignan. Their contact details are: www.bidsinfrance.com.