by Graham Downie

So, there we were...living in comfort in Walton on Thames, husband, wife, two adorable young daughters and the obligatory Volvo estate.

Now, here we are, exactly 18 months later, still scratching around trying to get a new business off the ground, having earned the princely sum of 2000 euros last month, living in a small town outside Cognac, thankfully still with the same family but minus the Volvo.

So what on earth happened to make a previously sane 42 year old marketing director jeopardise a carefully structured 20 year career?

I'd like to say that it certainly wasn't "A Place in the Sun" on Channel 4 but I guess the avid viewing of said programme helped pour petrol on the flames.

The truth is that I saw a window and jumped out of it. My company was in the process of changing Chief Executives (monthly it seemed) and our children were reaching school age. If I didn't jump now I could see myself on the 07.14 out of Walton station for the next 20 years too.

I had been to France many times and loved the Cognac region for its beauty, it's sunshine and, most of all, it's house prices. The problem was that every time I went there looking for a property I came away frustrated. I'd pop in to an agent or two but they always seemed disinterested and forgot about me as soon as I returned home.

Then I'd try searching on the internet and I'd really find out what frustration is. After weeks of diligent searching I'd email an agent who'd say that the house had sold in 2001. End result....square eyes, blinding headaches but absolutely no further forward in our quest.

The only solution I could think of was to go across and set up a property search agency myself.

So I quit my job and we left our house, friends and family in October 2003.

We now live in the small town of St Meme les Carrieres - it's very "French" in its nature and the locals are deeply proud of the fact that stone from the quarries here was used in the plinth for the Statue of Liberty (gifted from the citizens of France to the people of the United States in 1886).

It's about as far removed from the Surrey stockbroker belt as its possible to get. We used to think that Cafe Rouge in Weybridge was pretty authentic but nothing beats the waft of Gauloise and the sight of locals knocking back their small glasses of vin rouge as you pop into the bar for a morning coffee.

But we needed to eat so on to business - I checked out the legalities with a French avocat, sought the advice and help of a local accountant then registered my company with the Cognac Chamber of Commerce - which incidentally is up there in the "top 5 most challenging career highlights".

There are around 80 estate agents in the area, most of whom don't have email, indeed only a handful have websites. No wonder searching for property on the internet was a waste of time. Who on earth wants to restrict their property search to about 5% of the market.

A recent survey by the RICS says that France now tops the European house price inflation league with 15% growth in 2004. My own independent research also told me that the Charente has seen a rise in prices of around 30% over the last three years with a forecast of a further 10-15% increase in the next 12 months.

This means that the agents regularly have Brits come through the door saying "I'm on holiday and wondered what you've got on your books?" Not an unreasonable question but it does tend to lead to a lot of time-wasting and unnecessary (let alone expensive) viewing trips.

That's where I come in, acting only for my clients I'm not tied to any agents and can give an unbiased insight into any properties I view for them.

I think it's a sound proposition with a clear point of difference. I'm truly glad I made the move and would recommend it to any of my old peers who have similarly itchy feet. Money, power and status are all pretty damned attractive and not to be given up lightly - but they're not everything in life.

My schoolboy French has come on leaps and bounds and boy you should hear the kids. They go to a small school set in the middle of a vineyard where there are three teachers for 19 pupils and they have home cooked three course meals every day.

Watching them in the playground is truly rewarding, they switch language effortlessly and we really feel as though we're doing something positive for their future.

Indeed, each morning, as I drive the girls to school through the vines before starting my day with a coffee and croissant in the local tabac I remember standing on the platform at Walton station & that awful daily commute into Waterloo.

I slow the car down and remember a quote from the golfer Walter Hagen. "Don't hurry, don't worry, you're only here on a short visit - so don't forget to stop and smell the flowers."

Graham was previously Group Marketing Director for Chesterton International plc and can now be contacted on 00 33 6 68 53 12 81

See www.cognacproperty.com to learn more about what he is doing.