The department of Allier is in the region of the Auvergne, the capital of the department is Moulins and as often is the case, the name comes from the River Allier that snakes through the area. The French department was created from the former province called Bourbonnais. It is bordered by Cher, Nièvre, Saone-et-Loire, Loire, Puy-de-Dome and Creuse.

In terms of climate the department is wide open to Atlantic influences and it enjoys a mild and humid climate dominated by westerly winds which helps a little to differentiate it from other parts of Auvergne. The weather variances coincide with the diversity of Bourbonnais territory such as: flat regions, low altitude Bourbonnais Sologne and large floodplains, the hill country, the average altitude of 300 to 600 metres, the central part of the department, and the semi-mountainous southern townships bordering the Combraille and Forez between 700 and 1,200 metres.

The history of Allier corresponds to the Duchy of Bourbon (Bourbonnais) with which it shares almost the entire territory. Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais. In 1940, the government of Marshal Philippe Pétain chose the town of Vichy as its capital. Vichy also became the department’s second sub-prefecture in 1940, since the department now found itself split by the demarcation line between the occupied and (relatively, at least initially) free zones of France.

We at Cle France specialise in Property for sale in France through our network of Agents and French Registered High Street Estate Agents. We have sold thousands of houses for sale in France over the years and have helped many find and buy their dream home in France.

We can also help you with everything to do with buying a house in France including getting a mortgage, organising currency exchange, renovation advice, property surveys, planning permission, French translation, opening a bank account and everything to do with French property sales.

All our prices are quoted as FAI (agency fees included) unless otherwise stated and ’notaire’ fees are around 7% (on average) but feel free to ask us for an exact amount on any particular French property for sale you are interested in.

Indeed please feel free to use the ’MAKE AN ENQUIRY’ tab above to ask us any questions you have about buying a property in France. Our UK based enquiry office and staff will guide you through the entire buying process step by step from your first contact right up to taking ownership and beyond, all free of charge.

So when you buy through Clé France you can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway, but you have the added benefit of a bi-lingual support team.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

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