My general rule of thumb for most things in France is that everything will probably take longer than you think. That applies to viewings, and to the travel between them. One thing that almost nobody considers before they have spent time in France is the lunch break. When you first arrive, many good intentions get derailed by the sacred French lunch break. You pop out to pick something up from the DIY store only to find it closed, and you find yourself wondering why you’re not also sitting down to a three course lunch somewhere. If you’re on a viewing trip and you’re expecting to grab a quick sit down bite at 13:30, good luck.

Here are three things you can do that might make a meaningful difference to your viewing trip.

1. Do more research before you go

However much research you have already done, there is probably more you could do to rule out certain properties or areas before you see them in person. Most agents can accommodate a virtual tour, either live or pre-recorded, which gives you a much better sense of a property and its immediate surroundings than photographs alone.

This is not the same as watching a video tour already available on the agent’s website. A live virtual tour means you can ask to see specific aspects not shown in the photos. A recorded one made on request means you can make specific requests too. At a minimum I would always ask to see the immediate surroundings outside the property; the view from the gate, the neighbouring buildings, the road. These are the things that photographs might be chosen not to show.

2. Don’t pack too many viewings into a day

Unless properties are within a few minutes’ walk of each other, I would not organise more than three viewings in a day. If they are very small properties perhaps four, but that depends on distances and what else you need to do.

Because you often don’t get the precise location until the viewing is confirmed, you’ll need time to explore the local area once you arrive. If it’s a drive to the nearest shops, do the drive and actually check them out. This might sound obvious, but French supermarkets are not run the same way as in the US or UK. They are generally franchises and can feel quite different even where the name is familiar. Online information doesn’t always give the full picture, like many aspects of France you need to go in person.

Some countryside properties that look beautiful online can feel considerably more isolated when you are standing there. Take the time to drive the surrounding roads, see what is nearby, and understand how the area fits together. This all takes time that needs to be built into your schedule alongside the viewings themselves.

3. Leave at least one day completely free at the end

This is either the day you go back for a second look at something that interested you, or your wild card day. If your favourite property sold before you could see it, or didn’t look the way you expected in person, you need somewhere to go. If you have no time left at the end of the trip, you might find yourself regretting it on the way home.

There is also something worth knowing about wild card days. If your initial shortlist took months to put together from home, you might be surprised how quickly a wild card day comes together once you are already in France. The time pressure sharpens decisions that previously took weeks, and you are now working with the fresh experience of everything you have already seen on the trip.

You won’t necessarily find the right property on your first trip. But I think you will give yourself a much better chance if you follow these three principles. Our first French purchase took two trips, and we made offers on two other properties before having an offer accepted on a third.

Courage.