A COUPLE have revealed how they “live like millionaires” after selling their three-bed semi to buy an entire village in France.
Liz and David Murphy escaped the “rat race” by cashing their home in Manchester to the tune of £400,000 and moving to Lac de Maison in southwestern France.
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The pair, who both worked in radio, were able to snap up six 400-year-old houses, two barns and three acres of land.
They then spent £300,000 to transform the buildings into homes and holiday lets, as well as renovate the village’s two 10m x 15m swimming pools.
Overall, the scooped a centuries-old, fully-restored village for around the average price of a terraced property in London.
Liz and David now live in the main house with their son Tom and daughter Charlotte, with Liz’s mum Helen and stepdad Terry across the street.
Liz,45, said: “We were both working 9-5 jobs in England, with busy lives and the kids were in after-school clubs and it was like we were on an endless treadmill.
“It wasn’t until Covid came and we were on this furlough and we realised we were in a rat race and life was passing us by.
“We realised we hadn’t spent much time with the kids and we decided we had to do something to change all our lives.
“We had talked about moving to France for years. We had this sudden feeling to do it and we suddenly did it.”
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None of the family are fluent in French, but all are “conversational” and are picking more up by the day.
Liz added that the move was “like winning the lottery“.
David, 54, went on: “Some people decided to buy a dog during Covid but we decided to move to a different country.
“I think we both loved France. We fell in love with it and coming over here on holidays.
“The wildlife is insane around us too. We have to stop for deer and wild boars while you’re doing the school run, not other cars.”
They agreed that the renovation process was “hell” as the buildings were flooded and in disrepair, although to the kids it was “a big adventure”.
However, despite the unfamiliar surroundings, they said that the local community have been “so welcoming” and they haven’t looked back since.
They have no plans to return to the UK and expect to make enough to live off through their holiday let side hustle.
Their story was recently featured on Channel 4 docuseries Help! We Bought a Village.
It comes after another couple revealed that they left the city and their jobs behind to build a new home on an eco-commune for just £30,000.
Meanwhile, a dad-of-two saved a fortune by living in a van with his young family, staying in campsites for the same price as a coffee.
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