In the middle of France’s Poitou-Charentes region lies Mouterre-sur-Blourde, a quiet, rural hamlet with a mystery hiding in its woods: a Madonna with an unknown past.

For over a century, she has sat between the trees, waiting within a secluded shrine for someone to find her.

Where is she from?

“We’ve heard conflicting stories...” local resident Cilla West tells me. “We know it’s dated 1897.” [More]

No matter what channel you turn the TV on to, there are always programmes about ideal homes - each of which makes searching for them look so simple you wonder why the people haven’t found it themselves. It does make you wonder if there is a simple way to find these dream homes that we are all obviously missing!

There are some key pointers when it comes to searching for homes, which will hopefully make the whole process easier. [More]

Every month, hundreds of thousands of web surfers turn to Google to look for a place to sell their property.

While overseas property markets are in the doldrums, research from SellMyProperty.org shows that the malaise is not affecting would-be sellers. The study shows Google reports 117,000+ searches each month related to selling property, plus an additional 120,000 people searching for FSBO listings. [More]

If a tenant is about to move into a property which has been vacant for a while, there are many factors which a landlord must organise. Not only will a landlord need to make sure that their tenant signs contracts and check that an inventory has been written but they will also need to be aware about whether their Home Insurance is up-to-date. If a new policy needs to be taken out, there are many advantages to doing this. [More]

Due to difficult economic times in the UK people are keener than ever to find the fastest ways to sell their homes.

The recession struck Britain hard and since then its affects have spread among the population, leading to wage freezes, redundancies, low interest rates and big problems for homeowners. [More]

It's surprising how quickly an estate agent’s fees can add up when you are ready to place your home on the market. If you know the proper steps of negotiating, you could bring them down dramatically to a more reasonable level. Haggling isn’t typically the norm in Britain, but you may be surprised the amount of money you can actually save. [More]

There are many landlords in the UK who specialise in providing student accommodation, and this can be a profitable avenue. In student towns throughout the nation young scholars need houses to rent, but before you invest in student rental property research is vital. Thorough research should indicate whether a certain area and a certain property is a shrewd investment, and this should subsequently help you create a steady income stream from your investment. [More]

Looking for thrifty travel? Try a home swap

If money is tight and you would still like to go abroad this summer, you could consider a holiday that will give you free accommodation worldwide: a house swap. Do you fancy an Italian villa? A flat in bustling Cannes in the South of France? A room with a view over Central Park? [More]

Buyers looking for cheap real estate in Europe are still picking, according to the latest sales figures.

The Ministry of Public Transactions revealed that sales of Spanish property have jumped by 24.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. This year-on-year rise is only matched by the repeated annual reductions in prices that have plagued the country’s market for the past year. [More]

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have returned to the UK with a splash.

Celebrating the festive season, they returned to their house (known as Beckingham Palace) in Hertfordshire to spend a total of £35,000 on Christmas decorations. Mansions in Europe don’t spend that much on Christmas, do they? [More]