Whilst initially it might seem very positive to have access to this wealth of data, the key questions that arise as a result of this abundance of information are "how much of it is reliable" and "how do I know who to trust and believe"?

Here is some salutary advice for those who want some suggestions as to how to get the best from the internet. But before we come to that, how many of the situations below seem familiar to you?

1. Have you ever seen the "perfect" property on an agent's website, enquired about it, booked an appointment to specifically view this property and upon arrival in France to visit it, been told "sorry but it has just been sold"?

This is an absolute classic. Of course, common sense tells you that it happens from time to time because good properties will always sell fast and websites are not updated in time. Unfortunately, for the unwary, the truth is somewhat more sinister. Many lesser agencies have very little on offer to attract you as a client. The one thing they always have plenty of is pretty pictures of French houses and it does not seem to matter whether they are actually for sale or not. In many cases I know of agents who still have houses shown on their websites and in their shop windows today that I actually sold myself nearly a year ago!!

2. Having seen the perfect house on a French agent's website, I sent in an enquiry but never received a reply or any form of acknowledgement?

The problem with many French agents is that they are only actually interested in talking to you if you are in France and ready to go out and buy a house. This can be frustrating and for this reason, here at Dordogne Property Agency, we will always make the effort to respond to your questions from the first contact onwards.

3. I spoke to and emailed some apparently charming agent, who assured me he could help and then we arrived, he did not even spend any time asking us what we wanted. He then insisted on dragging us around the very unsuitable properties that he had for sale, none of which met our requirements or even matched the ones on his website!

This is symptomatic of the same problems that exist as per questions 1 and 2. The only way around this one is to come and see people who are prepared to listen to your requirements carefully before then matching you to the most suitable properties. At Dordogne Property Agency, we spend the first part of each day carefully checking out your key criteria before selecting suitable properties to visit together.

The real answer to using the web is to think of it in simple terms, as a useful tool. Never be taken in by bad or unqualified advice. Assume nothing is entirely as it seems and always expect the unexpected. Only the best companies will offer you truly reliable information and in reality, none of this is as valuable as making the trip to France and meeting the experts whilst getting to know the regions of your choice.

Remember, to actually succeed in finding your French home, you must take the plunge and come to France. No matter how hard you stare at your PC monitor, you simply cannot buy a house in a foreign country from the comfort of your chair!! Once here, you need to work with qualified, registered people who speak the same language but more importantly, they need to be people you can trust and who can give you reliable advice and guidance on the local area and the properties for sale in the region.

Dordogne Property Agency has an established reputation for offering specialist advice and assistance to purchasers of French property and we have a combined experience of over 30 years as property professionals. Our website offers a market leading quality of information and has always been focused on offering straightforward, accurate and up to date information on both properties, and the process of buying in France.

However, the real point here is "What lies behind all this digital information once you switch off your computer"? The answer is simple - real people with real experience of the marketplace! To us at Dordogne Property Agency, the internet is only the first "virtual" step towards actually meeting and assisting our clients in the real-life purchases of their genuine dream homes in France.

When it comes to the internet, our message is clear:

1. If a house is on our website, then to the best of our knowledge, the house is genuinely for sale.
2. We offer many more houses for sale than we can possibly display at any one time on the website so please only use the website as a good guide to the type of properties that are on offer. To succeed in your search, the best thing is to book an appointment to come down and see us and we promise to talk to you about each and every suitable property that is genuinely for sale on the day!

Of course, what we really want is the chance to speak to you and get to know you in person as we also know from our many years experience that this is the best way we can help you in your search.

We are looking forward to seeing you down in the Dordogne soon!