If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own private French village, here’s your chance: Courbefy is on sale, starting at $440,000 (330,000 Euros). And yes, in case you were wondering, Courbefy comes with more than a dozen buildings, its own horse stable, tennis court, swimming pool and 12th century chapel. It even has three “miraculous springs,” which supposedly contains waters with healing powers.
After the property was put up for auction and no one bid the $400,000 (300,000 euros) asking price, the village went back into the hands of bank Credit Agricole. Why is this little piece of rural paradise about 280 miles (450 kilometers) from Paris on sale? The mayor of neighboring Saint Nicholas Courbefy told the Associate Press that the village, which goes back at least to the Gallo-Roman times, was abandoned in 2008 or 2009. It was used as a luxury hotel and restaurant before the owners gave up on it and stopped paying the mortgage. Local residents told the Telegraph that the area was occupied by “thieves, drunks and squatters.”

But, in its heyday, Courbefy was the site of the chateau of mother of King Henry IV’s mother, Jeanne d’Albret. 

Now, people as far away as Qatar are expressing interest in the property. The bank is asking for a deposit of 10 percent higher than the asking price -- $440,000 (330,000 euros) – from potential buyers to be considered. A new auction date will be set in the future.
The people who live in the neighboring area are excited about the prospect of a new owner for Courbefy. They hope that whoever buys the property will let the village experience its glory days once again, similar to the rebirth other privately-owned villages and islands have experienced with new owners.

"Some people call it social engineering," John Rous, whose family owns a British village, told The Guardian. "I prefer to think of it as keeping the village alive."