Mediaeval appeal of Flanders draws commuters

Historically, the Belgians buy their houses once and for life. Their general unwillingness to move very far from where they were born and brought up - 35 kilometres is widely regarded as the psychological limit - has meant that different pockets of the country have developed an individual price range for property that has been shielded from the influence of property prices elsewhere in the country.

Immigrants and ex-pats from countries such as the UK who think nothing of travelling an hour or more from home to office have effectively pretty much the whole of the country to choose from when they look for somewhere to live, no matter where they work. Brussels-based workers need not look further than a 40 or 50km radius of the city for the idyllic country house which comes with a less than 30-minute commute to work.

Even though the efficiency of the once rapid motorway network is suffering from the effects of repeated enlargements of the EU and NATO, with more traffic than it can cope with and therefore more congestion, much of Belgium is served by a highly dependable railway network.

Many ex-pats look south to live because of the proximity of international schools. The high prices commanded for property in the southern communes of Brussels have gradually forced them further out. The areas in Brabant-Wallon around Wavre and Louvain-la-Neuve are served by fast and regular trains that can whisk someone with a job in the European Commission from Ottignies station to Rond-Point Schuman in just 17 minutes. But property prices in this region in the picturesque villages that make up the communes of Chaumont-Gistoux and Grez-Doiceau are among the highest in the country. The trick is to look north where property prices are generally lower than in the south.

For some reason many people are put off by the prospect of having to deal with the Flemish language, when in reality Flemish-speaking parts of the country are often the most anglophile. The majority of Flemings are brought up with a sound knowledge of at least one other language apart from their own and are happy to practise on the foreigners.

The elegant mediaeval cities of old Flanders are within clear commuting distance of Brussels. Leuven is just 20 minutes by train; it takes 30 minutes from Ghent and there are more than a few discerning expatriates happy to spend an hour catching up on paperwork or reading the newspapers on their way from Bruges into the country’s capital. And many ex-pats are now staying long enough in Belgium to make it worthwhile putting children through the local education system.

Those determined to stay in Brussels are paying top price for property. Yet there are still opportunities for house-hunters in parts of the city that are currently unfashionable and therefore offer more for the money. The rundown docklands zone alongside the Brussels-Ghent canal is being transformed with residential building projects such as the Waterside attempting to emulate the elegance and exclusivity of London’s riverside apartments at a fraction of the price. Attention is turning also to the north-east district of Brussels where the construction of a European School in Laeken is just a few years away. The Koekelberg area, with its landmark Basilica, is beginning to attract attention and property experts are predicting an influx of EU officials and diplomats into this neglected part of the city where a sizeable family home in need of renovation can still be picked up for less than €200,000.

• Patricia Kelly is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.

Historically, the Belgians buy their houses once and for life. Their general unwillingness to move very far from where they were born and brought up - 35 kilometres is widely regarded as the psychological limit - has meant that different pockets of the country have developed an individual price range for property that has been shielded from the influence of property prices elsewhere in the country.

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