26th February 2017

The excitement began last Tuesday.  All seemed a bit vague. Our notaire didn't contact us but the buyer casually mentioned that we should be at the notaire's on the 21st. No paperwork. Just his casual mention.  Oh, OK then. I made some cinnamon and ginger biscuits in an attempt to sweeten everyone up. Tuesday arrived and, from past experience, had to assume that the venue would be the buyer's notaire in Lisle sur Tarn. Arrived early comme d'habitude and bit our nails.  Would the buyer arrive? Walked in and stared sightlessly out of the window. Voices were heard in the car park. Buyer had turned up!  All were ushered into an office, I placed my biscuits centre table, and the spiel began. Questions were asked. Did we know of any reason that neighbours might object??

 No, not to our knowledge, we said....I know, I know. Papers were passed to and fro, signatures were requested on innumerable pieces of paper. Everyone ate a biscuit.  So, is that it? I asked our notaire.  Oui! she said. Finally, the house is sold and all monies would be sent immediately to our French bank!!! Meantime, we've agreed with the buyer to remain as tenants whilst we await completion of our new-build English house.  Perfect.  A new stage in our lives. Here's a pic of work in progress. Support all around...just what I need myself!

14th August 2016

House sale blues!  The French property market in this region is impossible - no buyers anywhere!  I know what you're thinking.  It's no good saying 'houses aren't selling in our price range'. Just lower the price.  But, what to do if you've already lowered the price drastically and still nothing?  So, we currently have no less than 5 local agents, English sites plus a private ad on Leboncoin (a sort of French ebay: https://www.leboncoin.fr/ventes_immobilieres/1004554664.htm) but with them unless your price is 100K euros or less, there's not much interest. French estate agents aren't worth the huge commission they get:  c.6% of the asking price - way more than the English ones receive! Him indoors says the word immobilier is onomatopoeic : immobile! It's certainly helpful when they vet prospective buyers and come to the notaire (solicitor) with both buyer and seller, but my cynical mind says that's to ensure we actually all sign on the dotted line!  But at least sellers in France don't pay anything to either the agent or the notaire. Meantime I'm busy keeping chez-nous up to scratch: tidy, clean and 'well-staged' with flowers, table-setting etc......just in case.

7 September 2014

World news is full of Obama's visit to Stonehenge, a structure transcending man's struggles since time immemorial. Nearer to home, several weeks ago French news was full of a battle between two neighbours in the village of Brugairolles in the Aude. Newsworthy because the combatants were not French, but English!  The 10-year dispute revolved around privacy and access, one house's front door and window overlooking the driveway of the other. When you buy a house in France, the notaire is expected to explain all such things, which left me wondering.  When we bought our first French house back in 2005, the notaire didn't speak a word of English. I, foolishly, thought my French was sufficient. It wasn't until we bought our current home, with a bi-lingual notaire, that I realised.  At every stage, she helpfully explained in English the various nuances and potential problems - absolutely invaluable. Did the two Brugairolles use a bi-lingual Notaire?  Suspect not. And there hangs the tale.  Understanding leads to discussion. Discussion leads to peace. If only world leaders would discuss things that bind them together, rather than their differences. Let's hope that NATO has moved the world a little further from disaster. Unfortunately stonehenge literally means precipice.......

27th April 2014

It's now 9 years since we bought our first house in France.  Back then everything was in our favour. We'd just retired, and 1 British pound bought 1.50 Euros. But 9 years is a long time and, inexorably, things have changed. Since the Euro crisis 90,000 Britons have abandoned Spain, and thousands have also left France, most moving back to the UK. But, the property market is dead. Immobiliers report a 20% drop in property values throughout France, so what to do?  And, of course, why? Let's face it. It's a delusion to think you'll ever be fully-integrated in France. The French are very insular. They accept but never really welcome you into their hearts. And, as you get older, do you want to die here/end up in a French old people's home with rapidly-declining French ability? The answer for many is to put their French homes up for auction via the new Notaire system online. (Him indoors says he'd put the whole Government under the Hammer!). Anyway, sales are achieved in 2 months the seller accepting the best offer above the initial 75% of the full market value. For more info, go to www.immobilier.notaires.fr and click on the Immo-Interactif section. Bon chance!

18th September 2011

Selling a house in France? Sounds easy, doesn't it? Go to your nearest estate agency, sign up, then sit back and wait for the cheque.  Well, no.  It's a veritable minefield.
Last February we signed with one agency. We waited and waited and waited. Nothing. I asked for some feedback and was told 'we have too many houses to do that'.  French agencies in our price range take a minimum of 9000 euros (compared to only 1.5% in the UK); one wanted 15000 euros. (Him indoors says he now knows why they call themselves immobilier: they're all immobile!). By May we signed with 3 more French agencies and waited. After lowering the price, I took matters into my own hands and placed an ad in LeBoncoin.fr. A bit like ebay. Immediately I received enquiries. Difficult though. If you have a fosse septique, a new law requires sellers to provide a certificate of conformity to the law (67 euros), and if you have a gas citerne and the new buyer doesn't want it, the seller has to pay the gas co. 300 euros to take it away, and everyone must provide an energy report costing 400 euros. And notaires deduct automatically any capital gains tax for the treasury. Still want to sell your house? Him indoors says: if you make a capital loss, do they pay you??

1 May 2011

What a week!  Two people made an important commitment, there was much signing of names, officialdom everywhere and a future for the happy couple in new accommodation.  The royal wedding?  No, just Him indoors and me buying our new home in France.
It all started early last Tuesday.  What to wear?  It was hot, but I didn't want to be too casual. (And French women are so chic). I decided against wearing Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen, so instead plumped for a simple black T-shirt, black trousers and a green jacket from that so chic Evans branch of Birmingham UK.
The notaire's office was crowded. The 2 vendor brothers, 2 notaires (one bilingual), estate agent and us. We shook hands all round in true gallic fashion. 4 hours later, arms stiff from signing G-d knows what, we'd bought our new house.  Hurray.  The French estate agent even pointed us in the direction of that free vendor website leboncoin.fr, our current house being too far away for him to deal with. Now that's good service. We then zoomed away in the ubiquitous Citroen - deciding against the open-topped landau with liveried postillions.
Wills and Kate? We beat them to it 44 years ago, and at least our initials aren't WC!

20th February 2011

Spring's in the air and new beginnings are budding. Sometime this year we're moving to Gaillac, land of sunshine and vines. We've just signed the Compromis at the notaire's office. New laws mean that they give you a detailed report listing all that's wrong with the property (termites/asbestos/ghosts...), then give you 7 days to change your mind! Not good for my nerves. Don't they realise I'm the ultimate 'On the other hand' person?
In the meantime, the family of 7 adult children who've inherited their parents' property, have invited us to Gaillac today to see if we want to buy any furniture in the house. Furniture (meubles) is generally very expensive in France, the cheapest outlets being stores like Conforama, But, Fly or the depot-vente places. However, I know from past experience with Him indoors never to buy self-assembly. In France it's doubly complicated, with indecipherable French instructions translated from Korean and never enough screws. (Told him not to make a Korea out of it!). Of course, there's always the Vide Grenier or Brocante shops, but the prices are often a joke.
So, I've spent the last few hours brushing up my haggling skills, but pleading poverty just won't wash somehow. They already know that I have to keep Him indoors in the style to which he's always been accustomed....

23 January 2011

I'm seething. Stress and blood pressure levels are dangerously high. Ever since a near relative died 4 months ago, unnecessary obstacles have been mounting. First, because this was an intestacy estate and I live in a non-English-speaking country, I had to drive 120 miles to find a Notaire who understood written English to swear the Oath certificate. Then the UK Probate office decided the original wording on the certificate was insufficient, so another certificate was produced requiring a second 120 mile journey, cap in hand, to explain to the puzzled French Notaire why she must sign another paper. Eventually my poor relative's family home was sold, the new buyers moved in, but the solicitors still held on to the proceeds apparently looking for all and sundry to dip their hands into the pot. But I thought this was 'my' money! Now, the UK Dept. for Work and Pensions (DWP) has stepped into this apparent goldmine sitting in the solicitor's office and declared it too is making a claim on the estate! But, wait a minute. Was this a millionaire, with yachts and mansions to the fore? No, simply my poor bachelor brother. He lived and worked in the UK all his life. All he had in the world was his pension and his home. So, the DWP in its wisdom has decided that the estate cannot be distributed until it first investigates to see if the original pension claim by my 67 years old brother 2 yrs previously, was correct - and this could take months. At the most upsetting time imaginable, bureaucracy steps in in all its gleeful schadenfreude to cause unnecessary mayhem. Words fail me.

16th January 2011

Estate agents and solicitors. An inscrutable bunch. You never know where you stand with them. And their charges! But, whatever you do, don't tell the English lot what the French charge, or there'll be a riot.
Typical English charges: solicitor's fee for selling your house - 700 pounds plus VAT (now 20% - can you believe it?); estate agent's fee - 1.5% of asking price.
Typical French charges: notaire (solicitor's) fee to the buyer only: 18,000 euros. Yes, you heard it. 18,000! Apparently, most of this goes to M. Sarkozy, not to the notaire. Estate agent's fee to the seller only - 6% of asking price. So, for a house selling for 200,000 euros, the agent picks up 12,000 euros.
So, all in all, the French win hands down. Mind you, the French agents in particular work hard for their money. Not only do they accompany all viewings, they arrange notaire appointments, attend all signing appointments at the notaire's office, acting as translator where necessary, and meet all parties back at the new house after the signing.
Him Indoors says he remembers that old solicitor's firm in the UK called Sue, Grabbit and Run. Enough said!