I’m sometimes asked if it was difficult to buy a property in France. As we bought a house and two flats when there were two of us and I bought a flat alone, I can assure you that it is not complicated. As here, there are estate agents and property magazines, but you can also buy through the Marie (Town Hall). It’s usually more of a problem to get your Carte de Sejour which entitles you to the same advantages as French residents. We already had ours as we were working for Haven Holidays.
As interpreter at the Marie, I was able to help other English people. A friend of ours, a gendarme, tried unsuccessfully for a year to sell his house, despite using 5 estate agents. Feeling frustrated, he wrote “A Vendre” on a board and put it on display. Cutting his lawn, he saw a car pull up. In half-an-hour he had sold the house! Be aware that vendu means sold!
Perhaps you watched the television program where a couple were choosing between a cottage in Lynton or a similar one in France. Knowing how much I adore France, some friends said “It must have been an easy decision for you Esmé!” It was, but not in the way they meant. I would have chosen Lynton. Why? You needed to think why was the French property with more land about half the price of the English one. Alarm bells should have rung when you heard that the
village bistrot opened two days a week. Most French villages have at least a café in the Presse/Tabac where the locals can enjoy a Ricard or glass of wine with their game of cards! No shops there either, just a mobile van several times a week. Fine in pleasant weather, but
mountain roads can get snow blocked. In remote places, hunters can also cause problems. I asked our friend the Marie of Bretignolles to help an elderly widow who was afraid to step out of her house. His reply? “Tell her to keep herself and her dog indoors. It’s a short hunting
season, so don’t antagonise the hunters!”
We always chose lively places. Our favourite place to live was at Ste Maxime opposite to St. Tropez. We had a large terrasse with always something interesting to watch, the beach cafés, the yachts in the harbour and the cruise ships. It was less expensive to live on the Côte d’Azur than in Downend. I’ll explain if you ask me.
Have a Happy November.
Esmé
As interpreter at the Marie, I was able to help other English people. A friend of ours, a gendarme, tried unsuccessfully for a year to sell his house, despite using 5 estate agents. Feeling frustrated, he wrote “A Vendre” on a board and put it on display. Cutting his lawn, he saw a car pull up. In half-an-hour he had sold the house! Be aware that vendu means sold!
Perhaps you watched the television program where a couple were choosing between a cottage in Lynton or a similar one in France. Knowing how much I adore France, some friends said “It must have been an easy decision for you Esmé!” It was, but not in the way they meant. I would have chosen Lynton. Why? You needed to think why was the French property with more land about half the price of the English one. Alarm bells should have rung when you heard that the
village bistrot opened two days a week. Most French villages have at least a café in the Presse/Tabac where the locals can enjoy a Ricard or glass of wine with their game of cards! No shops there either, just a mobile van several times a week. Fine in pleasant weather, but
mountain roads can get snow blocked. In remote places, hunters can also cause problems. I asked our friend the Marie of Bretignolles to help an elderly widow who was afraid to step out of her house. His reply? “Tell her to keep herself and her dog indoors. It’s a short hunting
season, so don’t antagonise the hunters!”
We always chose lively places. Our favourite place to live was at Ste Maxime opposite to St. Tropez. We had a large terrasse with always something interesting to watch, the beach cafés, the yachts in the harbour and the cruise ships. It was less expensive to live on the Côte d’Azur than in Downend. I’ll explain if you ask me.
Have a Happy November.
Esmé
RSS Feed
