Lizfjr

Sounds about right to me. We paid 411 including electricity for 150 sq M

Can you tell me precisely you receive in writing to confirm it's OK? Just had mine emptied for the first time in 7 years I've been here, and I know the previous owners never bothered but have had no controle visit yet. Do you get a piece of paper?

The Certificate of Conformity is a European certificate and if you present it to the prefecture your bike will be matriculated. The number is taken from the CoC and checked on a database. It's all automatic. Bikes manufactured after 2004 should have a European CoC.

Thanks for the comments. Very helpful.

Does anyone have any experience of immobilier Century 21 to sell a property? I'm just looking for some general info before I make contact about how good / expensive they are. TIA Liz

As I understand it for selling purposes, it's the whole floor area of a house. All floor area is included. The measure of other floors is added on top. So, for example, a 80m2 house is likely to be a smallish 2 bedroom. My house is a 3 bedroom with 1 lounge, 1 kitchen and listed as a 5 room. The square meterage helps in description though because the lounge is 50M2 so you get a better sense of the overall space rather than just numbers of rooms. I find the square meterage a good guide because it gives you more of an idea of what you're getting for your money than the UK standard description '3 bedroom, 2 reception rooms' and it means you can compare across properties. HTH

Don't forget that you don't have to think about just the types of property that get featured on those programmes (stone barns, heap of stones with Grand Designs potential etc.) There are other, more modern types of property which are in need of TLC and often reasonably priced. I bought a 1970s Pavillon style house seven years ago because of its location though it was horrid inside. We have then spent the same amount again remodelling and renewing it. Except for remodelling the roof structure to add a third bedroom, most of the work wasn't a huge engineering or building feat, though beyind our limited talents. It was for us the perfect compromise: as bought, liveable, sound and secure, but with our work, very much the house we would have designed. The first tranche of work was managed while we were in the UK and the last bit while we were living in the Netherlands. I'm glad we didn't bite off more, because it was just enough of a challenge at times. And be warned. Our biggest (successful) challenge lay in taking an English person to court here to get back from him money we had paid on a job he couldn't fulfil. In the end though, it enabled us to live here mortgage free in a house we could never have afforded in the UK. I could go on about all the other benefits of a life in Europe, but you've probably worked that out!

I have a rental property in the UK in a university city. Bought for 86K last year. Spent 10k on remedials and it's netting us a 5% return, plus eventually we will have a property to sell. It was a much better option than any savings or stock market investments. I don't think I'd try the same here though.

Why not ask here: http://www.bikeclubfrance.com/forum/groupcp.php?g=218

3 lovely kittens available. 1 x grey and white, 1 x black and white, 1 x all black. In 89 but will travel.

Great, thanks.

Can anyone help me with a suitable word for 'shoo'. The context is when I'm in the garden and casual passers by allow their poochies to wander into my garden. (That's being generous. What they are actually doing is ignoring their doggies as usual).

I've had a Yamaha Clavinova for many years. Digital piano, wieghted full keyboard etc. My music teacher preferred to come  to my house for my lessons because she liked to use the payback facility to analyse my performance with me. I play to a reasonable level and took exams successfully, as far as grade 7. Of course it came to France in the back of a lorry with no ill effects and it has the huge advantage of being able to be used when other things are going on without disturbing anyone. I also love playing duets with myself! Can't recommend them highly enough.

There's better ways to get sweaty and dirty without risking all that plastic....

I won't be taking any GTRs or FJRs green laning thank you very much ;)