Bill

Thanks again Paul, all crystal clear. as an aside.. tax... with the french heading for austerity.. are there any taxes in the pipeline aimed at holiday homes.. ? we are not resident. I bet when it comes to Austerity the builders will not of heard of the word as they stuff their bill full of this and that ! rgds Bill

Thankyou for the reply,. we are not intending to add windows, or to increase the overall space within the building. Nor listed nor near to a listed building. One bathroom will be on suite and therefore will go thru an internal wall , I am sure its not load bearing. Will anyway have a builder in The outside building is attached, and one day is some time away. Landhouse ratio noted. what sort of ""minor" thing would kick off a permi de consruction.. ? we are really not changing much, more like serious repairs and re arrangements,...eg kitchen moving.. Not expanding into the loft. The fosse is a whole new ball game and I understand we have to get a specialist company in.. rgds Bill

thanks andy : noted. we are over 175 sq metere as well.. HUM HAA that means an archtect... blow me down.. (not being allowed to curse on line ! ) rgds Bill

good morning one and all, we may be taking the plunge and buying. the previous owner had some big plans, and had planning permssion for all sorts of things, but isnt paying the fee , so the permission will lapse. our ideas are much simpler , its to repair whats there.. eg replace two ground floors , floors, windows, install two bathrroms, and new doors, internal and one external , rewire and replumb, all in accordance with the local specifications/rules/tradesmen . BUT do we need planning permssion to do any of that ? they are just repairs ? ??? I dont think we do.. thoughts please EVENTUALLY we may turn an outside building into habitable room, and can apply for that in years to come.. best wishes Bill

always worth putting a proper bird protector on the top of your bent or straight flue. They are a few quid or euros. worth every penny. rgds Bill

I am just getting this.. the seller draws the contract, so if I need conditions in the contract, then I have to have those squared up with the seller first. OR do I ask the notaire to put them in ? such as fosse reports or non statutory questions. Yes ? rgds Bill

hi I assume you need to keep rain water out of the fosse all together.. some may (not)be interested, but the UK has new regs as from this year, all sceptic tanks have to "treat" water before discharge into local ditch. Unable to sell a house unless it confoms.

thanks everyone.. we are back in the Uk , we hope we have a property, and will no doubt lots more questions over the months to come.. thanks again. will try and get the contract drawn up and signed now.. it was a private sale, conditions for the contract ? rgds Bill

Good morning Thanks again for various replies Looking at a place that needs work. At home I would happily employ workmen Here Not so sure , maybe I should use An architect to oversee the work. Looking Normandy la vire region Not so heavy just plumbing wiring wood work New floor Simple stuff just needs a watchful Eye What is the cost of suc a person/ architect? Any good suggestions ( forum rules permitting) Rgds Bill

Hello one and all Search going along and all of the comments are most welcome , I can pick those up easily Not quite so easy to get a comment back each time Excuse me Bloody agents!!!!!! :) Some are ok but there are others Question With a private sale u stll use A notaire But I was told if there is no agent ghen they add in an agents com anyway Is this true ? May even of been sweet17 Not sure as so much info being passed back and forth French builders How much per hour ditto Plumbers & electricians Just a rule of thumb A couple of possibilities need work and I Need to guestimate the work. At home it's Say 150/200 per day sterling Happy days and thanks your comments Bill ps unable to review this before posting Hope it makes sense

so what is the norm ? is there a percentage / whats fair ? I think most in the uk would consider 1 percent to be a bit to cheap , 2 percent to be right and three percent a rip off.. rgds bill

final question , I dont think ! fees, notaires and estate agents.. who pays , ? seems to be negotiable, Non the less how much is normal ? , not what is the head line price assuming its a 250k purchase. rgds Bill thnks

[quote user="Sprogster"]Bill, based on a comparative purchasing power index the fair value £/euro exchange rate should be around 1.28. All curriencies are cyclical and in due course £ interest rates will likely move ahead of the euro, as inflationary pressures in the UK will be greater thanks to quantitive easing. At that point the £ is likely to strengthen against the Euro. It is not a question of the £ getting stronger, more the case that the euro is fundamentally still overvalued against the £ and US$, and in the longer term when the US starts to recover that's when you will see the euro weaken. With the exception of Germany, all the other Eurozone economies reported worse growth than the UK over the last qtr.[/quote] I would like to think u are right, but... Look what happened today, The slovaks voted against the euro rescue, and the dollar and the pound lost ground/weakened,. Perhaps it's because it was an ""irish vote"" u vill keep voting till you get the right answer !! rgds Bill

Thankyou one and all for the comments , the FX views, and from buying a mobile, to renting, to , burning the money as a cheaper option!! Yes it's all about a life style choice , lets hope we make the right one. I will let you know how we get on next week, if we plunge or if we dont. kind rgds Bill

thanks sprog, No one can forcast euro sterling rates, only guess .. my bet is stronger euro, sterling has never been a strong currency other than the oil years & they are moving away writing it off in my mind. Hence the need for a cat's /dog home. who wants to be my cat then :) ? rgds

thankyou daft doctor and all.. we hate making decisions for ourselves, yet in the work place do it for oodles of money. Yet spending a few quid on a new t shirt , takes a committee and many weeks contemplation. hey ho.. for the rest noted, pellets seem interesting concept , I know of them here, but I think a wee bit expensive to use.. but I dont think the electricity /gas/oil bill can be the be all and end all. thanks again one and all for your comments. kind rgds Bill

thanks , I understood that we form a company to buy the property & that may help with the inheritance issue.. the last people getting their hands on our dosh are the relatives, We will be beyond caring at that point. will seek advice. wooly noted thanks rgds Bill

thanks Hoddy.. Mon wife parlez de lingo, tres bien, .. but I am not so good. So we have a head start. I'm looking forward to the down side, ie always wanting to be there.. still nervous about the plunge. rgds Bill

Good afternoon guys and girls, Seriously thinking about a house in France, as an place to escape to now and then. Looking in Normandy. Just some thought and questions, you may want to comment on. we leave on thursday night to have a look around. I assume prices are a bit sick at the moment. One place was down by 2/3rds! astonishing. most 10-20 percent, or not at all, in the details anyway. thoughts ? a lot of houses seem to come with gites attached and I am wondering if it would be a good idea to let it go for almost nothing in exchange for maintance. any potential hic cups ie rights to live there being granted ? insurance, any big issues if the place is unoccupied for 9 months of the year ? The estate agents , will they be someone to do battle with or are they helpfull or just a mixture ? builders , I have heard horror stories, and just wonder if its best to bring over a load of brits to do any work thats needed , and upset the locals in the process. see that sceptic tanks are a very hot topic.. for what its worth , in the uk u have to upgrade them as well, maybe its an eu wide issue. last time we looked, it was perfectly feasable to warm a place with electric heating as very economical. something to do with nuke power getting fast internet, is that a big issue ? we are looking at rural As we are looking at rural/remote , I am suspecting whatever we buy is going to collapse in value .. as the decline in the numbers of people enjoying rural living continues.. thoughts.. Maybe its just a price we have to pay and we are only going to leave it all to the cats home anyway.. we have always hankered after a property in france as a holiday home, and one day to spend more time there, but not to emigrate entirely. One thought is always.. the cost of the investment will pay for many many many months of hotels or gites.. somehow thats not quite so satisfying.. could say its like boats and planes, rent them don't buy them.. Thoughts :) officialdom, assuming we lead normal quiet lives & pay our bills , do we have any need to do battle with same..or is that considered part of the fun ? thanks for reading this best wishes Bill