Alan Zoff
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Posts posted by Alan Zoff
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Don't forget there is a downside to fast-growing firs: they keep growing - quickly - and require a lot of maintenance.
I am busy trying to replace over 100 metres of fir hedge which no doubt started out as a nice, quick screen planted by the previous owner but is now a tall, inpenetrable barrier. It is extremely difficult to control, some of the branches being too hard work for a powerful petrol trimmer. And it produces a lot of waste to be disposed of each year when you do manage to cut through it. So I intend gradually replanting the lot with beech which will not be allowed to grow too big and will provide more colour variety than the firs. OK, not a quick fix but hopefully a better long-term proposition and perhaps more environmentally-friendly.
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Sorry. Should have said returning about 7th May, of course.
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OK, this is a bit lazy but prepared to accept flak from critics.
I'm expecting visitors who want to cross from Poole to Cherbourg about 23rd April, returning to Poole about 7th April. (It will be their frist time to France.) They say they have been quoted £308 for 2 people, car and recliner seats (I don't know who with or crossing times) and they ask if this is reasonable. As someone who always goes from Dover and usually with SpeedFerries, it sounds astronomical to me but I'm out of touch with cost of other routes.
Comments/suggestions welcome.
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The locals in my litttle village in the Auvergne have wondered why I am not bothered that there aren't other English people for me to mix with in the area. Perhaps if they had read this thread they would understand.
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Not exactly the message they give you in "A Place in the Sun", is it, but a useful reality check.
France seems great for those who can retire early with decent pensions or who have established reputations with jobs based on the internet or have qualifications (that are recognised in France) in thriving areas of work. Otherwise, competing in the general job market is tough. And although it seems as if you can live reasonably well quite cheaply in France, nothing is cheap if you have nothing coming in.
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I haven't chipped in for a while on this as frankly I'm still getting over the shock of learning that Jenny's original picture wasn't a true likeness. (I hope to God the new one isn't.)
You'll be telling me next that the picture of Quackers is fake, too. Please don't. "She" was the main reason for me signing up in the first place.
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Must admit similar thoughts have crossed my mind.
Also made me wonder if moving permanently to France was going to be such a good idea if all others could find to do when they were there was spend day and night communicating with (or to) other Brits on a website. Not exactly what I had in mind as living the dream.
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Most people selling a place in England would expect their agent to try to get the best possible price - rather than try to do the locals a favour. It's then down to supply and demand and is the same everywhere in a free market economy.
If agents ask too much, they get no buyers so no commission. Equally, if their valuations are too low, they will get no new instructions - so again no commission. The idea that agents dictate prices is a bit of a myth. The market sets the price.
Blame capitalism if you like. But if we didn't have that, I don't think too many of us would be buying properties abroad.
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I am reminded of something told me by clients in the UK who were returning from Spain as it was losing its attraction. There were now so many Brits in their village that a gang of them had got up a petition to complain to the local town hall that it was catering too much to "the Spanish".
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There isn't a right and wrong with this. As demonstrated in earlier comments, both sides have their points and simply getting all high and mighty about it solves nothing.
I would say the best policy if confronted is to be sympathetic while tactfully drawing attention to all aspects. And of course doing as much as possible to fit in and to be accepted for the person you are, rather than where you hail from.
There's no need to be an apologist; but treating their views and feelings with contempt is hardly going to make the situation better.
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I seem to recall last year there was a mini-heatwave at Easter...
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I agree with Will on this. The answer will not be the same for everyone or every transaction.
I wouldn't personally bother paying for separate advice as I think I know enough about the process and contract side now to get by. But as is clearly shown by some experiences (one was posted on another French property website this week where the English vendor appears to have signed a contract he did not understand and stands to lose a lot of money), some people do need help. This is especially the case if the Notaire does not speak English, the purchaser's command of French is not good, they do not have complete confidence in the agent and/or the amount of money involved is substantial. (On the latter point, also worth remembering that a low purchase price does not necessarily mean that signing a bad contract won't land you with very expensive obligations. Indeed, the "low" price might be because of the existence of such obligations.)
In most cases, everything will be hunky dory so the majority may well say that involvement of another professional is just extra expense. But if it saves someone from making an expensive mistake or worrying their heads off....
What you must not do in France - just as you wouldn't in England - is sign a contract you do not fully understand. OK, the Notaire is liable if he has fouled up but, unlike in England where your solicitor is acting solely for you (and compensation is readily availiable for the solicitor's mistakes through their mandatory insurance), the Notaire is not advising you as such. You agree terms with the Vendor and if, through ignorance of the law or language, you sign a contract that is not to your advantage, it is likely to be a case of "Let the buyer beware". And even if the Notaire has slipped up, do you really want to rely on being able to take on a member of French establishment? Best to avoid finding yourself in that position.
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Seems to me that the programme makers were trying to make a provocative programme while Ryanair's response (as ever, to any criticism levelled at them) has been to deny and to tough it out.
We get the service we are prepared to pay for (everyone's moaning today about the closure of small shops but the complainers are shopping at Tesco like everyone else). If we want ultra-cheap flights, there are going to be sacrifices and passengers cannot expect the same comforts as first-class travellers when things (often unavoidably) go wrong.
But the programme was right to focus on safety issues. I found them worrying and was not reassured by Ryanair's denials. Whether you are more at risk flying with Ryanair than any other low-cost carrier, though, is another matter and not something that was answered by the programme-makers. The programme would have carried more weight if it had been less sensational in its approach and made genuine comparisons with similar factors (e.g. safety checks, pilot fatigue and cleanliness) among Ryanair's competitors. But I rather suspect even then that once the fuss had died down, customers would still flock to whoever was offering the lowest price. That is until some major disaster is blamed on such failings - when it will be too late for those caught up in it.
It is to be hoped at least that the aviation authorities took note of the more serious issues raised in the programme. And that, despite official denials, Ryanair itself will address the points highlighted. If so, the programme will have served some positive purpose.
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Whichever material you use, you should definitely leave some air gaps to avoid build up of condensation which can rot your new roof.....
They featured some insulation sheeting on Grand Designs recently (new build on Scottish coast, so insulation quite important factor). I recall the thermal spec was claimed to be equivalent to something like ten times its thickness using the traditional fluffy insulation rolls. None of those horrible fibres getting down your throat, either. As with anything, you no doubt have to pay more for the ones that provide the best insulation but no point in doing it unless you get a worthwhile gain so worth examining the efficiency figures.
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Apart from the petty - and irrelevant - bickering over the use of the English language (I thought this was a forum for French issues), this has been a very useful thread.
I am grateful to Stocky for raising the question and for those who replied with sensible answers. You may have saved some of us from incurring fines.
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I walked into the local Credit-Agricole (northern Auvergne) with just my passport, a utility bill issued in England and my debit card for my UK bank. They opened the account there and then - and frankly couldn't do enough for me.
I don't know if it helped in any way that they are also the bank used by the notaire who handled my house purchase. He happened to call into the bank on some other business just as I was opening the account and so had a chat with me and the manager to break the ice. (In fact, no "ice" - bank staff have been extremely friendly and helpful from the start.)
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Many thanks, Andy.
Actually, that's exactly as I thought. Just didn't explain myself - in English! - very well.
Alan
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I have obtained this information from a helpful lady at Cofiroute:
Nous pouvons vous proposer un badge Liber-t qui vous permet de circuler sur
tout le réseau autoroutier français.
Grâce à un badge fixé sur le pare brise vous ne prenez plus de ticket, plus
de monnaie ou de carte bancaire à présenter pour payer le péage.
Le coût d'un badge est de 20€TTC annuel de frais d'abonnement à terme échu
réduits à 12€ si vous optez pour la facture Internet et un dépôt de garantie
de 30€ restitué en fin d'abonnement.
Il faut avoir une domiciliation bancaire en France.
Un exemplaire du formulaire d'abonnement est joint à ce mail.
Restant à votre disposition pour de plus amples informations au
0892 70 26 34 (0.34€TTC/min).This was in response to my request for her to recommend a service for someone travelling to central France from Boulogne (and back) 3 or 4 times a year.
I can translate all the words but just to make sure I have grasped the sense of it before I place my order, can some kind soul please summarise the cost implications for me in terms of deposit, annual fee and usage. It looks to me that, unlike the Sanef, Cofiroute charges a flat annual fee of 12 euros (if booked over internet) whether or not you use it and regardless of how often it is used, without any further charge at point of use. A deposit of 30 euros is payable which is refundable (perhaps unlikely that you would see it again, unless I suppose a better deal was found elsewhere which justified returning the Cofiroute disk).
I have a French bank account and payment card.
Many thanks.
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Don't know what they are like for firewood but eucalyptus certainly grow like stink - anywhere! - so they are great for instant growth.
May not be a good choice though if you want to support local wildlife. Although it has attractive bark and a bluish leaf, our eucalyptus seems quite sterile, compared with indigenous trees in the garden.
Also seem to be forever pruning (i.e. cutting huge boughs out of) the damn thing, mainly to keep the neighbours happy.
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but are you getting better rates of interest on your bank account and a discount on your electricity bills.....?
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Liability to inheritance tax (IHT) in UK depends on domicile (not easy to define but in simple terms the country which was considered to be the intended permanent home or final resting place) of the person who has died. The domicile or residence of the beneficiaries of the estate of a UK-domiciled person is irrelevant for UK IHT.
Transfers between UK domiciled spouses are exempt, as are gifts to legitimate charities. Otherwise, IHT is payable at 40% on the value over £275,000 (i.e. the value of all assets - houses, land, savings, personal effects, cars, cash, etc. less funeral expenses and genuine debts.) Gifts made within 7 years of death are brought back into the estate for IHT purposes to avoid last-minute tax avoidance, although there is an annual £3,000 exemption (i.e. total value of all gifts in one year) which is not subject to the 7 year rule.
The deed of variation was no doubt entered into to save tax by making use of the £275,000 allowance available to each parent - often "wasted" by spouses leaving their estates to each other (exempt anyway) and therefore bunching up all assets into estate of second to die with just one allowance. If Wills have been made to ensure the allowance is obtained twice (or if same result can be achieved by varying terms of Wills within 2 years of first death - often quite simple to do), there is a potential tax saving for the ultimate beneficiaries of £110,000 (£275,000 at 40% if the estate of the first to die held assets of at least that value).
I'm sorry, I do not know what the French tax consequences are for a French resident who inherits funds from a UK estate. I would hope that under reciprocal agreements they would not be taxed again but no doubt someone versed in French tax laws will be able to comment.
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Have to say that I like using ScrewFix for UK work. Efficient, fair prices, good delivery and good after-sales service. If they could offer the same (internet-based) service in France, I am sure it would be a winner with Brits renovating French property. No doubt French people building and renovating would also soon catch on.
I have suggested this a couple of times to ScrewFix on their feed-back site. Perhaps if lots of us wrote to them in the same way, they might look at it again. Ot at least they might start to stock equipment (e.g. electrical and plumbing supplies) to French specification through their existing outlet. They need to know it would be worth their while.
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Normal valuation rules don't really apply in these circumstances. It comes down to how much you want it and what you are prepared to pay to have it. Always useful to know, though, the going rate of local land so that you can see how well the vendor is doing before you get too carried away. Also worth considering what effect its acquisition will have on the market value of your (enlarged) property - possibly not as much as you might think.
Bear in mind also the cost/hassle of maintaining it. If it is part of a larger plot rather than self-contained, consider type of boundary fence needed and who will be responsible for its construction and maintenance before agreeing price.
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Agent and vendor met me at house to check all as expected and to agree meter readings with EDF and sanitation/water officials (as arranged by agent).
Vendor then gave me a lift to Notaire's office (5 miles away).
After we had agreed documents and figures, all had signed, and I had taken possession of keys, Notaire wrote out a cheque for net proceeds and handed this to vendor. Gave me receipt and temporary document for deeds until title registered. (Final documents arrived some weeks later.)
I, vendor and agent then trooped off to nearest bar (Notaire said he had another engagement). Vendor and agent each bought us drinks but refused my offer to buy one back - was not sure at time if this was protocol or because they were both driving....
Agent took me to insurance agent and introduced me to local bank before running me back to house. Next day, bank set up direct debits for me and generally sorted out paperwork with EDF, etc.
All very straightforward, civilised and friendly.
Poole-Cherbourg ferry prices
in Travelling to/from France
Posted
Nothing cheaper out of Poole but after using the suggested Price Comparison, they have switched to a budget service out of Portsmouth to Le Havre and saved over 200 quid!
They asked me to pass on their thanks for the help.