Edel

Thanks a mill Pierre (and I'm honoured that your first email is a response to my query :)). Really appreciate all the info and insight you've given. It's really good to know all those points from someone who knows and has experience of the system. ALBF and Anotherbanana - thanks a mill for your info also. Fingers crossed we'll get to the process soon and all the info you have given me here is so valuable and will really help us to go in with our eyes open and be more confident in what we're doing. Thanks so much for all the help.

Thanks a mill Hectorsdad. That's good to know re the importance of having full translation of the documents and making sure there's no connection. I'll definitely make sure to do that. Really glad it worked out for you and fingers crossed with all the great advice on this site, I'll be over there soon 🙂 Many thanks and much appreciated.

Wow - that's even better - didn't realise I could sign remotely. That's unreal. How the world has changed 🙂 That'll save us a fortune in travelling over and back. That's really good to know and from the link you sent, looks really straight forward. Thanks a million 😀

Ah - so I could get a notaire in Bordeaux and they would send the Acte de Compromis to the local notaire for us and the vendor to sign together? . If that's the case, that sounds perfect (I was thinking the vendor would have to travel to Bordeaux to sign)🙂 thanks a mill 👍

Hi - we are a step closer to purchasing our house in France (mid-way between Bordeaux and Perigueux) 🙂 There is just one notaire in the town who doesn't speak English. The estate agent has been given us details of a translator and I think they would prefer us to use the local notaire (they mentioned that the vendor bought the house originally through this office (a different notaire who is now retired; a new notaire is in the same office since 2020) and that all the files are there). I know that there are other advantages using the local notaire as they're familiar with the area etc. Personally I would prefer an English speaking notaire so I can communicate directly rather than going through a third party. It also means I'd need to check the availability of the interpreter each time before calling or meeting the notaire. Plus there'll be extra costs involved for every transaction etc (and the interpreter lives 40 mins away by car so I'm sure there'll be travel expenses incurred too). I have emailed the interpreter to get an idea of what's involved and costs so waiting to hear back. The only thing is that the English speaking notaires are only either in Bordeaux or Perigueux (which is fine for us as we'd be flying into Bordeaux anyway and can get the train to Perigueux if needed but I don't want to annoy the vendors by imposing extra travel on them). What would you recommend would be the best thing to do. Any thoughts, suggestions or advice would be really appreciated. Many thanks

Congrats on your new apartment. Wishing you lots of happiness in your new home 🙂 Thanks a mill for the info and template on the offer - that's all brilliant information and really helpful. Thanks so much

Thanks a million everyone for your info and advice. It really helps in how to proceed. Fingers crossed things will go well and hopefully looking forward to a new abode in France (and in anticipation of all the bureaucracy but c'est la vie :)). Many thanks

Thanks Ablf - that's good to know. We'll go in a good bit below - fingers crossed. Thanks for that 🙂

Thanks a mill - that sounds more like what I was thinking and has put my mind at ease. Really appreciate the info. Many thanks 🙂

Hi Menthe - that makes sense and you're right - the agents fees aren't tiny and we have to pay them. Maybe I was getting t0o worked up about my lack of language skills to do this but it would save a lot of work (I'm feeling a bit stressed about having to do all the notaire stuff when we don't even know if our max offer could be accepted :)) so I guess just chatting and making sure the agent realises it's an informal check to see if it might be accepted would be a good way to go. Fingers crossed 🙂

Hi all - thanks a mill for the info and advice. It does seem like we'd need to get a notaire involved at this early stage. Our offer would be below the asking price so I reckoned there could be some to-ing and fro-ing and if it was too low for the seller we would just have left the offer on the table / bowed out of the process. I'd hoped to avoid the extra organising/discussions/costs involved with engaging a notaire if the buyer thinks our ultimate offer is too low. We've bought/sold several houses in Ireland and then one in Spain and it's always been just a verbal non-binding offer to see if the buyer is willing to accept, a bit of to and fro, acceptance and then the legal/contractual stuff follows .....I guess this is my introduction to the beloved bureaucracy en France 🙂 Many thanks for the guidance and it really helps to clear things for me. Much appreciated 🙂

Hi - we are considering putting an offer on a house in France (finally :)). The agent we are dealing with does not speak English and I have just basic conversational French (we’ve been to the house a few times and I’ve managed OK thus far but I wouldn’t be comfortable going through the next steps in French) I was wondering can we make our offer in writing by email to the agent to see if the buyer would be in agreement with the amount we're offering without it being viewed as a legal document (if the offer is accepted, we would engage a notaire to include clauses for the Compromis de Vente but I'm just wondering if it's possible to negotiate/agree the price initially ourselves before getting a notaire involved)? Many thanks

Ah it is a lovely time househunting isn't it - and while it's exhausting and stressful, you get to see so much of the real France and the differences in the towns and regions. Plus I'm so taken by the friendliness and politeness of the French (plus they're actually letting me practice my bad French :)). The location of Mussidan is great alright - we got the train which is fab from Bordeaux (and tram to airport for only 1.80) and it does have great links. Delighted you're loving France and glad that you have such lovely memories. Thanks so much 💖

Hi Le martin-pecheur - thanks for that. I agree - the diagnotics report is great but peace of mind is a big thing as it's a nerve wrecking enough time as it is 🙂 Crazy money the first surveyor wanted - sounds like he wanted a holiday oyt of you 🙂Sounds like you're having a good time in France 20 years on - many thanks and much appreciated.

Hi Menthe - thanks a mill for the info. I got the diagnostic report which was really really detailed (75 pages !!) but on the otherhand, for me I think it would be good in cases like this to speak with someone who can explain things to me in lay terms as some of the text is very formal and I just might be missing something (there's also some things I had questions about which aren't in the report that I could ask a surveyor that I'd get) so for a few hundred quid for peace of mind when paying out such a large amount for a house, I think it's definitely worth it (plus it's what we're used to and I'd feel without getting my own surveyor, that I hadn't done my own due diligence). What do you think of Mussidan? We went to it twice over the past two days. It seems to have lots of things going for it (lidl, netto, intermarche, garden centre, summer pool, theatre and cinema) but it does seem to be a decaying town with a lot of maintenance needed. I did like it and the fact it has a train station to Bordeaux is a major plus as we don't want to be driving. Thanks a mill for all your info and advice - I'm really grateful.