[Transfer funds from Sale of House]

We sign the Acte de Vente in 2 weeks.  I'm now trying to decide which to use to transfer the funds.

Bank or Currency exchange??

Anyone had experience of this??

[Home needed for English paper backs]

Thanks for all your suggestions.  If Leboncoin fails, then I'll take them to Emmaus in La Chatre where I used to help out.  I know they have a few shelves for foreign books.

[Taking Air rifle back to the UK]

Thanks for all your replies/suggestions.  We only use it to shoot coypu. Will probably try and sell it on Leboncoin.

[Home needed for English paper backs]

We have quite alot of paper backs - in good condition, in need of a home.

We've sold our house and will be over in February to clear things out.

On the Indre/Creuse border - ste.Sevére

[Paper back books in English]

We are having to clear the house and have a lot of paper back books which are in good condition.

Does anyone know of an English Library which would take them?  I tried selling them on Leboncoin.

We're on the Indre/Creuse border ( Ste Sevére)

[Taking Air rifle back to the UK]

We have finally sold our house.  We have rather high powered air rifle which we want to take back to the UK.  Do we need to tell anyone about this?

[Buying a house by procuration/proxy]

Thanks - I've cut and pasted the report into google translate, which gives an idea of what the report contains. Some of which contracdicts what has been previosly stated. The potential buyer is asking questions. Over the last 12 years we've had various things done to the house which have required electrical work all done by qualified electricians.  However the house is over 150 years old and some parts still have old electrics. We never had any problems and have used the old staying ' if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

I am thinking of going back to the person who did the survey and ask him for a short report in plain French ( is there such a thing) of exactly what is wrong.

Should I worry - Seems like I am!!!!

[Buying a house by procuration/proxy]

We have recently had on offer von our house and the Compris de vente will be by procuration but not the acte de vente.

We're still trying to understand the electrical part of the diagnostics - 20 pages of complete gobbledegook.  When we bought the house 12 years ago, it covered half a page of A4.

[Pet passport to exit UK to France]

 Brittany Ferries check the pet passport and microchip when leaving the UK.

[Selling my house]

THanks for all your comments. We also have the house with French agents, one is English and is an agent for a French agent plus she has her own website. It is on leboncoin and green acres.

I don't think some French agents are not as procative as agents in the UK. We don't get any feedback from viewings - I have to chase them.  I've asked their opinion about what we can do to kick start  but only the English lady has come up with any suggestions and has re-worded the details. We've also reduced the price.  Our problems is that it is remote, in a small hamlet. Still never mind it will soon be a New Year and things may change.

[Selling my house]

Thanks idun. They say they deal with all enquiries so we should not get any direct contact. However,

I'm still unsure.  We're getting no where with the French agents, Leboncoin etc. So it may be worth a try.

[Selling my house]

Has anyone heard of Worldwide group enterprises Ltd.  They sell property on the web - charging £500 plus VAT.  They hold exhibitions in Russia/China etc. Their registed address is in Northern Ireland

I first heard of them on thie site about 3 years ago.  We are thinking of using them to sell out house.

We've beat them down to £250 plus VAT but I'm still having second thoughts.

[What's eating my greengage tree??]

I did wonder - will have to google 'termites'

[What's eating my greengage tree??]

Thanks all - we do get a lot of woodpeckers in the garden.  However the plum tree was definitely ravaged by some sort of bugs. The wood was all powdery inside.  A bit like woodworm damage.

[What's eating my greengage tree??]

We had to cut down and burn a plum tree because it was worse than this - see picture.  I've googled but can find nothing.  Any suggestions??   At first we thought the deer had been attaching the bark

[Selling my house]

Good for you - I just wish our house would sell.  We now have it on with 3 different agents, who also have it on various websites but still no viewings.  We've dropped the price. The latest agent said the rooms were too small and suggested knocking down walls - a No to that. The problem we have is that we are remote, in a small hamlet about 3 miles from the nearest small town and it is a maison secondaire so we're not there all the time.

Does anyone know if the French hold House sale auctions?

[Selling my house]

We've been trying to sell our maison secondaire for nearly three years. I now have it with three different agents.

One large, one small individual and one an English lady who is an agent for a French agent plus she has her own website.  We've had little interest - 3 viewings only this year. 

We've done all the normal things - de-cluttered, toned down colours. Moved all the dog beds to the barn etc. Some of the comments made after the viewings make me cross. I'm sure the last couple were ' professionaal' house viewers.  Complete waste of time.

My next venture - to try online agencies.  However, we may have a problem with this because we only use the house for the summer.

[French Inheritance Rules]

Reading all this has left me totally confused. My partner and I bought our house 11 years ago.  Since we retired we spend most of the summer here - about 3 months, then the odd fortnight either side.

We have UK wills leaving everything to each other and then when both of us kicks the dust, my daughter & son gets whats left.

Question: How does the French IT affect us.  We both divorced - he has 3 children from his marriage who he's disowned.  We didn't get maried because we didn't feel the need.  Do we need to make a French Will - we have a French  bank account which is only used for the running costs of the house.

We have the house on the market at present - nothing happening.

[Orange livebox]

We had problems with ourLiveBox which we rent for 3euros a month.  I tried phoning the normal line but couldn't get them to speak slowly so I could understand them. I called the English speaking people and within a few minutes the young man had sorted me out. I needed an updated Livebox which was FOC. The only problem was that I either has to wait for them to send it to me or go to the nearest Orange shop and pick it up.  This I did and within a few hours I was up and running. 

With regard to cost - I know I should look around for cheaper options, but as we do not live in France 'full time' I find that have the phone with Orange whereby I can turn it off and only pay the rental for the time we're here fine with us. The only problem is the internet, we can't do the same with that and so we pay every month for that.  The average cost over the past 5 years is 400euros(33euros pm).

[What is the first thing you do when you arrive?]

I think most of us do that same things. 

Read electric meters -then turn on electric, water and gas bottle.

Un load car

Reconnect internet and TV

A Cuppa

Check house - de-cobweb, vacuum up dead flies.

A Cuppa

OH checks the garden, I make the bed.

Walk the dog

Another Cuppa while making a ' TO DO' list.

Cook somethng to eat -open wine .

Eat,drink, walk the dog then BED

[Oradour-sur-glane?]

This is a place I'd really like to visit. However, it's not possible as we have a dog and unusually for France, no dogs are allowed.  We'd be out too long to leave her at home and leaving her in the car for a fews hours is a NO NO.  So the visit is now on the back boiler until the Autumn.

[Deadly flea and tick treatment]

This is worrying. Last October our vet gave me a chewable tablet for my dog - she said it would rid her of fleas within 48hrs. As it was she didn't have fleas. However with great effort to get the dog to take the tablet, she immediately sicked it up.  We didn't try again and just left it.  Still no  fleas.

Last week Facebook ran something about tick treatment causing terrible sores on the skin - this may have been some sort of scam - Frontline & Advantix.

Finally - Drontex worming tablet. My dog has been given them the last two times before returning to the UK - both times they've made her sick.

What are they putting in Vet meds?????

[poop tank inspection]

All the fosses in our commune were inspected a few years ago apart from ours because is wasn't over 10 years old. We had it inspected last year because we'd put the house up for sale. The lady inspector( note all other posts mention a lady inspector) said all was fine apart from the big pipe = she said it wasn't tall enough.  I said it was the height which SAUR approved when we had the fosse put it, so we're not doing anything about it.  It took me over a year to get the report. I think we had to pay about 160euros for all this. 

[Bank Card]

My brother used to use my mum's but he did have power of attorney for her financial affairs.

[Cherries]

What to you use to kill the weeds?  We came back after 6 weeks, the grass was about 2 foot high with loads of buttercups.