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Thank you very much for the information and link. We are actually going to France next week and will have out telephone connected then (hopefully.) Until then I can't go any further on the website without all the details. We will sign on once we return. The rates per minute look great but do you know what the standing charges are? Thanks again.

Thank you very much for the information and link. We are actually going to France next week and will have out telephone connected then (hopefully.) Until then I can't go any further on the website without all the details. We will sign on once we return. The rates per minute look great but do you know what the standing charges are? Thanks again.

>The August issue of PLTH has >just been delivered. I buy >this magazine as an expat >Brit living in France and >this one was a special >issue on France. Has anyone >else read it, and if >so, what do you think? >Are the beautiful French homes >featured in it just as >financially hair-raising as their English >counterparts? Yes, but they are gorgeous. Curiosity got the better of me as well. Thanks for mentioning it, would have hated to miss this one (I can dream can't I). But as usual most not all are in Provence. The France feature reminds me of the magazine, I believe it is called Maison Sud. I usually always buy this when I'm in France. Also shows incredibly beautiful dreamy homes and interiors in France, again mostly in Provence.

>We went and had a look >at Acorn Dog Kennels today, >and will definately be using >it for our dogs. It's >by far the best we've >seen since we've been looking >(two and a half years!!!) > >Cheryl Can you please tell us what area. We will be needing one in Dordogne. Wendy

I forgot what it is called but we were told that part of the process and the reason for the average of three months to buy a house is that the commune has first right of refusal at the agreed upon price. If they do not want to purchase the property then the sale could go through. We were told that this was quite rare and usually only taken up if the property was needed for road expansion, airports etc. Maybe in this case if the price was so good they couldn't refuse.

I am sorry for the trivial post. I have heard and read that it may be appropriate to introduce yourself and present a small gift to the local Marie once you purchase your house in France. We did introduce ourselves on the day we took possession. We will be returning soon and had planned on giving a bottle of Brandy. However, our Marie is a lovely (youngish) lady and felt that this may not be suitable. Any suggestions or advise would be most appreciated.

Message in your in box. Wendy

I stated a name that rhymed with the firm that was deleted. Please feel free to send a PM to me for the name. I would be more than happy to prevent another poor soul being ripped off in this way. I am happy to see that they at least have some sort of protection.

LAST EDITED ON 12-Jul-04 AT 10:33 AM (BST) by ForumAdmin (admin) We just took possession on our house in France(yea!)in spite of receiving absolutely no help from a UK based Solicitor for which we paid 1,300. They did absolutely nothing outside of sending us a report at the last minute after many phone calls that consisted of about 12 paragraphs with a covering letter with question marks because they had no idea of payments etc.. Please beware, if you feel the need to use one of these firms perhaps get a reference. I am so angry and feel we were totally taken for a ride.

I did a search and found one archive on bed sizes in France. It appears from the responses that there are really no differences in sizes but there was no mention about king size mattresses. I am going to order a 6 foot king mattress and divan today in the UK to take down with us to France next week. Is this a normal size in France? I would want to purchase the bed and linens in France. Any advise would be most appreciated. Wendy

>Graham, > > Many thanks for the >number...will let you know how >we get on. > > Chris >& Will Hi Cris & Will, how did you get on? I actually need to do the same in Dordogne. Did they set you up with a Wanadoo account as well? Regards Wendy

We will be signing final contract in a few weeks and starting to get paranoid. The house we are buying has had quite a few modifications in the past(I believe early 1970's). I have recently read about some nightmares of people buying properties after finding out that changes and extensions were built without planning permission. I understand that the notaire does not get involved with this search like the UK solicitor does with UK property. Has anyone come across this problem if so what did you do to protect yourself. Thank you in advance for any advise.

Hi, I am certainly no expert but we were told that the 7 days applied after both parties signed.

Hi, thank you for the very helpful link. We are actually in the process of having this done. On the top of page 11 of the document from your link it states that "you need an opinion from a lawyer in the country where the spouses have their matrimonial domicile that the Law will permit them to adopt a French regime for French property". We are actually using an English solicitor that deals with French property, I assume that this is correct and this does not mean that we also need a French based lawyer's opinion. Can you please tell me how this worked for you?

I just searched the archives and didn't see anything on this subject. I apologise in advance for the long message. I am in the process of getting quotes for insurance. We want to have subsidence covered under the policy, which I am beginning to find out is very difficult to get in France. So far I have only found a broker that uses Lloyds for cover. My concern is that we did find a few ominous looking cracks in the walls of the property both inside and out. Prior to signing the compromis we desperately searched for a surveyor to no avail. We had a builder friend of the agent tell us it is not a problem. But, in the end we had a French Architect come out to inspect the property or at least we thought inspect. He walked around the property was there in total about 20 minutes, not even going in the loft space (did stand on chair and peered)nor really looking at the roof (did not bring ladder). He said it is nothing serious and suggested what to do to remedy. Worst possible scenario if movement continued use tie bars (spelling?) Based on this info we signed. I won't go into it but what he ended up charging 700 euros is not what we were told up front. We asked him for a written report prior to payment of which he did provide in French with a statement saying that this was not an expertise report, we then asked him to change this wording of which he did to it is not an exhaustive report. We of course paid him and now are very worried that, 1- we may have a subsidence problem after all and 2- the insurance company will not accept this sort of report. Before anyone says that I shouldn't complain about paying a fee for someones time etc.. We don't mind the fee or the time spent at the property to have an expert opinion to give us peace of mind was very important at that time. Our problem now is getting insured based on his report and simply trusting what he told us in the first place. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem or have any advise? Any at all would be welcome.

Can anyone recommend a builder in the Sarlat region of Dordogne? We should be taking possession of our house the first week of July and would like to have some work done as soon after that date as possible. Thank you in advance for any advise.

I was just reading an article on Sarlat in the "France" magazine. It mentioned a Leclerc hypermarket. Is there one near Sarlat? We are aware of the Leclerc garden centre but did not realise there was a hypermarket as well.

Thank you for your responses. Unfortunately, we will have to live in the UK for the next few years before we move to France permanently. Otherwise, I would not have asked this question. After reading your replies it does make much better sense to register the car in France. We have also heard that second hand cars are much more expensive in France. For the first few years we were hoping to find something along the lines of an old reliable Van or people mover that will get us about as well as hauling things. Penny29, I did keep your private message from the other day and will definitely use it when I register. Thank you again

I just spoke to an insurance company that said they would insure a car that is permanently based in France that is registered in the UK. Can someone please tell me, if this is the case, why one would go through the process of registering in France. We are looking to buy a used car soon to keep in France and have been very concerned about the form filling and registration process considering our very poor French at the moment. If we could buy a car here in the UK and have it insured indefinitely until we move there permanently, this of coarse would be the easiest option for us or am I missing something?

Just curious, why is Quillan considered South Eastern France? It appears to be located in the South West. On a personal note, I have never been to Quillan (been all around that area). I know it isn't a realistic view by any means but after reading the posts, I looked at a few websites and it looks really beautiful to me.

After reading scare stories and threads regarding paying on the black, it has made us very worried. We are looking for a gardener and have had some very silly quotes for mostly mowing (no horticultural skills needed). Well, we have recieved a quote and it stated, VAT not applicable. The payment would be made by bank transfers so we are not paying cash. What does this mean? I have heard that if you make below a certain level maybe it is not applicable. We just want to make sure we are not doing anything illegal but at the same time do not want to insult the elderly gentlemen who comes recommended. Thanks in advance for any advise.

It looks really lovely. What a great project in a beautiful spot. Good luck to you both.

I just posted this in the SW section and thought I would post it here as well. We have just had a bit of a shock. We have just signed the compromis on a property that is vacant(inheritance situation). The current owners will not be up keeping the garden any longer. While we were there we had a few people over to give us a quote, we have just found out the charges and are a bit shocked. Two were local French people living in the area one is Dutch all recommended by the agent. Can anyone tell me what the going rate is for a gardener these days? We are in the Dordogne about 12km north of Sarlat. If anyone knows of someone reasonable that may be interested we would be most appreciative.

We have just had a bit of a shock. We have just signed the compromis on a property that is vacant(inheritance situation). The current owners will not be up keeping the garden any longer. While we were there we had a few people over to give us a quote, we have just found out the charges and are a bit shocked. Two were local French people living in the area one is Dutch all recommended by the agent. Can anyone tell me what the going rate is for a gardener these days? We are in the Dordogne about 12km north of Sarlat. If anyone knows of someone reasonable that may be interested we would be most appreciative.

Sorry if this has been asked before. We are taking our two dogs with us for the first time. We will be driving back from Dordogne. Considering the 24/48 hour time limit for tick/tapeworm treatment. Can anyone recommend an English speaking Vet in the Dordogne area familiar with this procedure to return to the UK? Thank you again in advance for any advise.