KathyC

[quote user="catalpa"][quote user="KathyC"]Interesting that you use the term "home" to refer to the UK. [/quote] Why? I'd say it's entirely normal. At this time, home is the UK for the OP. [blink] [/quote] Yes, of course you're right. I was projecting into the future.

Interesting that you use the term "home" to refer to the UK. Don't you think that , if you live in France for many years,  it will become "home" for you?

Presumably if it's going to affect the property's value in the future, then it's affecting it now. If this means that the proximity of the yard is reflected in the price of this property, it should mean that you're getting more for your money here than elsewhere. If this isn't the case then I would question the purchase but if you're getting a super house for a very good price then it could be worthwhile going ahead with it.

To be fair to Chessfou he did say he was talking about people without dependants (although I agree with you about late babies being more common these days). I just don't think that having dependents is the only reason for life assurance. If  a couple can't manage on one salary in their twenties, I don't see much reason why this shouldn't still be the case in their fifties. Not everybody has stratospheric career paths or manages their finances brilliantly. Enough digression; UK it is and read the small print. Thanks everybody.

[quote user="Russethouse"]  I could be wrong but in Kathys situation isn't she looking for finance for her husband to pay for help should she 'go' first ? I think Chessfou is being very optomistic. At 50 I still had two financially dependant children as well as mortgage etc...... [/quote] Spot on RH, got it in one! It was also the assumption that those over 50 were set up for life that bothered me as well. Something about not knowing how the other half live?

[quote user="chessfou"][quote]I'm happy that this doesn't seem to be your situation but you shouldn't make assumptions, much less offer advice, based solely on your own situation. Life assurance to cover a large IHT bill would be something most people could only dream of! You seem to be leading a very sheltered life![KathyC][/quote] NB - I offered no advice (beyond asking the question whether or not life assurance was actually needed - there are hordes of financial salesmen out there happy to sell unnecessary LA to the gullible). I also made no assumptions (statistically, those aged 50+ generally do not need life assurance - that is not an "assumption" just a statement of fact). "Sheltered" - haha, no; "privileged," yes.[/quote ] Not meaning to be argumentative, but I'm interested in what statistics you're talking about and how they become a statement of fact.. It seems to me that if you have a couple on average salaries of £24,000 and £19,000, for example, they might be rubbing along quite well but would be in difficulties if one of them should die without life assurance. Neither of them would be the dependent of the other but they'd be mutually dependent on having both incomes. Don't forget that 1 in 6 people over pension age are still paying a mortgage, much less those who are still in their 50s. I accept that you weren't giving advice in the financial sense but I think that your statements are flawed.  

Chessfou, you assume that everybody over the age of 50 is comfortably off. Many people of our age still have large mortgages and would have some difficulty in supporting even a single person household on one salary.Not everybody has good benefits through their employment either. I'm happy that this doesn't seem to be your situation but you shouldn't make assumptions, much less offer advice, based solely on your own situation. Life assurance to cover a large IHT bill would be something most people could only dream of! You seem to be leading a very sheltered life!

Thanks LL, that's the sort of thing I wanted to know.

[quote user="chessfou"][quote]I'll need to take out further term life assurance[KathyC][/quote] Are you sure you actually need any life assurance? Very, very few people in their 50s need it. Sorry, I can't answer the question you actually asked. [/quote] I'd have to disagree with you in general and, more particularly, in my own case where I have a disabled husband. Why do you think this?

As I'll lose the life cover element of my pension when I leave work next month, I'll need to take out further term life assurance. Does anybody know whether it'd be easier, better, cheaper taking it out in the UK rather than in France?  I'm 56 and will be looking for a 10 year term.

We bought a wall mounted split air conditioning unit in Brico depot for 175E!

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"] You go online and speak to a doctor who never gets to see you and he prescribes drugs over the internet? Personally, I wouldn't touch this with the proverbial barge pole, where is the drug authentication in all this, are the drugs those approved by NICE and the FDA or the crappy cut drugs from Mexico, India even Greece and other weird places where the veracity of the meds can't be verified?? [/quote] I belong to a COPD forum which is largely American; many people there order meds from ADC in India (because of costs in USA) and are very satisfied with them. For various reasons we've ordered a couple of things and have been very pleased. I understand your point but you shouldn't generalise.

[quote user="Smiley"] Our cleaner takes between 4-5 hours to clean a 4 bed, 3 bathroom house. Occassionally she will charge a little more if the house has been left excessively dirty or more than expected laundry has been used etc. [/quote] Now that sounds more like it!

[quote user="james_robins"]hi all, with regards to work, most of what i do is on the internet and i will be doing this in france, as well as freelance web design so i do not need to find a job in the area as my uk company will continue to pay me. [/quote] You lucky so and so!

[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="KathyC"] [quote user="cooperlola"]I've never had a gite but I find this interesting.  I used to clean houses for a living (for a year or two before I left the UK).  Most clients expected to have their houses cleaned from top to bottom in 4 hours max. (And with a lot of personal belongings about, they were very fiddly to do in some cases.)[/quote] Having worked occasionally as a cleaner myself, I have to agree with you. Unless outside work is included, I can't possibly see how it could take anything like this amount of time. Perhaps the people who take this long to do things have never been directly employed by somebody who wanted the work done efficiently and speedily! [/quote]That must be it.  We've rented a lot of cottages in our time.  When I left one of them - 2 receptions, 3 bedrooms, kitchen and 2 bathrooms - two girls arrived to clean.  They were doing 5 cottages between 10 am and 4 pm on a contract basis.  Similarly the owners obviously weren't expecting them to take 2 hours a room![/quote] You should see the speed they have to do caravans on the Isle of Wight! Not too sure of the end result though.

Tony, you may be right about prices if you're talking about pretty country cottages of the type older Brits usually go for. However, these might not be so suitable for a young man of James' age. In and around our area there is plenty of choice of habitable houses in the towns for less than 120,000E and there's a commutable train service of less than an hour into Bordeaux if needed. I haven't used this agency but their site is very handy for searching the different areas. http://www.bourse-immobilier.fr/liste/liste_biens.aspx?typeTri=3&natureBien=1&lieu=mussidan%20(24)&surface=0&prix=120000&PageStart=1&ordre=0 I totally agree with your comments about work and language skills.

[quote user="Blanche Neige"]Compared with sitting for hours on end in South or North terminal I know which I would choose! Plenty to occupy one's time in downtown Reigate...........at least for half a day! Two trains per hour and not that far by taxi either.[:)][/quote]  I thought Anton said his break would be between 0100 and 0600. Do you know something about Reigate that I don't?[:D]

[quote user="Blanche Neige"]  "B A still the most price competative scheduled airline but still face a long time hanging round Gatwick"   Anton, how many hours in total?  Would it worthwhile going out to a nearby town for a breather? If so I would suggest catching the train to Reigate. [/quote] Wow Blanche, you really know how to have a good time![:D]  

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]And cycling proficiency has been brought back in and it's road based this time around.[/quote] Could they get the grown ups to do it as well? Please!!

[quote user="Nich1"] We have a 3 bedroom farmhouse and it takes 2 of us about 6 hrs each to clean before new guests. We work as a team, my wife does the beds, kitchen crockery and bathrooms. I do the cobwebs, dusting hoovering windows etc. Don't now what we will do next year when we let the Gite as well.   [/quote] Assuming you have 6 rooms to do, this works out at 2 hours per room. I appreciate that you can spend that long on a dirty kitchen but what could possibly take that long in a bedroom?

[quote user="cooperlola"]I've never had a gite but I find this interesting.  I used to clean houses for a living (for a year or two before I left the UK).  Most clients expected to have their houses cleaned from top to bottom in 4 hours max. (And with a lot of personal belongings about, they were very fiddly to do in some cases.)[/quote] Having worked occasionally as a cleaner myself, I have to agree with you. Unless outside work is included, I can't possibly see how it could take anything like this amount of time. Perhaps the people who take this long to do things have never been directly employed by somebody who wanted the work done efficiently and speedily!

[quote user="Loiseau"][quote user="postie"] ...hope to be move to our house in Le Vendee early next year. ...don't get much time in Le Vendee ... [/quote] Hi Darryl and Charmian, At the risk of being thought nit-picking, I just thought I'd point out that it's LA Vendee!  [;-)] Good luck with the move Angela www.the-vendee.co.uk [/quote] And Zimbabwe!

[quote user="suzi05"]  I have to say though that we don't make any money at it (we charge 28€ a head for adults) but it's pretty good fun getting to meet everyone!   [/quote] Wow, that must be one hell of a meal if you don't make any profit at those prices! What are you feeding them?

As the OP listed teaching French as one of the options I would assume that learning the language would not be a problem! There have also been several threads on here about gaining employment for an English qualified nurse so this would also be a possibility, if a somewhat lengthy procedure.

[quote user="moya"]   I would say that unless you are fluent in French and have an idea as to how the purchasing of property works out there, please find a trusworthy agent to work on your behalf and then you are far less likely to fall prey to the likes of the Dodgy Dutchman and his ilk. [/quote] But surely it's not the role of the agent to "work on your behalf"? I'd be most unhappy if I was selling a property (in any country) and found that my agent put the purchaser's interests first!