Dee

Great spelling...and an English degree does not make a good person or a happy person....some of the brightest people make gramatical mistakes. Back to property....I am arriving Sunday night armed with house purchasing equipment...have rented a car from Bergearc airport and have booked a few hotels having explored the relevant internet sights.It will be good to see what the level of hospitality on offer is this summer.Our last visit was just before easter and some of the interesting  hotels were not operational. What I have done.....apart from the obvious is to provide a character sketch for some of the agents......capture their imagination and suddenly things begin to happen.We have been offered a property which was viewed by the agent just yesterday and is not officially on the market just yet.Exciting.So off I go to try to find a great property.

Afy what brought you to France .....and what  did you not enjoy about your stay there.What do you plan to do now.

I was not in accorde with Mr. Plod...by the way, I guesse it depends on what you have to offer....it is all about give and take.

Exactly..............almost exactly

Can I explain..I try to do a good job...as bestas I can....and it is certainly not all about  money....In London I could have opened a fast food restaurant and made a fourtune but I pprefered the pleasure of producing really good food and a fun atmosphere ..I worked harder but I got pleasure I like working. Of course...what you read is what you get......but many people seem to find something which does not exsist.I am exspresive and wish that others were the same...the world would be even more enjoyable.I live in London where there are people and activities everywhere ...very difficult to become bored but many people are lonely. I am afraid that many people see/imagine that Estate agents are rougish.I am mearley explaining that my intentions of selling properties would involve having fun and helping people at the same time.Books enter your lives and fill your world with inspiration.Being open and informative works the same way.

I do not think that it is fair to think that people buy a property, move to France and open their doors with the idea that money will roll in for B and B. I HAVE STAYED in many places all over France where the sheets are past frowing out time, the towels  are lacking in quantity and not changed and look and feel like grey typing paper...lack of toiletries, lack of natural light, shabby interior design.Breakfast ...everything courtersy of the freezer and supermarket.Ok 60. or 70 euros  a night...staying 3 nights...money for old rope.I would prefer to pay more and get a good exsperience. Come to FRANCE and enjoy France....add to the comunity and show everyone that you are enjoying being in France.Use local produce...use imaginations...make the gardens, house and room delightfull.

When I  purchase my property in France I will be operating  a bed and breakfast operation...with cookery tutorial.I will not attempt...or even exspect to find clients  amongst readers of this forum. My interest in French property and the exploration of the  beauty and variation of these properties  has led me to the idea that I might be good at selling them:but  I do not have the heart or the intentions of becoming a rogue!Whatever I do... I do it properly.Once again this forum is not the place where I will find clients.I have been in buisness for some years and have lots of ideas.I am allways interested to learn about the thoughts of others.That is....is it not what this forum is about?To help other people and to placate friendship.That is.....exactly why I am writing here.

We sold our property near Cancale......nearer to Vivier ...actually Cherrieux and it was the mill kust opposite to the bay.Completely  empty of people untill at least May...interesting spot.Cancale really bustles in the summer........ There is a very particular sort of person who owns a successfull restarant and that is a person who enjoys working very hard....and the partner too.

Shimble........ you  have mentioned that it is difficult financially running a restautant in France.I can not talk of the whole of England but I can certainly tell you about London where I ran a type of retsaurant with 5 tables!My RENT and rates where 32,000 pounds per year.The refuse collection was another matter... and payable seperately and there was constant disruption of trade due to road repairs...which were related to fixing the Thames water problems.We had been  trading just over two months....had turential rain and our basement was seriously flooded.Our product was a little different...infact we were a Tratuer/cafe and we prepared  almost everything in our kitchen....confit, terrines...salads...pies...flans...cakes but we imported lots of French and Italian goodies ...the shop be came like Aladins cave....that is Aladin enjoyed his food. Saturday was crazy busy but every day was really hard work as three of us would spend an hour and a half every evening cleaning.Health and safety very important.There is, of course massive competition in England as every other person is an entrepreneur or a chef.Whether you are in France or England an d you want to make a living it is not wise to be shy of hard work.       

A pitch for buisness Mr Zoff.....what buisbess am I pitching for.I am merely being open  and speaking my mind.

As I have mentioned...It is not the case of looking and checking it is about  a little dirty dancing and a preferance factor....that the French agent is more interested in the well being of his French vendor...and the agent is rather more attracted to the 7 percent than a healthy friendship with the purchaser.Eyes open and looking in all diirections everything can be wonderful.I know all this from experience.However Estate agents are the same ALL over the world.I am going to sell houses probably ...because  I love the work...searching...matching and seeing people happy...helping them to achieve happiness. Got my first property for sale .

best way!!!!!!!!!!!

What/how is the beat way to find your dream property?

Interested to know  who is opperating cookery tutorial.....in the Bodeaux /Bergerac area.....hopefully to look for property with some distance between us.Or maybe form an association rather than a comppetition?

I am finding that  there does not seem to be new irrivals on the scene when it comes to property.The same houses are on with several agents.This is the time of the year for house hunting.Is it....a buyers market ?

I am very sorry but I can not agree with you.......as much as I really and truely want to be living in France...and really soon...estate agents...can and often  be rogues and they will tell you anything to get a compromis signed! It is about once bitten be extreemly careful.I certainly can tell a story about our first purchase in Charente.......where...perhaps the English...at that point in time did not seem very welcome.We had a crazy situation with our seller...not a very nice lady, estate agent certainly no better and notaire part of the same family metaphoricaly speaking.Having said that we were not welcome we made friends with most of the neighbours and enjoyed each others company as we learnt to speak some French.Good food is a univeral language.When you are purchasing property you have to be firm and stand-up for yourself......it is not a game and it is n ot easy.There are agents who are not very happy about dealing with me because I will not go all the way to France to view a property having seen  just vague two pictures and a brief descript...not knowing what surrounds the house...size of rooms and wether it is located in a convenient spot for me.Moving countries is a big step and, of course is very costly so there will be many questions.The agents are so vaguue most of the time it is bazaar. Does anybody have the true story of  Estate agents, the ethics,qualifications and the British versions, the associations etc.........I have a very good idiea of the difference between the    English brokers and the French Estate agents but I need a clelarer and complete picture. I do believe that if you are proposing to earn leats say 50.000 euros on a 700.000 euro property there should be a great deal of knowlledge /info to offer about the property...the location and everything related ...... However false information is not on.

Does any one know about the procedure in obtaining the liscence to provide evening meals?

James what sort of property are yopu looking for......I feel that maybe I can direct you to a good agency...as I have been in touch with so many.There are one or two companies which call themselves agencies but they work as brokers and usually know almost nothing about the properties....which could have been sold  ages ago.

by the way ...have you Wen a property for sale./?

Wen.....most people cater for p;eople with kids......and I am not so sure they need pampering and fine dinning? Very sorry to tell you that I have no intention of working 80 hours per week 52 weeks of the year.....and I am sure that you eould be exagerating if you insited that you did.You p robably work real hard in summer and slow down after that.

It is very obvious that we all have different projects and we like varying  properties and that we go/come to France with different dreams.Having spent a great number of years working 80 hours each week in the catering industry in London a 40 hour week seems like a semi-retirement project.I still love cooking and providing a great inviroment for like-minded people and that is why my searching will end....this year ..I hope! I will be providing good old fashioned comfort:little extra touches, rooms which are welcoming, a touch of coulour and when old meets modern and becomes good friends...a place where the visitors feel free to wonder around, read, play music.....have a facial/massage/reflexology.I will arrange visits to the markets......meals in authentic family restaurants...they can sail along the Arachon Bay and then enjoy its oystersand champagne.... Dinner 5 /6 courses....pre dinner drinks and amouse bouche in the garden.....wines which match each course.Coffee and sweet-meats in the lounge...chatter...board games.Does somebody play guitar?We have a travelling MINSTRAL from La Test...Our style of cooking is modern French cuisine but we are not afraid of tradition. Hopefully when we come to France in 9 days time we can find the property which will  be just right for our project.Many estate agents find it difficult to believe how hard it is get their propertiies rejected and some will got cross with me because they are unable to grasp exactly what I want.I have seen many a propeprty which was close enough to a train-line that it could have been a waiting room.Then there have been the proppertiies which are 15 kilometers from the nearest Boulangerie and just by a pig farm.We do make bread....however there will be many occassion when we will buy it.We have turned down many houses ......at interenet viewing looked interesting......we have been in touch with hundreds of Estate Agents and stayed in many hotel, chateaux and B and Bs whilst searching.This is part of the story of our search. What I would like to say about room fees extra is.......It depends on what you offer.....and go with the flow.  

regarding the sign of the twins.....Gemini...Could...and probably relates to a stonge willed person, open, direct...a person who really enjoys sharing..

Is it ......in the area of Bordeaux...and around a buyers market or a sellers market?

another  e mail address is [email protected]               if you are having trouble with my  em ail address.

there are a lot of houses for sale but maybe the large manor/gironde style properties are over poriced?