gail_h

Just looking at some details for a property which states this: There is no mains drainage in this area so the property will require an individual drainage system. How does this work? Is it costly? Is that the same as having a fosse? Scuse my ignorance, I don't have much idea about drains and sewerage! [:$]

[quote user="Rob Roy"]I don't quite understand why you all feel you need to use a UK lawyer using up hard earned income on their fees. It is like using the UK based 'hand holding' agencies who claim to help you after the purchase, charging you for the priviledge, when any decent French immobilier will do the same thing. What is wrong with using a French based avocat (one who can speak English if you prefer), if you feel you need anyone?   A lot cheaper, and the real expert on the job.[/quote] My reasons are simple, although I have been learning French I do not kow enough to be confident to complete a house purchase in France. We need to sort out our wills at the same time (something we haven't done in th UK yet) which to me would be best done at the same time as sorting out our French inheritance. What I also need to do is make sure that at least one of our houses is protected from reposession should the worst happen to our business (not that I can see anyway that can happen but its always best to be sure). So basically I need somebody or a firm who is proficient in both UK and French law. Luckily in this case we are not applying for a mortgage. Lastly, somebody I know bought a house in France a couple of years ago. The lady who owned the house sold it twice and took both deposits, she sold it first to my friend then for a much higher price to another other couple. The lady obviously wanted to sell at the higher price and fought tooth and nail not to sell to my friend, she let the other couple move in rent free to try and make my friend pull out (which I believe would have lost them their deposits) and all sorts of tricks. Having a good UK lawyer to my friend was essential. It took about 18 months-2 years to sort it out in the end. I need somebody protecting my interests and my business and if I have to pay for the privilege then so be it.

Brilliant responses! After some discussion we decided we don't mind not being near the sea  but we do want to have things to see by us, places we can take visitors, such as Chateaux, historical towns, good walks with views etc. We have started compiling a list of must haves as per all your advice. For me broadband internet access is top of the list as I am an internet programmer. I would dearly love something else to be top of the list but being able to work is a priority as it is for most people! We are planning to go in October for a couple of weeks just to check out the central loire and maybe get in touch with some estate agents in areas we like, then maybe go again in January to check out the area in wintertime. We are not in a particular rush but finding the perfect place quickly would be great, of course it would, but i am the sort of person who likes to take time over a decision even if I do get frustrated! Thank you all for taking the time to reply to my frustrations! All your advice is very welcome as we start our journey into french property owning! [:)]

We stayed near Carcasonne last year, tell them to avoid going in sept. It rained HEAVILY every day but 2 out of 10. Apparently sept is their rainy season! [:P]

Ooh nearly forget, I think I might be with you  Leo on the good weather thing! [:)]

Well we don't want to rush particularly but I would like to go over asap to take a look around the different areas and try and focus my mind! Plus I haven't had a holiday this year so I have itchy feet and a longing for some french culture, spectacular views etc! [:D]

As per my last post we have some cash to play with so want to buy a property in France as a second home (probably more than a holiday home - I am in the enviable position of being able to work wherever I want so anticipate being there quite a lot). We don't have a lot of cash but enough I think to buy something. Now I feel like a kid in a candy store! So many properties just on the internet alone! How on earth do you concentrate the mind? We can't decide on a full barn renovation or a small cottage/town house. We can't decide between Normandy or into Loire. We have been to and love both. I love the Dordogne region but as we want to drive most times we visit feel that it may be just too much travelling! Le Havre/Dieppe to say Blois or you know in that sort of distance we could cope with. How d you choose between sligtly better weather or closer to the ports? My mind is in turmoil! I am sure the perfect property will turn up but I am the sort of person who gets bewildered by the vast array of bread in the supermarket, wholemeal or wholegarin? batch with sunflowers or multigrain? so this is like a nightmare to me! [:$] The worst of it is, we can't get over to view anything until October so now I have ants in my pants to boot! [:P]

I realise a lot of people go ahead with their purchase without UK assistance but can anybody reccommend a good specialist UK/France lawyer for buying property? We don't have a straightforward purchase as my husband is self-employed and want to put our french home in my name only as a safety net so if disaster happens in the future we have a house paid for in cash that we can either sell or move to  (I am not anticipating disaster we are just making sure we have all bases covered). I know that this could affect inheritance tax so really I need to go ahead with the best advice I can get, as, I read in a book that even what you state as marital status in the first form can affect inheritance etc i.e. thay have two states of being married and who owns what. Also I read that more and more people are getting their lawyers to hold the deposit and take care of the money and transfers as they can get better rates on exchange as they are doing it a lot and the money can arrive faster so that would be interesting to us too. Could anybody also outline the rough costs involved of involving a UK lawyer? Do they work it out at a percentage of the house price such as tey do in the UK? Lastly has anybody had any experience with using Britline? I am quite apprehensive about the whole process, we will be paying for the house cash but only have a relatively small budget,  so having rough costs outlined will be a great help!