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Fi

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Posts posted by Fi

  1. Are you buying through an agent or privately?  If the former, I would talk to your agent, after this amount of time he/she will probably want to get it off their books! And on a more serious note, they will have a good idea of how desperate or not your vendors are.  We eventually got a reduction of about 20% from the asking price, but our vendors needed to get rid quickly.  A lot depends on the circumstances of your vendors. I'm not sure that the average Vosgien, or any other French person, would take umbrage at a ridiculously low offer, but they might think that you are not serious if you make a really silly offer (e.g. 100K), and become less than friendly. 

    I know there are houses at all prices here, but a quick trawl of immobilier.fr or similar would throw up similar properties in terms of bedrooms, terrain, village, and give you an idea of the going rate.  pap.fr is another good one for private sales.

    If you need any more help, or info about the Vosges, please feel free to pm me.

    Good luck, and I hope it all works out.

    Fi

     

  2. I am about to place an ad on leboncoin.fr for a lawnmower.  No problems with the description,  but I am completely stuck on

    buyer collects

    and

    is there a particular form or words for a receipt?  Assuming someone buys the mower, I will need to give them receipt. Is there a standard form of words, or would something like:  Recu de M xxxx, la somme de  xxxx euros pour autoportee tondeuse Husqvara LT151, signed and dated be acceptable?

    Many thanks

    Fi

  3. Have just received this from one of our many, totally unproductive, listing sites.  I'm sure no-one out there would be daft enough to fall for this, but forewarned if forearmed etc etc!

    ATTENTION ARNARQUE !!!

    Certains d'entre vous nous ont signalĂ© la rĂ©ception  d'un message en anglais suspect en copie ci-dessous.

    Ce message est une demande pour 1 mois de location avec une prise en charge par vos soins du billet d'avion des vacanciers !

    C'est une ARNAQUE, alors surtout n'envoyez aucune somme d'argent sous aucun pretexe !

    "Thanks a lot for your mail and your understanding ,Well am very happy

    to head from you that the property is available from 1st August till 30

    August 2009 and our company has agree to pay you 1900Euros for the

    rental and our company will be responsible for my holiday trip to your

    country ,her told me that the payment will be inform of French Bank

    Check that will covers both the rental asking price and the flight,

    also with the Tax and flight fees will be mail to you by our company

    and after you receive the payment, you should deduct the cost of the

    rental from the said amount and send the balance to our flight agent as

    soon as you received the check and clear it. it will take three to four

    business working days to clears..."

    Fi

  4. [quote user="Wibblywobbly"]This is an interesting thread.

    I am currently in the UK, and have a place that is going to be completely renovated by the end of the year (don't say I am being optimistic...I have had it 7 years!!. It is just the finishing touches).

    I travel to France on Biking hols at least once a year with friends, but we always plump for hotels, or a 'known' place where we  know we will get a good breakfast, and that has excellent eateries just down the road.

    I am wondering how many of you successfully rent to the biking fraternity on a 100% self catering basis? Mine will sleep 4/6, and has plenty of restaurants 3 kms one way, and 10kms the other. But on a purely personal basis, for my own biking trips, it isn't somewhere that I would pick for accomodation, even though the location is perfect. I would love to know how much interest you are getting.

    Rob G

    [/quote]

    I  am not a biker so I cannot be sure, but there could be  price issues

    here.  4 people could share one of my gites for the same price per

    night as 1.5 people in a reasonable b&b. Not a bad payback for

    buying your own croissants!  And of course there is a lot more space to

    call your own.

    We are on http://www.bike-stay.net - look in France, Lorraine, Gerbepal Gites - please do take a look.  We've only been there for a week so it's early days for judging the effectiveness of a particular site.

    Fi

  5. [quote user="jon"]

    Never mind.....I probably misunderstood!

    Not  a problem......I have plenty of interesting projects.

    And there is all the fun of  Aug Brocant in the village...who needs anything else.

     

    [/quote]

    Perhaps I should come to the brocante and try and flog it[:)] - the cutlery I mean.  I've spent all day making lurid cake with the children (hideous stormy weather here) - I think the sugar is getting to me!

    Fi

  6. [quote user="Russethouse"]

     I think you may have misunderstood, my advice would be to search for existing auction houses via www.Interenchere.com

    I'm not sure  but might you have  to be a COMMISSAIRES-PRISEURS  to hold an auction ?

    [/quote]

    I am pretty sure that the auction business in France is very regulated.  My understanding is that joe public can't even bid at property auctions - it is something done by a notaire behind closed doors with much pomp and ceremony.

    However, back to my problem, the next  few sales at the local auction houses (St Die des Vosges and Epinal) seem to be for catering equipment, vehicles and the like.  The nearest nedt silver sale (in June) is in Nancy which is a bit of a drag from here (especially with brats in tow!). I have no idea of the value of this stuff (I "paid" a nominal 200 pounds to my aunt's estate for it), but I think it must be worth more than that, if only for sheer quantity.  Hence my problem - I could go to an antique shop, (it's too good for a brocante), but I would want some idea of the value before going.  I spent a large chunk of yesterday evening trying to make sense of the silver mark (a crown with an 84 underneath in a square) and the maker Boulenger (Paris based end of 19th Century).

    I'm not in a screaming hurry to sell it, but it just seems completly pointless having this stuff gathering dust in a box on top of the wardrobe!

    Fi

       

  7. Here you are (only in French).  I would suggest that you contact your department's GdF office - they are very helpful - even if some of their requirements are rather OTT (pressure cooker, multiple frying pans etc etc) they will give you good advice.    Sorry, can't help with Clevacances - they don'thave much presence here so I didn't bother!

    http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/fr/gites_d_etape_sejour/en_savoir_plus/obtenir_le_label_gites_de_france

    Fi

  8. I have inherited some old French silver cutlery - everything from spoons and forks, to tortoiseshell and silver salad servers, and the thing for holding the ham bone steady.  The knife blades are steel.  It has a nice art nouveau pattern of swirling leaves and flowers.  Being French there isn't a hallmark, but it does have the number 875 ( I think) which I do know refers to the purity of the silver (sterling silver being 925 I think).  There are around 12 place settings plus various servers.  I think it was bought in dribs and drabs, so it is not all one set.  However, this is not something I will ever use - it is sitting in a box on top of my wardrobe tarnishing nicely.  I would like to sell it and use the proceeds to buy some art for the wall which I will enjoy every day.

    This is probably a really bad time to sell, but I haven't a clue about where to go or where to start.  I had thought of Ebay, but I would need to have an idea of value first.

    If anyone can advise me, I would really appreciate it.

    Many thanks.

    Fi

     

  9. Goodness, getting a rating as an independent sounds like a bit of a performance.  GdF have said that they would be able to do a visit in June, and assuming I fulfil their requirements, I would get on the website immediately, official rating etc to follow in due course.  Of course, there is a potential problem - in one of the gites the bathroom opens off the kitchen, and there is no exclusion zone between them which could be a problem. (something done by the previous owners).  The other one should be OK.  Incidentally I have a very ancient pressure cooker in the bits and pieces box - do you think that would suffice?[;-)]

    Many thanks for prompt and useful information as usual.

    Fi

  10. Clair

    Are you registered with your local tourist office?  We are not, but I must go and talk to them soon.  Or perhaps I should go down the GdF route (even though their requirements for kitchen utensils seem a little OTT to me!)  I would assume that I need to have some kind of official registration in order to register with CAF or ANVC. 

    This is our first season and it is definitely a voyage of discovery!

    Many thanks.

  11. Have just an enquiry  asking if we accept les bons de la CAF.  I can work out what they are, that is pretty obvious, but I am not sure how you go about accepting them.  Does anyone know anything about these vouchers?

    Bookings are so slow I'll take anything!

    Fi

  12. [quote user="ErnieY"]

    My understanding, and feel free to correct me please, is that with a UK E106 the UK pays a set amount per person per annum to the French which implies that responsibility for the costs of your health care rests with them on a some you win some you lose basis. Logically therefore it seems to me that the EHIC should be provided by the French.

    The dichotomy seems to arise when it comes to provision of care in UK. Is it really the case or the intent that, despite having paid a lump sum to a 3rd party for your care elsewhere, the NHS is still obliged to pick up the full cost of any treatment you might require whilst there ?  

    [/quote]

    And one assumes the Dutch do the same ..... after all, we are all governed by the same set of European laws and regulations, n'est-ce pas/nicht wahr/aren't we/is niet?

  13. I accept that argument, but when I do everything else to do with healthcare via the French system, it still seems odd that for this I need to go back to the Netherlands (and I don't live there any more thank goodness!).  Every single thing we do is now French based - health/education/family benefits/car registration/mutuelle/money/mortgages etc etc, but not this one item.  However, my other question still stands, why can Judith have her card issued by the French when she has an E106, and I can't?

  14. [quote user="Judith"]Fi,

    I'm here on a E106, so don't see why you should be different unless it's because it's hubby's rather than your own, which is what mine is.  But if you have a CV thye take the soc sec number from that, surely??

    [/quote]

    [quote user="Clair"]I am not sure what you mean by "other people on the E106  have not had this problem".

    The CEAM/EHIC is always issued by the country providing the health cover, not by the country providing the health care.

    Your

    husband's SS number contains information that his cover is provided by

    the Netherlands, so he is likely to get the same refusal.

    [/quote]

    This is what I mean!

    And it still seems illogical for the card not to be issued by the country providing the health care, this is just an extension of that surely?

  15. [quote user="Clair"][quote user="Fi"]I just tried to get cards for the family and I have been told we can't have them from CPAM because we have our CV via an E106 (my husband works in The Hague) and we need to apply to the Dutch authorities[/quote]

    Your E106 andyour cover are provided by the Netherlands, so you are under their health umbrella rather than under the French health umbrella and your CEAM has to be issued by the Netherlands.

    As far as general health costs are concerned, France claims back from the Netherlands.

    [/quote]

    I know that, but I still don't understand why they won't issue the CEAM on the same basis as providing health cover (i.e. claiming back any costs from the Netherlands).  It seems other people on the E106  have not had this problem.  Or perhaps if my husband makes the call as the card is in his name, that would make a difference? 

  16. [quote user="Judith"]Fi,

    I'm here on a E106, so don't see why you should be different unless it's because it's hubby's rather than your own, which is what mine is.  But if you have a CV thye take the soc sec number from that, surely??

    [/quote]

    I did quote the number from the CV (which I hold because his nibs has no use for it in NL) and I was effectively refused.  Very confusing.  Even though it will be too late for this trip, perhaps I should go to the CPAM permanence in the nearest town and get them to sort it out.  I was going to apply on line but as previously mentioned, you need access codes which are sent by snail mail (very high tech).

  17. I just tried to get cards for the family and I have been told we can't have them from CPAM because we have our CV via an E106 (my husband works in The Hague) and we need to apply to the Dutch authorities (boo hoo, not an experience I am looking forward to).  This seems a bit strange to me - are there 'grades' of CV which dictate what you can apply for?  It seems odd that I can go to the doctor/hospital and have expensive treatment here without any problem, but I can't get a card which states I have health cover in one EC country so I am covered for an emergecy in another.   I just hope nothing bad happens on a forthcoming trip to the UK - I know the Dutch will be difficult in the extreme and it will take an eon or 3 to get anything out of them.  Or perhaps I should just try again tomorrow and speak to a different operator?

  18. [quote user="Scooter"]Bike Stay France is an excellent site and not that expensive.

    Hope this helps.

    Scooter[/quote]

    Have you any experience of the site?  It looks quite good, but it does seem rather light in terms of numbers of properties listed.  However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing,  and I can tailor our usual package to suit bikers' needs  (bloke started warbling on about getting trickle charger (I think that's what he said) and various other esoteric-sounding equipments - just hope they're very cheap), I was thinking more along the lines of shorter stays, and providing basic supplies because of the obvious limitations on luggage for this type of client.

    Thanks for the help!

    Fi

  19. We have 2 gites with garages in the Vosges.  The mountains seem to be full of people on bikes having a lovely time on the roads and passes.  (And only 6 hours in a car from Calais, probably quicker on a bike).     My husband is an ex-biker and he does have the occasional drooly moment when driving around in our boring Zafira!.  Have taken on board previous comments about bike clubs/forums/organsiations in the UK, and I will investigate them, but does anyone know the equivalent organisations in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and  Switzerland?   This is a part of France which seems to be thorougly ignored by most Brits (they don't know what they're missing), but the Dutch, Belgians, Swiss and Germans seem to be more discerning [;-)] - go on, prove me wrong!

    The Tour de France is passing through too this year, but that's a different kind of bike of course!

    Thanks

    Fi

  20. English here not a problem.  Both children (9 & 6) more than happy to read in English, write letters in English, speak English.  Now try getting them to speak/read/write French.  Stubborn doesn't begin to describe it.  I know there's a lot of knowledge in those beautiful heads, but how to unlock it? Incidentally we have been here for 6 months, they attend the local primary, have extra lessons in French, I speak French to them and all I get is "no, not now, I understand but can't be bothered" etc etc etc.  Something has to give - probably my sanity!  [8-)]

  21. Anglo info for this part of the world (Alsace Lorraine) is tiny (3600 registered users and only about 10 of those seem to post on the forum - very cosy!)  and there appears to be nothing in its for sale section.   I will try TF, and some of the French sites suggested. 

    Many thanks for the suggestions.

    Fi

  22. [quote user="Will"]

    Be careful about the 'mouton tondeuse' option, you might end up with an Australian sheep shearer. [:D]

    [/quote]

    Hmmmm, maybe not.  Reminds in a strange way of the time I asked for something feminine but practical (i.e. cashmere sweater) for Christmas and was presented with a pair of pink flowery wellies ..... 

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