House sale

[woolybanana]

Sale agreed in late August, after about a month on the market; price very fair.

BUT only today did I sign the compromis as there have been so many delays and downright cockups such as notaires getting details wrong, translating documents, documents incorrectly signed......

Never happened to me before.

But it was not improved by my decision to use my notaire and the buyers to use theirs.

So, have now pulled out almost all my remaining hair and had a couple of heart attacks.

Many thanks to Catherine at Agence Newton for getting it this far; she has held the buyers hands right throughout.

And bigggg thanks to Angela for keeping me sane and grounded.

Now there is just one problem; I can't find anywhere to live that I like!

[alittlebitfrench]

Franche-Comté is fab. Alsace is sublime. The vosges not so bad.

[Judith]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

Now there is just one problem; I can't find anywhere to live that I like![/quote]

We have a house for sale down south ...-:) !!

[woolybanana]

Thanks Judith but I have to be withing 3 hours or so of Brussels as the kids are getting rather cross that the old man is not there to babysit and to carryout other old man duties.

[woolybanana]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]Franche-Comté is fab. Alsace is sublime. The vosges not so bad.[/quote]

And the climate in winter!

[alittlebitfrench]

Cold......but it is cold all over France in the winter. A couple of degrees here or there does not change much in the grand scheme of things.

But, if there is one thing I need when living in France is the 4 seasons. Only these regions of France will give you that. I would rather be cold and happy than lukewarm and depressed in winter.

[Debra]

You'll have at least six or seven weeks before you have to move, won't you?  My completion date was seven weeks after signing the compromis de vente and when I started nagging about an appointment to sign the acte de vente, they told me that the maire has two months to reply about whether he wants the property or not and it's not polite to chase him up.  So why say the acte de vente date will be 'no later than....' a date less than two months away?

[Judith]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Thanks Judith but I have to be withing 3 hours or so of Brussels as the kids are getting rather cross that the old man is not there to babysit and to carryout other old man duties.[/quote]

If I were you (and I know I'm not!), I wouldn't be too keen to get close just to babysit - you never know where it might end up!  Being close to see more of the family is another matter of course!

But then, if you are close enough, but not too close to babysit often, they would have to come and see you, wouldn't they??  Works both ways!

Maybe you should draw a circle 3hrs away from Brussels and see where that gets you - then ask for advice on those areas?? HTH.

[YCCMB]

As I lived full time in the Vosges for quite a while many years ago, (Epinal, if it makes the slightest difference) I can say that it is quite picturesque but it has a climate that is much the same as Manchester for 9 months of the year. Not for nothing was it one of the centres of the cotton industry....

I notice that 99% of my contemporaries (if Copains d'avant is a barometer) have upped sticks and fled from there to more temperate regions.

[woolybanana]

Thanks for the input guys, I have already decided that the area round the Baie de Somme would do nicely; it is about 3hours from Brussels, has decent motorways and is close to the Tunnel in case I need to get away!!!

[mint]

Good choice, Wools, I do think the Baie de Somme looks to be a peaceful, watery sort of place that could be stunning.

Doggies will have lots of opportunities to swim and lark around.

I have seen some unusual things there on Echappeés Belles, like floating market stalls, which I thought very picturesque and even a bit exotique.

[woolybanana]

Hello Nimt, how ya doin? I assume you have covered yourself in floorstain and rolled on the new floor with the idea that it is much more fun to do it that way than painting it th old fashioned way? And that OH stood there playing a sailor's hornpipe on his fiddle? Hmmmmmm

Actually, the Baie d'Authie is glorious too, often much emptier than Baie de Somme as more difficult of access.

Going up next week to look at some places. Inshallah, I shall be successful this time.

[idun]

WB, good luck with your house hunting. [:D]

[alittlebitfrench]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]As I lived full time in the Vosges for quite a while many years ago, (Epinal, if it makes the slightest difference) I can say that it is quite picturesque but it has a climate that is much the same as Manchester for 9 months of the year. Not for nothing was it one of the centres of the cotton industry....

I notice that 99% of my contemporaries (if Copains d'avant is a barometer) have upped sticks and fled from there to more temperate regions.[/quote]

My mother in law is from the Vosges (not far from Epinal) so I know the area quite well. Spent many a summer there.

I would agree it is quite cold and area is more for the outdoor type. Gerardmer is lovely.

I love the East of France. I amazed why more expats are not attracted there. I would move there tomorrow. Just for the food.

I have never really understood the mass expat exodus to SW France. Given the beauty of whole country you would think there would be more of a balance of expats across France. Climate is not the reason. I watch the Meteo.

[Quillan]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]I have never really understood the mass expat exodus to SW France. Given the beauty of whole country you would think there would be more of a balance of expats across France. Climate is not the reason. I watch the Meteo.[/quote]

 

Down to that well known TV show where some bright spark said the SW of France gets 300 days of sunshine a year. Well it's sunny at the moment but only 5 deg but really you have to go the other side of the Pyrenees.  I read somewhere years ago that 1 in 3 Brits leave after a few years because the weather is not what they thought it would be but then you only have to look around to see it is very green which should be a big hint. Many of the advert for houses mention how far they are from the ski slopes, that should be another hint. That said the winters seem to be a lot shorter followed by rain and the last three or four years have been very mild compaired to the -12 to -17 we have had in the past.

[alittlebitfrench]

I think there is a snobbery factor as well.

I live in SW France. I live in the Dordogne. I live in the Lot et Garonne. I live in the Gard.

I live in Franche Comte. That is not going to impress anyone in a pub.

[Quillan]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]I think there is a snobbery factor as well. I live in SW France. I live in the Dordogne. I live in the Lot et Garonne. I live in the Gard. I live in Franche Comte. That is not going to impress anyone in a pub.[/quote]

 

Not much snobbery round here with unemployment of 28% plus and house prices still dropping with properties worth the same or less than they were ten years ago. What draws them I think is that you can get a much bigger bang for your buck down here as there are a loads of large properties around that are not selling. That said I heard that the Dordogne has now been renamed Dordogneshire. [;-)] The place does little for me, drove through it, looked at a couple of properties then kept on going. Different courses for different horses I suppose. That said many from there come to here for their holidays which is good for my bank account.

[idun]

Now, ALBF, why should anywhere in France impress anyone. Most are very ignorant about France anyway. I lived in the Alpes, but there are parts of the Alpes where I would never ever want to live.

I'm afraid, just the idea of Dordogneshire, fills me with dread. I am usually told on here that it isn't like that, but it still puts me off.

Franche Comté sounds rather nice to me, and IF I was going to be snobby, which I am not, I could say it it hugs the swiss border, also it would give a geographical reference for those that did not know...... and that wouldn't be snobby just informative. Also you have the lovely dept of the Doubs, which sounds like something from a Sacha Distel song!![Www]

[Gardengirl]

Snobbery factor?

I can't imagine anyone boasting about living in the Gard or anywhere else in France, why would one? I tell people who ask that we aren't far from Nimes/Avignon/the Pont du Gard - sometimes they've heard of them, mostly not. French people sometimes comment about the Gard being a lovely area, speak about the various dreadful floods we've had here etc - but they aren't impressed - again, why would they be?

You seem to have an odd idea about English or British people living in France - I don't think I know anyone who would boast about where they live, they probably aren't my sort of people anyway. I wouldn't boast about living in Berkshire either.I think you must know the wrong sort of English/Scots etc. Maybe you know some who are in cliques of British people and think everyone is like them ........

By the way, I used to know the Franch-Comté reasonably well, having taken a caravan there over a period of years by the River Ognon, where our sons used to spend a lot of time in the canoe each day in the summer. We spent time in the Jura, Haute-Saône and Doubs, lovely area, lovely people.

[NormanH]

for WB:

There are Ryan air flights from Carcassonne to Brussels..

You don't have to live physically close.

[Gardengirl]

WB, I meant to wish you good luck with your house-hunting expedition.

In the Bay of Somme I love the nature reserve, the Parc du Marquenterre, with my special favourites, the huge numbers of herons and the white spoonbills, really special.

The Baie d'Authie has many excellent walks and we've enjoyed bird watching there too.

[alittlebitfrench]

Ok...Ok.....OK..... it is not snobbery or climate.

Why do most expats live/want to live in SW France?

It is a fair question.

[NormanH]

I am not an "expat". That word is part of the snobbery.

I am an immigrant.

The climate where I live is excellent so it can't be dismissed summarily.

What evidence have you for the assertion that 'most' want to live in SW France?

What are the figures and what is their source?

[Gardengirl]

I can only tell you why we bought in the Gard. We thought we would buy in the Drôme, as we visited friends there quite often and loved the area around Dieulefit particularly. When a property we wanted to buy fell through, we couldn't find anywhere we really fancied.

Then one lunchtime at work my husband saw an advert for a new apartment block in our little town in the Gard. We'd visited for many years, way before much of the renovation work was done here in town, had always liked it, popped in whenever in striking distance, but didn't think we could afford to buy here.

New build, secure when not there, no work to match the work at our house in England, within budget .........

We flew out about 4 days later, checked the exact position, decided which apartment we wanted and that was thI can only tell you why we bought in the Gard. We thought we would buy in the Drome, as we visited friends there quite often and loved the area around Dieulefit particularly. When a property we wanted to buy fell through, we couldn't find anywhere we really fancied.

Then one lunchtime at work my husband saw an advert for a new apartment block in our little town in the Gard. We'd visited for years, way before much of the renovation work was done and had always liked it, popped in whenever in striking distance, but didn't think we could afford to buy there.

New build, secure when not there, no work to do like at our house and garden in England .........

We flew out about 4 days later, checked the exact position, decided which apartment to buy, and that was that. We now realise that where we thought to buy in the Drôme wouldn't have been right for us.

I expect everyone's story is totally different. By the way, why don't people buy fir the climate in their area? We love the weather here, even the big storms, but we have enormous amounts of sun, eat outdoors on our south-facing and very sheltered balcony at all periods of the year, albeit with a fleece on in the coldest times. MeteoFrance is so wrong so often about weather here............

[alittlebitfrench]

Gardengirl

That is proper living in France. An appartement as a second home in France is the way to go...IMHO.

Norman..

I have no Stats...just asking why no immigrants on Forums are looking for an English speaking Electrician or hairdresser in Franche comté.

I caught a plane last year from Southampton to Nantes. The planes leaving before mine were for Bergerac, Limoges, Poiters, and Clermont. They were full to bursting with English speaking immigrants....with loads of kids. My flight to to one of the top 3 places to live in France was half empty.....mostly French. LOL.