gail_h Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 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] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEO Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Near to ferry ports versus better weather?If I was starting again there is no doubt in my mind whatsover ..better weather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somme man Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Hi Gail.Congratulations on making the decision to purchase a property in France.I can fully understand your wish to speed the process along, however my experience of people who rush into a purchase abroad is that they do not obtain every item on their wish list and will ultimately be asking "what if" and not fully enjoying the wonderful experience that they have invested in.It took us 4 years of searching and numerous visits to get our perfect property which ticked all of the boxes we had agreed.Because of the vast array of properties available you can afford to be prescriptive within reason about location and type of property but you must be 100% sure before you start the process.I wish you all the very best in your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail_h Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 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] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail_h Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 Ooh nearly forget, I think I might be with you Leo on the good weather thing! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakbri Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Definitely go for the weather, it's worth the drive.We have had friends staying with us for the last 3 weeks in the Picardie region, househunting. After the constant cold weather and rain virtually everyday they have decided not to bother, and I really don't blame them. They are going to try again next year in the Carcassonne region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail_h Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 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] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakbri Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Thanks for the info gail. Our rainy season runs from January through to December. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 [quote user="gail_h"]We stayed near Carcasonne last year, tell them to avoid going in sept. [/quote]Also tell them to avoid going if they want to live somewhere French. [:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
united Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Living in Edinburgh we are faced with a big drive either here or in France to our house. If we take the car we now always catch the Rosyth Zeebrugge ferry and then drive to the Vendee. We have sorted out the best route, it takes time but everytime we arrive at our house its soon forgotten. We have had some mixed weather on the drive and its not put us off in the slightest. On our list of requirements was a town with a railway station its 10 mins walk from our house so we can easily fly & the catch the train if we do not want to take the car. I suggest you make a list of the 10 most important thing you want from the house and then make your mind up. We all have different priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakbri Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 United is absolutely right. You should write a list of things that are important to you. Then try to find a place that meets as many of those things as possible.I can't stress enough how important research is. I was brought here in 2002 with my job. I couldn't find anything to rent so had a look round at the houses, and, like you, was overwhelmed with the vast amount of fantastic houses on offer. We found a house and fell in love with it, put an offer in and bought it, without, I am embarrased to say, ever doing any reasearch into the area.After the initial elation of finding such an amazing house wore off we began to realise just what we had let ourselves in for. We live in one of those typical French villages you see where life ends at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, all the shutters are closed and you never see a living person. Don't get me wrong, our neighbours are great people and our Mayor is a good personal friend. But French life is VERY different and you can feel very isolated. We also live in Picardie which is famous for it's agriculture, that's because for crops to grow you need rain, and we have endless amounts. Whilst there are a few degrees variation in temperature between summer and winter, it is pretty much without seasons, and a day in January can be pretty much the same as a day in August.We have since made our list of what we want, which includes good weather, mountains, sea and life. We currently have none of them. We are now in a situation where we are selling our house early next year. We don't know where we are going, just not here. We plan to tour the south of France and take a look at Spain. We now know just how much reasearch is needed to find your perfect spot.So my advice is think carefully about what you want and do as many hours research as is physically possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Like United we also chose the Vendee it has a micro climate that is supposed to give you temperatures similar to the med by a couple of degrees but this year perhaps not !...We took three years and many visits to find what we wanted . We had decided on the area we wanted to be in ..slightly inland from the coast but within 10 minutes drive . and we wanted a "Bungalow " type house easy to paint etc ....We discovered that agents do not always put every house for sale on their web pages ....and ..to know what is available you cant beat going in and asking them ....That was how we found our house ..by choosing an area and concentrating the search through the few agents that served the villages we were interested buying in .....We found what we wanted in the end ... but it was not in the agents front window...they told us it was a "rare " find ....not surprised if few outside the village knew they were selling it .......Internet search is good.... but I think you have to be "on the ground " to get the feel of an area and whats for sale without rushing into it ...Vendee has new road links ...its opened the region up and its getting very popular for second homes ..certainly with Parisians who can be home in about three hours .....lots of new build houses to choose from along the coast ...prices going up by 13.5 % a year I am told . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail_h Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 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! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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