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I have just joined and am on a steep learning curve.

I live on the english south coast and looking for a bolt hole in northern france, an hour or so from calais, close enough for a weekend retreat.

My budget is 200,000 euros, with a view to living there more permanently as the years go on, but also in the meantime as a base to explore..

great site

and hi to everyone

kim

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Ugly little town. Valley of the Termoise (I cant remember the spelling) seems good. Montreuil sur Mer super but pricey.

Same with Le Touquet.  Go a bit inland towards Arras, seems better.  Some really nice looking valleys nearer to Rouen but not explored yet.

Trying to get to that area myself from further south.

Places round Abbeville very nice but expensive too. Crécy might be possible. Then Baie de Somme lovely but dead in winter.

All I have discovered so far.

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[quote user="kimg"]oh well im going over to Hesdin to look at a property 3pm monday, so we will see


kim
[/quote]

You should be able to look at many other properties when you are there if you visit the local notaire's office and any other estate agent in that town.You could also "google" hesdin property to see what pop's up!

There is no way I would come to France to view one pre-arranged property!

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By way of an update I travelled down to Hastin today, met the agent and visited the property, came back to Calais, ate, bought some beer and cheese and got the shuttle home.  a 200 mile round trip.

A great day out, the property was fab and hey theres an Audi dealership down the road...

On the downside Hestin, the nearest village down the road, 15 mins away, had an unpleasant smell about it..  a combination of muck spreading and a sugar beet factory apparantly...

Funny I thought that the other interested buyers in the estate agents were english too..

The property is great, the area is average, not a lot to do, though I havent explored Arras to the East and Amiens to the South.

I think a cooling off period is needed, is it all worth it as a holiday retreat/let

sorry for the ramblings.

kim

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This woolybanana guy obviously knows next to nothing about the Pas de Calais in general or Hesdin in particular.  I would suggest ignoring any "advice" he might offer.

Since it's an easy trip for you I suggest you spend a few weekends in the area and get to know it better.  Half a day of exploration will provide you with a better working knowledge of the region, its history, culture, facilities and attractions than the banana person seems to have.

Patrick  

 

 

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I intend moving to the area asap and have already explored, so I do know it a little bit thank you very much. I saw Hesdin in January and my judgement of it still stands. There are however many other places there which are delightful. The Valley of the Ternoise is a picture at this time of year and I also like St. Omer.

Arras is good too, but my favourite is Montreuil, though prices are high as I said before.

I do not deny that other facilities in the area are excellent.

What about Abbeville and the Baie de Somme? Also very nice but in winter quiet.

So perhaps Patrick you should allow others their experience and knowledge too and read carefully before jumping in.

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As someone who is moving to the area around Hesdin in 4 weeks time, I have to say that reports calling it dirty are a bit of an insult. I have spent 3 seperate weeks there in the last 8 months dealing with 4 or 5 different agents, all of whom were superb. Sadly I couldn't buy off all of them. The restaurants are great, the market day is brilliant and the people are friendly. Yes Montreuil is nicer but you pay for it, as you do anywhere within 5 miles of the sea. I have no regrets as to where I chose, 4 miles from Hesdin, large village with all facilities and a 4 bed detached with 2 garages and a quarter acre garden all for £100k. [:D]And I am within easy reach of Montreuil, St. Pol, Abbeville, the coast and motorways. I can get back to the UK in just under 2 hours if necessary.

Roseysan

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hi

thanks for you great advice sc, the house i found is great, better than when i live in the uk, im reassured by your comments..thanks

i think ill go again next week and if i like the surrounding area, ill put in an offer

kim

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hi

well ive found a house, sorted the finance, what do i do next?

is there any guidance as to whether the price is a good one or is it rule of thumb?

it looks like a buyers market as to the number of properties on the market?

do i make a much reduced offer?

i should have asked when i visited how furnished or otherwise will it be?

can anyone assist as to the average ultimate cost on top of the purchase price?

sorry too many questions

kim

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Compare the asking price with other houses for sale in your area and with other agents/notaires and private sale adverts (you did look at more than one house I hope). Even look to see if the same one is for sale elsewhere at a different price. Find out how long it has been on sale. That is the only way to tell if the price is sensible or not. Bear in mind that sale prices with agencies usually include agency fees, typically 7% (if prices are 'FAI' or 'FAC' that means fees are included), with notaires there is a sale commission of 2.5% to 5% which may or may not be included in the asking price, with private sales you should expect to pay less as no commission is involved.

There are plenty of correctly valued houses for sale, but an awful lot of grossly overpriced ones too - which is why it appears like a buyers market, with a lot of places unsold for long periods whereas the good ones can still sell quickly. This applies to low and medium price ranges; expensive property is a different market altogether.

It is what the house is worth to you that counts. Some people on forums will tell you that they secured a house with an offer 30% or more under the asking price. All this means is that the asking price was unrealistically high. As there are a lot of houses on the market it is certainly worth putting in an offer; if you think the asking price is fair then you could try 10% under - but it has to be on your own judgement. The agent will often give an indication as to whether an offer is likely to be accepted, but agents are often reluctant to show houses when they know the seller is demanding a well over-inflated figure (as happens, e.g. when they have to return to England and buy a house there) - so that can give you another clue.

In France, the practice is that a firm offer at the asking price secures the sale. So if you really want the house it is not worth arguing over a couple of thousand euros as another buyer could step in at the asking price, even now.

Yes, you should ascertain exactly what is included before making an offer.

As well as the sale commission above - which you need to find out whether or not is included in the price - you will have to pay the legal fees and taxes. There are online calculators, or the agent/notaire will be able to give you a figure, but as a guide on a 100,000€ house these amount to 7600€. A few agencies advertise 'all inclusive' fees, mainly for the benefit of British buyers new to the market, but their estimation of fees can be rather OTT and you are likely to get a better deal paying them separately. The only other costs are likely to be a contribution to the cost of establishing boundaries if necessary, your proportion of the year's taxe fonciere (local tax, generally quite low, but can be high in some places, so another thing you should ask about), and the costs of transferring the money. You will normally be expected to pay a deposit - typically 10% but can be less - 7 days after signing the initial contract, i.e. at the point when the sale becomes firm on both sides.

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