Questions to ask when viewing.

[dowot?]

Hi all, I've spent the last few days reading the posts and am amazed at the depth of knowledge and information available.

I am thinking of buying a small, old, "T" plan, 2 up 3 down, railway station in the Allier (03) Dept, but have a couple of fears, which I hope can be dispelled by your expertise.

First, there is evidence of past (maybe present, I have only viewed the place once and the photos I took don't show the damage) wood boring insect infestation. I think the hole size is consistant with common woodworm but some of the upper level floor boards have deep ruts on the surface. Most of the roofing timbers are hidden behind pine panneling and the upper floors look to be laid on top of  another layer. The planks run in the same direction as the joists so there must be some other layer, am I right?

Second, the exterior stucco (?) surface has some fine, 1/4 inch wide max, surface cracks above windows runing to eaves, which I am inclinced to disregard, more inportant is the much wider crack above a window in the extension. It can't be seen on the inside. The window is 1 M from the junction with the main building, it is single storey the main building being two storey. The extension is about 6M long.

I don't expect to do much to modernise or extend the building except move an existing wc to give an entrance to the bathroom from an internal hallway rather than the kitchen as at present.

The building has been empty for at least a year, but seems dry and being a bit of a train buff, it has a certain attraction.

So the question is, when I next visit, what should I look for and what questions should I ask?

Many thanks for any advise you can give.

Dowot?

(If someone can explain how to add pictures I will include a couple to show extent of cracks)

 

 

 

[Hoddy]

I'd definitely want to look at the roof timbers. It seems likely that they've been covered for a reason. If it's only woodworm I wouldn't be too worried about it, if it's something else I'd ask an expert.

Does the house have mains water and drainage some houses seem to, but actually haven't.

Our house has a crack in the crepi on the extension which hasn't changed at all in six years.

Are you sure the location is really what you want ?

Is enough land on either side of the building included so that you won't have any neighbours too close in the future ?

I'm sure others will add to this.

Hoddy

[dowot?]

Hoddy, thanks for the reply, good questions which I would only have thought of when I was 300 miles away. Funny you should raise the question of location, it was one of the reasons to go back for a second look, this time armed with something sharp to poke the wood with. Like most country stations it is not that close to the village centre but it is not isolated.

Once again Ta. Chris.

[clarksinfrance]

Dowot, as it is a buyers marke at the moment, you generally have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating your future purchase. If it was me I would try to negotiate a time period, where I could install a couple of simple movement detectors over the cracks. A month should do it, then buy some small pieces of 3mm gass, about 10cm x 4cm and araldite these over the cracks, make it a condition of purchase, that if these break (movement) you will not be buying the house, but if they don't break, then it may put your mind at rest. (don't forget to sign the glass with a suitable marker pen, so no-one can cheat). If some-one else comes along in the mean time, the seller should be at liberty to go with the new purchaser.

[dowot?]

Hi clarksinfrance.

Sounds a good plan, I thought it would have taken a lot longer to see movement, goes to show how wrong you can be.I even know where to get the glass.  Thanks Chris.

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

Why bother with glass? Fill the crack with exterior filler. Sand down and write the date on it.

[Gluestick]

Always start with the basics!

1.  Sewerage: fosse septique? If yes is it current?

2.  Electricity: does the house need rewiring?

3.  Water: where does the main riser enter the house? Is the pipework from the house side of the meter in good condition?

4.  Are there any obvious problems with boundaries?

5.  Woodworm/termites/etc:  If far enough South, then termite damage to structural woodwork can be an immense problem and very costly to rectify!

6.  Are you personally capable enough in terms of building structures to decide whether the property is basically sound or not? If not, obtain some professional advice!

Overall, since the French property market is not exactly scinitillating at the moment, you are in the driver's seat.

Exploit this reality to your whole financial advantage!

 

[Tressy]

[quote user="Gluestick"]Always start with the basics![/quote]

I would add that you need to find out whether anyone has the right of access/use of any part of the land, and what fixtures and fittings the vendor intends to remove from the house/property.

[Cat]

You might also want to ask about the vendors.  One thing to watch out for is houses being sold by siblings as a shared inheritance from their parents. They might well all have agreed to sell it at the moment that it went on the market (or they may not, has been known to happen) but do they still all agree now, and will they still all agree by the time you get to sign at the Notaires? 

Also, anything vaguely near a road may not seem noisy at 11am in the morning, especially on a Sunday as few lorries are allowed to use the roads then, but could be considerably more noisy at other peak times of the day.  Houses that are at a higher level than the road, even if quite some distance away, will be subject to far more noise than houses on the same level as the road but considerably closer.

A large south-facing window or patio door might seem like a wonderful idea, but in the middle of summer the direct sunlight could well generate temperatures that are nigh on unbearable.  Even in spring time large south-facing windows can overheat a room, and you don't necessarily want to shut out the daylight by closing the shutters. Ideally the larger windows should face west or east, or be beneath a covered terrace to exclude part of the direct light.

 

 

 

 

 

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Tressy"][quote user="Gluestick"]Always start with the basics![/quote]

I would add that you need to find out whether anyone has the right of access/use of any part of the land, and what fixtures and fittings the vendor intends to remove from the house/property.
[/quote]

Good point, Tressy.

What we did was arrange an agreed inventory in both English and French and this formed part of both the Compromis de Vete and the Acte de Vente too.

But then we did buy the complete house: all contents, many of which were highly desirable antiques!

Comme ça

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