nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hello everyone,I'm new here, I'm Chris from SA. Congratulations this great forum, full of useful informations.I will be moving France next year, and I've been looking around for houses, and I see two main types : isolated and part of a development.What do you think is the best ? What are pros and cons of each ? Where do you live and why ?Thanks for your replies ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hi Chris and welcome. I think there are pros and cons of whatever type of house you choose to purchase. I have chosen a derelict terraced house in a listed village for the following reasons.a) Isolation is great for a week but what then?b) I can choose how this house will physically evolve and I have a very sympathetic taste.c) It has been sitting there 600 years so is not going anywhere in my lifetime.d) I would feel safe if I am alone theree) Don't have to drive the equivalent of the width of London for a loaf of bread.However, on the downside, the villagers could be a bit cliquey and clannish but that does not bother me as I have plenty of friends in France already.Old houses are murder to clean but visitors (except my mother) expect a few cobwebs amongst stone and beam. Also it is probably full of ghosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hello and pleased to see you at the forum, though its probably not a good idea to make your e-mail address public.As to which is the best, it depends on what you want from life. Isolated is quiet, you don't have to worry about other people. And it appears idyllic as a holiday home or if you have lived in a busy town before. But once the novelty wears off it can be very lonely (the same can apply even when you have a neighbour, once you have exhausted the daily conversation topics of cattle and tractors). There is also the crime aspect - some will tell you that crime is rare in France but there are plenty of break-ins in isolated areas where nobody is likely to see what's going on when the owner is out. On a development you are constantly being watched, and the French are very curious indeed about foreigners, so it can make you feel a bit uneasy. One the other hand, your neighbours will be genuinely interested and concerned for you and usually very happy indeed to help you and look out for you. If it's a small hamlet you have to get on with everybody else, you cannot afford to fall out with anybody and that is all too easy to do. You may feel attracted to an English-speaking 'ghetto' but these can be the bitchiest of all.Either isolated houses or developments can be a long way from shops or civilisation, which can be annoying when you run out of milk or similar.Perhaps the best situation is to be on the edge of a small town, where you are near civilisation, and people are nearby but not too close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hi Katie and thanks for your answer.I agree, isolation is OK for a week...The point is, I've seen a few off-plans houses, which seem great, they all are in a development of 10 or 20 plots, each plot is from 700m² to 1000m².I'd rather have my house built, since I'm away a lot and I don't really have time for maintenance... When I'm home I need to rest...[:)]On the other hand, when you live in a housing estate, doesn't France lose some of its charms ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 [quote user="Will "]Hello and pleased to see you at the forum, though its probably not a good idea to make your e-mail address public.[/quote]Hi Will, thanks for pointing that out, but I can't find the way to remove it...I think you're right. I'm not planning to going to France to find myself in a English neigbourhood. My french is good ( well I hope anyway), and the point of moving there is to change my lifestile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Yes I agree.Landowners have now woken up to the fact that they are sitting on a fortune and are splitting their fields into lottisments or plots. I don't know whether you have seen newly built houses on these types of developments in France but I must admit I am not too impressed with them. Although I have not visited any of the more 'English' types.The new builds produced by developers which I have seen in France range from cowshed to bland. Also, as any builder with site experience will tell you, the only brand new house they would move into is one they had built themselves.Chris, I think it really is visiting the house and 'feeling the atmosphere' which you cannot do purchasing off plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 Well I've visited a friend of mine (french) last year who had his house built, and it was pretty nice.Of course, it hasn't got the charm of a house from the 1800's, but again, maintenance is an issue to me.Furthermore, having the possibility to choose what it's going to look like, what type of finishing... sounds great to me...I'm more concerned about my "neighbours-to-be"... Not so much the closeness, rather the fact of being the foreigner who tries to mix with them...[:)][:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 All that sounds very nice Chris. As I said I have not seen the more upmarket developments who advertise with glossy brochures. Your last point of feeling like a foreigner trying to mix will be present whatever type of house you chose. Therefore people who have already made the move will advise you to rent a property nearby for a while to see how you settle into the area before committing yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 That's probably the best thing to do.I won't be able to live isolated anyway, I love people and relationships too much... My neighbours just gonna have to cope with that !!! [:D]Best thing to do is to rent first, you are right. Probably should stop looking to buy or build, and start looking at the "to rent" pages... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Katie is right and renting could be a good idea before committing yourself.I think you are always likely to be a foreigner. That's no bad thing, I would hate to be French and am very proud to be English, even among the French (as long as it's not assumed I'm like certain other English but that's a different story altogether). France is very tight-knit and even people from the next département are regarded as foreign. But if you accept that and make a play of being different, and individual, and make an effort to understand what makes the French tick, without just slavishly copying them or patronising them, you will be readily accepted. On the other hand, they can be quite xenophobic, but this generally only applies today to the Arab nations (though in some parts the German occupation has not been forgotten, and even Parisians can be regarded with equal distrust in rural areas). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 I know what you mean, I live in South Africa... (but I'm white).I travel a lot, everywhere, for my job. Every place I go I try to adapt to the local lifestyle... That is for two reasons : 1 (the one I'm proud of) : I believe that when you are in a foreign country, it is to you to adapt yourself and make commitments in order not to disturb people around you2 (little less proud) : I hate being a tourist !!!![:D]I shouldn't worry because everywhere I've been, it went great, but it will be the first permanent move, exciting but scary a little bit...[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I don't think I would like to live on a lotissement because so many look so charmless and plain. Not all of them, but many of them. If I were going for new build I would look for a plot with a bit of land so I could block out the neighbours if need be!We could not stand being isolated, for same reasons as Katie's. It's nice to be able to walk to the bar, restaurant, shops and to meet the neighbours when you're out. Luckily, although we have that, we're not overlooked by anyone and we look out onto fields and forest. But it's not an easy combination to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 This does sound like the perfect house you've got !Any chance you're a seller ??? [:P] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Wherever you end up, make sure you treat the neighbours right and get to know them, god help you if you pick a bad one or make an enemy of a french neighbour as this is one of the worst things that can happen here as the french bear a grudge all too easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 Hi,That shouldn't be a problem, I'm easy to live.I just need to find a place with open-minded people, willing to welcome a poor single hard-working South-African... I won't take much room, I promise...[:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Forum Admin Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 [quote user="nufan"][quote user="Will "] Hello and pleased to see you at the forum, though its probably not a good idea to make your e-mail address public.[/quote]Hi Will, thanks for pointing that out, but I can't find the way to remove it...I think you're right. I'm not planning to going to France to find myself in a English neigbourhood. My french is good ( well I hope anyway), and the point of moving there is to change my lifestile.[/quote]Hi I have changed your username for you.Best RegardsJames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 Thank You James [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 [quote user="nufan"]This does sound like the perfect house you've got !Any chance you're a seller ??? [:P][/quote]It'll be nice when it's finished![img]http://www.normandie-chambres.co.uk/vendeuvre1.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 [quote user="Cassis"][quote user="nufan"]This does sound like the perfect house you've got !Any chance you're a seller ??? [:P][/quote]It'll be nice when it's finished![img]http://www.normandie-chambres.co.uk/housefront13k.jpg[/img][/quote]Blatant advertising. Foul, ref !!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I quite agree! Shameless!!!Now, if it is a house in a beautifull little town you are after I just happen to know of one........[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Oi, Oi! We're not selling! And everyone knows that that's not really our place! [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufan Posted September 8, 2006 Author Share Posted September 8, 2006 Hi everyone !This forum is nice and fun, I'll hang out with you if you don't mind...Where is that place Alexis ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Around here, there seem to be quite a few new build properties popping up in ribons on the edge of villages - they're not housing estates but are close enough to the centre to meet Cassis's description. Could be the perfect compromise answer for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Vette Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 We bought a large(ish) plot of land at the end of a farm road about 1 kilometre outside the village. There are about 12 other houses the oldest being 25 years old up to ours at 1 year but it is nothing like a lottisement, the houses are large and on very large plots so it is very spacious. Then we had our house built off plan. We have enough land around us to have our own space but we are not very private as we have no hedging or fencing yet. However, this has been a blessing because our french neighbours can see us going about our business as they drive to and from their work. All our neighbours (except one) live behind high walls, fences etc and don't appear to mix with each other. Yet, because we can been seen from the chemin, we have had a stream of neighbours call out their bonjours in passing, waving from their cars and stopping to chat with us. We have now made friends with three different neighbours. One of these new friends has lived there for 12 years and we are the only neighbours they have got to know because of the 'high wall' syndrome. We would not have wanted to be isolated but did not want to live too close either, we have the best of both worlds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Sounds like a lovely spot, La Vette. As you say, best of both worlds. Not always that easy to find, you must have been so pleased to get it. [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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