Buying from British Owners. Using House Search Agents

[baralbion]

Does anyone have any experience, please, of either:

a) buying in France direct from British owners? or

b) using a house search agent in France?

Both seem to have their attractions, but has experience proved otherwise, I wonder?

[Cassis]

I can't see any advantages other than the language aspect.  Is that what you mean?  I don't think Brit owners are likely to give you a better deal than a French seller on their property.  Some house search agents are just estate agents in disguise, by the way.  We used one of those!  Could have saved about 1100 euros if we could have been bothered to work out how to set up:

1. a bank account
2. a telephone line
3. water
4. electricity

for ourselves.  But we were too scaredy/stupid then.  I wouldn't use a house search agent again.

[Eslier]

a) Buying a house in France is exactly the same whatever nationality the owners are. You will still need to use the services of a Notaire and payments will need to be paid in Euros.

b) Even the best house search agent will only be as good as the criteria you give on your wish list. The more specific you are the more use the agent might be to you. The problem is, that you may find they're not all going to be able to offer what you expect so only use someone if you can get good personal recommendations. It would also be useful to check that the "agent" concerned has the correct license to practice in this field (I'm sure someone on here will provide the exact details of what you need to check).

[Cassis]

[quote user="Eslier"]

b) Even the best house search agent will only be as good as the criteria you give on your wish list. The more specific you are the more use the agent might be to you.

[/quote]

And that's still no guarantee - we employed two, gave a list of MUSTS and NICE TO HAVES, but neither took a lot of notice of even the most basic instruction like "MUST be habitable ", we were still shown broken down barns by both!

[baralbion]

Thank you for these prompt and helpful replies.

My main thought about buying from a British owner was that a British-owned house might be more likely to be configured and decorated in a way likely to appeal to a British buyer. A British owner might also be more likely to understand the concerns of a British buyer (although I am old enough to know that any seller's main interest is in getting the best price).

[Cassis]

I have never worried about the existing decor when buying a house - it's the layout and condition that count much more.  What have you got against pink and orange floral patterns? [;-)]

[Will]

We've come across plenty of people who won't buy perfectly nice houses in France because they are 'too French' inside.

There are plenty of British people moving out, either back to Britain or to something else in France (maybe something more manageable for them, or to another project). In any area where there is a reasonable number of British residents the estate agents will have plenty of British-owned houses. Just decide on an area and contact some agents in France who advertise in the English-language magazines. You won't need a search agency unless you have very exact requirements and no time to look in France yourself.

[P]

[quote user="baralbion"]

My main thought about buying from a British owner was that a British-owned house might be more likely to be configured and decorated in a way likely to appeal to a British buyer. [/quote]

I do not think I have ever bought a house in Britain that I have said 'oh, this is nicely decorated' and I have moved a few walls in my time.

Whilst the configuration might be important I always take it that I will need to decorate and, in France it would seem change the bathroom suite and the kitchen unit(s) - sometimes it seems that there is just one.

Always feel that decorating how I want it makes it mine - not someone elses.

Paul

[Cassis]

[quote user="P"]

I do not think I have ever bought a house in Britain that I have said 'oh, this is nicely decorated' and I have moved a few walls in my time.

[/quote]

I can't imagine buying somewhere that I would not immediately have to put my own mark on as well.  Totally agree! 

[ali-cat]

[quote user="baralbion"]

Thank you for these prompt and helpful replies.

My main thought about buying from a British owner was that a British-owned house might be more likely to be configured and decorated in a way likely to appeal to a British buyer. A British owner might also be more likely to understand the concerns of a British buyer (although I am old enough to know that any seller's main interest is in getting the best price).

[/quote]

We discovered on our trip, over in March, that the British sellers seem to have done most of the renovations themselves - & boy, did it show!! 

Wires hanging down walls, pipes, where pipes were never meant to be etc.  Maybe, they didn't contact professionals, due to their language skills or just thought they could a better job.  But believe me - they couldn't!!  [:D]  Short cuts, seemed to be the norm.

[Cassis]

Ali@ards said:

We discovered on our trip, over in March, that the British sellers seem to have done most of the renovations themselves - & boy, did it show!! 

Wires hanging down walls, pipes, where pipes were never meant to be etc.  Maybe, they didn't contact professionals, due to their language skills or just thought they could a better job.  But believe me - they couldn't!! Short cuts, seemed to be the norm.

Mind, you could find just as bad in many a French bricoleur's house.

[andyh4]

The real danger of buying from the Brits is that you will find:

Electrics set up as ring main (forbidden)

Multiple lights on one switch daisy chained (forbidden)

3 pin sockets (not according to the norms and will invalidate your insurance)

soft soldered plumbing or compression joints (likely to spring a leak when the temps drop to -10°)

15mm pipe used (a real S*d to find replacement parts when you need to renovate/repair/upgrade - and not as strong as indigenous pipe)

Complicated thermostatic valves on the shower (not necessary provided no header tank has been installed - see next)

Header tank on the water supply (forbidden)

the list goes on, and on, and on....

[Rozmum]

Andyh4, I think that is a bit of a generalisation.  We bought our house here 4 years ago, first as a holiday home and now as our ONLY home.  We've had a great deal of work done - complete re-wiring, new fosse, walls knocked down, attic extension, pool etc and have used only French artisans.  We are absolutely delighted with the finished  result.  We are not DIY'ers at all - except for a pot of paint and a brush and would never think of tackling anything we didn't know anything about - and wasn't going to be legal.

Also, when we bought this house we acquired a 'petite maison' with it - which was a complete renovation project and not something we wanted anyway.  We sold it to some Brits who happened to want a project.  Although we had it with some agents we sold it privately and it saved them the  buyers theAgents fees.  They just had to pay the Notaires fees and us etc.

[Cassis]

Ros - Andy is just talking about his own house.  Joking!!!!

I don't think Andy meant it as a generalisation - just as a danger that is unique to buying from Brits who done work themselves, or employed British workers, and have done the work as they would have in the UK.

[Battler]

After six years of buying, restoring and selling houses in France I can tell you that agents are the same the world over. The agents to avoid at all costs are what I call UK besed "Catchment Agents" who receive a fee from French agents for advertising their properties on their website. The properties either do not appear in the French agents' portfolio or do not even exist. It's a ploy to get you into the particular agents' office. Other UK based websites do a similar thing except they will made definite appointments to see a French property directly with the owner. They provide a location and sellers contact number. They have no rep. in France and you go in "cold." Owners are either French or English and the UKagents' fee is about 6%+ but for what? English owned houses are usually tastefully decorated and as you would expect - clean! The French live in a different way but that is not a criticism. My forthcoming publication tells all about life in France.

[Llwyncelyn]

In the very early days we too were shy retiring and plain scared of opening our mouths in an attempt to get the basic utilities in place.  Therefore allowed a so-called UK agent with French counterparts to organise the utilities for us.  The cost £2000 plus VAT. but of course this included finding the house for us. We would never ever use this type of facility in the future and now like most people we know the score here in France and just copy documents that we think various organisations will need and do it ourselves.

We thought the transfer of my wife's UK to French number plates would be a nightmare it was not we just used this forum its archives photocopied all the documents plus some orginals and it took us about 30 minutes tops.

Final point here is that they also introduced us to an English builder and one way or the other we found that they were building in a margin of 15% for the agents.  We have and will only use now artisans either from our town or our area.  That is not to say that there is anything wrong whatsoever with the majority of British artisans is just that we wish to keep the money and business in our town and whilst we check from time to time devis they always match up or improve upon others from areas nearby.

Just our experiences others may report differing findings.

 

 

 

[baralbion]

I am grateful for all these comments in response to my original post. 

Our own experience of agents has also been somewhat mixed. Typically, even from some of the best-known web based agents in the UK, you get a list of appointments with agents in France. Often these appear to have made no preparations for your visit at all. They just hand you their folder of properties and invite you to take your pick. On the basis of inadequate information and photographs you are then driven many kilometres to see one totally unsuitable property. 

Comments so far suggest that neither buying through agents, nor using property search agents, nor buying direct from British owners is very satisfactory. Where, then, is the hapless seeker after a French house to turn?

[Cassis]

I think that the reason for the negative response to agents etc. is that having done it once, you learn the ropes and realise that you can do it all yourself next time.  But you need the knowledge first - how to set up a bank account, get electricity connected, transfer telephones, contact water companies, etc..  This forum is one good place to start to gain that knowledge. 

But a lot of people prefer to pay an agent to hold their hand the first time, as it is an easier option.  I would not sneer at anyone who went that route.

If looking for a French house now I would contact all the French estate agents and notaires in the area.

I can't see any real problem with buying from Brits.  Just ask if they have done much work on the place and see what they say!