Advice to those looking to move to Fance

[Harley]

From those of us who have been there, done that and survived or not survived and have got the T-shirt, a little advice to help things run as smoothly as possible for you.  Hope it helps.

Ask yourself why you want to move to France.

When you know, research the areas that are going to effect you in the shorterm and the longterm ie Pension, healthcare, schooling, work, finances, home ownership etc.

Research the region you would like to move to and visit it if you don't already know it.

Employ the services of an independant translator if your French is non existant or not too good. Preferably one who knows a little of the law regarding property purchase etc.  For peace of mind alone I think it's worth it. Based on my experience, I wouldn't just rely on an English speaking Estate Agent (but that is just my personal opinion).

Check out the internet for Private Property sales - could save you a fortune on Agency Fees.

Start learning about French culture and start learning to speak French NOW if you don't already.  Even basic skills will be appreciated.

If anyone agrees or disagrees with any of this please post. Or, if you have any other advice to add.  Thanks

 

[Teamedup]

Some pretty sound advice there.

Speaking the language I would put at the very top of the list.

 

I am wondering how one can research 'education' though. Took me over 10 years of being in the thick of it to actually work it out. And the 'pub' it has in the UK leaves me flabbergasted. And all the happy smiling well integrated children I hear about on here amazes me beyond belief. I expect some ofcourse, just not so many of them, quite incredible.

[Ron Avery]

Disagree with "Check out the internet for Private Property sales - could save you a fortune on Agency Fees"  There is no substitute for looking at properties in the flesh in France.  By all means use the internet to find the sort of area or house you are looking for and then forget it, 90% of he houses you see are either sold or nothing like as good as they look on the internet.

Also with private sales you could spend a lot of time and energy and money visiting one house in one area only to find it to be a dump. There are not that many private sales available and you would be very lucky to get two even within 50kms of each other, after all why should the vendor want a private sale?  They pay no agents fees so why do a private sale, probably want some under the table or have something to hide perhaps?

[derf]

after all why should the vendor want a private sale?  They pay no agents fees so why do a private sale.

Because, if the agent values my house and puts it up for sale at €245k inclusive of agents fees, I would only receive €230k  I can put it on sale privately at €235k and save the buyer €10k a more attractive proposition for the buyer.

 

[Teamedup]

Yes, Derf that is what happens where I live, the buyer and vendor sort of split the amount that would have gone on fees and both benefit. A house near us just put up a very rough 'a vendre' sign on the gate and it was sold very quickly.

However, it is not always so easy to sell homes just like that, lots of factors to take into account, if it were, I suppose that estate agents wouldn't exist.

[Hoddy]

I agree with TU's list and would add -

Make sure you understand as fully as possible French inheritance laws and the implications they may have for your particular situation, even if it's only for a holiday home.

Hoddy

[Ty Korrigan]

I think many Brits are mad to move here expecting to live the good life and make a living from gites and the like...

I only came here because I fell for a French girl... Lovely country but a terrible place to earn a crust.

Advice... don't move here unless you are a rich fecker... or retired...

[james419]

Ty - I agree with the thoughts - I would have loved to move here 10 years ago but could not get a job - and knowing many French through work - they all made the point that earning a living is hard enough for them let alone an incomer.

If you have special skills that are needed then there are opportunites to make a living - however getting rich quick is never going to happen -

We are retired and came with eyes wide open and enjoy the life - reading the forums many people come with the hope of "Heaven" - and then they are dis-appointed. Too little research - they dont even know where they want to live.

 

James

 

[hardhat]

hi james, ty and all,i think possiably james is right when he says people dont know where they want to live,i think my self that i didnt do enough research ,me and the better half rented for three months twice in different places went to exhibitions, read mags ,surffed the net,holidays in different parts of france and we are still not really happy about our location and are planning another move,this time hopefully for the last time.what we were both agreed on though was that we wanted out of the uk,and if thats what people really want they have to take chances but people dont have to make the same mistakes that we and others have done.we are now making a list of what we really want out of the place we are going to live next,top of the list weather  .it as to be at least as good as it is here dept 16  and still in france dont fancy spain yuk, next it as to have a airport within an hours drive that does cheapish flights to our part of the uk wich is manchester or liverpool,stella likes swimming so a indoor swimming pool is a must in the locality,a choice of good resturants that are local not half an hours drive away, things like this really matter and even though every one elses list may differ a bit or a lot you really should have a clear idea of what you need to get out of the place your going to,but in my oppinion to do it and make mistakes is better than never trying

[Abra<STRONG>ABRA<STRONG>]

Hi There. Regarding buying through estate agents or privately. I was stunned yesterday to see the same property advertised with two different agents and the price difference was 70,000 euros.  How on earth do you know which agents charge a reasonable fee and which ones are creaming off 25% of the asking price in commission?  It's made me really nervous now about dealing with an agent.  Can anyone advise please?  

[Nick Trollope]

[quote]Hi There. Regarding buying through estate agents or privately. I was stunned yesterday to see the same property advertised with two different agents and the price difference was 70,000 euros. How on ...[/quote]

I doubt if the difference is due to varying agents fees, unless you are talking of a building costing several mil. It is not abnormal for different agents to ask different amounts - If you have discovered both, go with the cheaper!

Not using an agent from "outside" would make life difficult IMHO. But that has all been said before.

 

[Jc]

I've seen the same house offered in the UK at totally different prices by different agents.

[just john]

It may not work for everyone, but we found our place by visiting the area we wanted to buy, we thought it would be crazy to pick something off the net without being able to spend time in the area and see alternatives. So we spent quite a lot of time just driving around our preferred area (which we found after several holidays) looking at agents and properties with an AV, for sale, sign up.
Our french is not good but we were able to explain to a private seller that we were interested and wanted to deal through an english speaking local Notaire which they then found.
Because the property was not on the net or with an agent we felt relaxed about the time we had to check it (and the price) out and contact a recommended local builder to look it over, and give us his advice. This turned out to be a good solution with mutual savings and no agent or other prospective purchasers breathing down our neck. The notaire was easy to deal with and we made an offer and bought the property (though it seemed to take forever, apparently that is almost normal!)
Of course then the fun really begins but that is another thread!!

[Jeanneclaire]

I'm not sure if looking for somewhere to live in France is such a science. We went to France in February to try to avoid being seduced by lovely weather; headed for the Auvergne which we found beautiful but distinctly snowy, and then went further south. I'd often been fascinated by a French town ending in i, and we went to Albi to have a look. We bought near there five years ago and although not moving permanently until January next year, have made friends and learnt about life in France; in essence we bought on a whim. I think the crucial aspect of our purchase has been the welcome we have received by French people, in particular our neighbours. One could research for months in the preferred area but end up living next to people who were not sympathetic to one's being there. Yes, we were lucky, and we did do some research; neither will we be working in France, however, luck will still play a big part in this adventure.

[bakerino]

Abri

 

The big differnece in price may be due to the fact that sometimes vendors try to sell their property with different parcels of land.  Once we saw a property that was up for sale with two agents with a variations of about 80000 euros.  it transpired that the owner was willing to keep some of the land and therefore willing to accept a lower price for the house and a smaller parcel of land.

We also bought privately despite only having basic english and the vendor speaking no english.  we also drove around and saw this house, rung the number and it went from there.  We also appointed our own english speaking notaire and made a big saving on agents fees.  However we do have to deal with all the things an agent would do for you such as make sure the meters get read, get connected ect.  So far in our experience there has been no problems.

Have a good luck round at agents and on the net and you will get an idea of prices so you should have a reasonable idea of what things cost.  We found an agent who was honest and up front and told us before we viewed that the vendor would be prepared to negotiate by xxx, I think contrary to belief it is not the agents that lead on price its the vendor. (well thats whet Ive been told)  Fix your self a realist budget and stick to it, we were told french vendors are offended if you negotiate, but and the end of the day they want to sell so dont be afraid to negotiate  an d you amy find the agent is prepared to cut his fees back a bit to secure the sale.  I think it is abuyers market at the moment most of the houses that we looked at back in March are still for sale and so are reduced.