Buying privately

[Quillan]

Back to the point of buying and north of Limoux. Well it depends on which direction north you go i.e. NE, N or NW. Towards Carcassonne and beyond you hit the 'Black Mountains' which have a reputation of being wet.

By far the best tip is to rent but choose the area first and the property you want to look at second. Look around at the countryside, where it is obviously green means rain, Spanish type of terrain means little rain.

You can't rely on historic weather information either. I am south of Limoux, last winter and the one before were quite mild. We can get -15 and the worse is -17 but the latter has only happened a couple of times. When the UK had floods we were praying for rain, Christmas my daughter sunbathing in the garden and in February it was 28 deg. The temp last winter only dropped to -1 and -2 a couple of times and there was about an hours snow which went in 24 hours. Other years we have had a foot or more of snow that lasted a week or longer which happened once or twice in the same winter. So even renting for a year is no guarantee you will gain 'normal' experience of the weather.

[Quillan]

[quote user="NickP"]Well well, the goal post mover accuses me of being pedantic, as for not taking your advice seriously that is probably the most honest thing you've ever said. At the moment we are changing money at the rate of 1.18. [:P] [:P][/quote]

Well good for you, well done. Perhaps you might want to share where you are getting that rate so others who might be interested like the OP for instance can use the same bank or company?

PS - I wouldn't take your advice literally either but then what I was saying was neither litteral nor advice and as others have pointed out I was on the right track and they know more about it than me so therefore you must feel the same way about them as well or is it that you just don't like me personally in which case why bother responding to my posts? I didn't move the goal posts by the way you did but it really is not that important, the basic principle is right.

 

[NickP]

I love responding to your posts Q, I feel that it's necessary to respond to pomposity and BS, I just can't resist it. As for sharing my information with you, well you obviously wouldn't need my advice as you are so well informed, [:D] [:D]

[Quillan]

[quote user="NickP"]I love responding to your posts Q, I feel that it's necessary to respond to pomposity and BS, I just can't resist it. As for sharing my information with you, well you obviously wouldn't need my advice as you are so well informed, [:D] [:D][/quote]

You need to go to Spec Savers mate because you are clearly having problems reading posts and end up making yourself look foolish which I am sure is not your intention. You can also increase the size of the text on your screen but just in case I will copy what I said.

"Perhaps you might want to share where you are getting that rate so others who might be interested like the OP for instance can use the same bank or company?"

I personally have no interest but others might "like the OP" or are you just trying to wind people up as normal?

[mint]

[quote user="Quillan"]

[quote user="NickP"]I love responding to your posts Q, I feel that it's necessary to respond to pomposity and BS, I just can't resist it. As for sharing my information with you, well you obviously wouldn't need my advice as you are so well informed, [:D] [:D][/quote]

You need to go to Spec Savers mate because you are clearly having problems reading posts and end up making yourself look foolish which I am sure is not your intention. You can also increase the size of the text on your screen but just in case I will copy what I said.

"Perhaps you might want to share where you are getting that rate so others who might be interested like the OP for instance can use the same bank or company?"

I personally have no interest but others might "like the OP" or are you just trying to wind people up as normal?

[/quote]

OK, for all those interested:

at 16.29 French time (whatever the correct name is)

the rate is 1.1852 (actually obtainable)

currencyfair.com

[NickP]

Try the Nationwide credit card for a start, but of course that may be a wind up and they only give me good rates,

 

[Quillan]

If it is Visa then they give you the standard "Visa Exchange Rate" which today was 1.852 so well done, good deal but you wouldn't or couldn't use it to buy a house although if you punt around you might get a better deal like Sweet 17. Every little adds up at the end of the day.

(Source - http://www.visaeurope.com/en/cardholders/exchange_rates.aspx )

[suein56]

[quote user="sweet 17"]OK, for all those interested:

at 16.29 French time (whatever the correct name is)

the rate is 1.1852 (actually obtainable)

currencyfair.com [/quote]

Yesterday, using the same company, I got 1.1875 for each of my ££, so it is possible.

Sue

[mint]

Hey, Sue, I changed a biggish sum (biggish for me!) just before the pound went up but I never do worry about those last figures after the second figure following the digit!

For some reason, I didn't have to pay the usual 3 euro fee....not sure why!

I have bought a brand new computer (watch out for all the "stupide" questions when it arrives!) making a saving of nearly £400...so, I guess you win some and you lose some.

Hope you are enjoying this l'été indien, especially if you get to swim in the sea?  Just under 30 degrees here in God's own country today but it's hell if you have work to do outdoors [+o(]

 

[suein56]

Sorry Sweet my post looks as if I was boasting about having gained a few cents more than you; that wasn't my intention at all. I was merely trying to back you up and show that 1.18+ was easily obtainable by using the right route for exchange. NickP was not wrong in quoting circa 1.18 at the moment - it all depends on the company you choose to entrust your ££ to.

Yes, I have been swimming in the sea most days recently, though it looks as though the weather is going to change to overcast and showery this w/e. We had a long wait for the fine weather to arrive so the summer has seemed short but it has been very hot - even here in Morbihan.

Sue

[mint]

I knew you weren't boasting, Sue.

When I changed I was a bit concerned about the Syrian unrest and I was very aware that the TF bills will be landing on the doormat very soon.

Still, it's been much better for several weeks now and, after having lived through and survived the near parity position a couple of years ago, any little rise seems like a nice bonus!

More than ever these days I am convinced that good times actually do very little for you; it's the hard times that put a bit of steel into the backbone, don't you think?

Sometimes, I think back to how I "splashed" (well, splashed carefully [:D]) money around when we were still working and living in the UK and I am quite horrified![:-))]  The waste and the extravagance...utterly ridiculous and unnecessary [:-))]

If I could go back and live there now, I'd really know how to live in a modest but comfortable way and the advantage is that, I'd be able to be smug as hell and be perfectly unbearable. 

[victor]

"Admittedly, this has always been in the warmer months, although we have carefully researched the climate all year round - especially in relation to where we live now in the UK and to other areas we might want to consider."

We are still checking out places to move to from Poussan. A major consideration for us is the weather. Maybe it is just me;however, the weather seems to have become very weird in France since we first arrived in 2001. Last summer we had summer for about two months. Many days now the sun is covered over by midday if not before. Thus I do not feel that one may any longer rely on current weather patterns in a given area to predict what the weather will be like even in the next year.

Am I alone in experiencing these changes?

[lovelygirl]

Thanks for sharing.Google

[Evianers]

See my posting about charges for an apartment.

€1,000,000 !!!! Defies belief but they do get this amount if they are patient enough