Carly Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 ... can I draw once again on your collective wisdom? (and also just say what a wonderful resource this site is: it is like having an oracle on-hand 24/7. Beats the AA as the 4th emergency service!)A few of issues that I was wondering about, as I'm about to sign my compromis:- at what stage is it normal for a house to be taken off the market? Presumably upon signature of the compromis, yes?- is it the convention now in France (as in the UK) for the seller to draw up an inventory (what is staying/what is being left)? Is it the custom to leave/take built-in white-goods, do you know? I'm guessing that this varies sale-by-sale, but wanted to get an idea of what was normal.and on a slightly more banal note...- is there an alternative to conventional adapter plugs (by that I mean the sort that we normally take on holiday) i.e. is there something more permanent available? If so, do you know where said items can be purchased?MANY THANKS in anticipation.Carly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 It's normal, at least in our part of France, for a house to be taken off the market as soon as an offer at the asking price is received. So, if you offer less, the owner can still accept higher offers until all parties have signed the compromis.The house sale may or may not include fittings and furniture. Unless agreed to the contrary the house should be emptied by the seller, and this can mean that things like kitchen cabinets etc may be removed. If there is anything in the house that you specifically want to be included in the sale then make sure the agent and notaire know, so it can be included in the contracts. If you have a reasonable fitted kitchen with integrated appliances, or some other valuable fixtures and fittings, then ask the owner and notaire to treat these as separate from the house in the sale - still written into the contract, but priced separately - then you can legally avoid some of the tax payable.Will (50)Forum moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny29 Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Hi Carly,I'll answer just from our own experience & don't claim to be an expert!1. Our house ceased to be advertised at the immobiliers only after the Acte was signed, but no-one (to our knowledge) was shown round the house after our offer had been accepted. I think the signing of the compromis safeguards against gazzumping.2. Mostly NOTHING is left in a French house, not even a ceiling rose, overhead light fitting or light bulb. If you have agreed that certain goods are included in the sale then you must make sure they are detailed in the compromis. Having said all that, we were very lucky as the lady who sold this to us was moving from a large farmhouse to a small town house so when we moved in we were delighted to find that she'd left us lots of unexpected gifts - a wood burning insert, enough chopped wood for 6 months, light fittings and bulbs, an old cooker & loads and loads of farming/gardening equipment. But this type of generosity is unusual - most people I know bought the structure and nothing much else in the way of fittings was left!3. Yes, the alternative to adaptor plugs is to get down to any Brico/supermarket and buy about 25+ French plugs, then sit down with a screwdriver and a small glass of wine and painstakingly change all your appliances over to French plugs (but check out other threads for advice on big things like washing machines/cookers). There is a good thread on here somewhere with instructions on how to change a French plug.Penny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Ours came off the market when we signed the compromis - which was actually the day we made our second (is this really for us) visit. We went back to the immobiliere and he did the compromis that evening and we signed. The next day he got the vendors signatures and we took copies back with us to UK. There was almost nothing left when we moved in, just a very nice wooden cupboard and large chiming clock in the kitchen. The seller said they were left only because they were plastered in to the wall, and if we ever decided we didn't want them could she have first refusal. Buying french plugs and changing them is the only real answer. However in the short term three or four UK extension leads which will get you going by changing only one plug per lead is what we did. Having said that we are now four years on and I still have some power tools which have three pin plugs on them. Good luck with the purchase and the move. Chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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