Mary Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Question for everybody! If you could go back to the beginning of your adventure in France and change one thing, what would it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I would quadruple my bank balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I wouldn't have bought my first house but, without it, I'd never have been unhappy enough to look for my second.I'd NEVER have got rid of all the other bank accounts and credit cards, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Left when my eldest was 11. Never sold our house in the UK. Ah hingsight is a wonderful thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Gone to Oz or NZ instead. Knowing what we do now and paying everything we earn in charges with nothing to show for it. Unfortunately we came to France pre-Internet and very little info was available then about setting up in business properly. Still, at least we are better off here quality of life-wise than those we left behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Coeur de Lion Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I would have rented instead of buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanS Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Would do more research and not let the OH heart rule his head. After viewing 9 properties in 4 days, we came by the one we finally bought after taking a wrong turning. Saw the house was for sale, rang the agent and hey presto we bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Before spending hundreds of hours doing up the garden, I would have had an automatic watering system of some sort put in.Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 [quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]I would have rented instead of buying.[/quote]Moi aussi - and I would have ideally loved to have come years before I could! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Return to my previous residence.[:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard51 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Not bought in France at all but upgraded our home here in the UK.Mrs R51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I was struggling to think of anything, I couldnt say "to have done more homework beforehand " as I didnt do any at all, all of the obstacles that I have overcome could have been avoided with hindsight but what a boring life it would be, if I had have really done my research I probably would not have come full stop.And then I thought of a major hindsight, i am surprised no-one has yet mentioned it, possibly the only regret but a major one.I wish I had transferred all my savings into €uros when I first moved over and the pound was at €1.48 [:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Well I did that, but it did us no good. Sold our house at pre monstrous house inflation price increase you see. It went up almost four fold subsequently in very few years. And now is over 8 times more than we got for it, even now. I always have our money where we live. So I transfered the house money from France back to the UK when the french house was sold, ofcourse if I had waited I would have literally been quids in, and made a few extra thousand. I make a choice and don't look back where money is concerned. We didn't do any homework. Never thought of doing it. Don't know where I could have done it anyway. And it was an adventure and one has to leap into the unknown sometimes, it is exciting and can be a little frightening, all good stuff really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I notice the OP hasn't chipped in with anything after her first - and, to date, only post - perhaps she could recount some anecdote of her own. Or tell us why she is so interested. Is she writing a book or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Hi all. We too wanted to have a french adventure about ten years ago but owing to a combination of cold feet and investments taking a major dip it didn't happen. It would have been a second home, sharing the living between two countries. During that time I joined the forum but when things went pear shaped I lost interest. A new password makes me appear to be a newcomer. With present funds we could possibly manage a studio but being a country girl I think appartment living wouldn't suit me - a holiday bolthole maybe - I think I allowed my cold feet to spoil an experience and I admire all those of you who went with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommier Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 If you still want the adventure, there are some very cheap British owned country/village houses being advertised recently. Anglo Info always seems to have adverts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I would have sold/Ebay'd/boot sale'd about half of our possessions which we spent a small fortune bringing to France - thinking we would need them - and of course we don't. So we still have about 50 boxes of stuff in the loft, been there for years - forgotten what's in them and past caring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frecossais Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 We bought our French house as a holiday home in 1990. Even then I felt uncertain about living out in the sticks, so I think I'd have looked more closely at being nearer or even in a hamlet/village. Five miles is a long way to go just for a loaf of bread.That said, I love our views and the peace and quiet, and our few neighbours are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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