we are off to sign

[Dave&Olive]

Maybe a silly question to all you who have done it but!!!

we are going to sign the acte d`vente a week on friday it seems to be a "big deal" in france a great deal of wine ect...but what do we bring.

                         I would hate the marie or notaire to say" you can open the champagne now " and all I`ve got is my flask of tea and tuna butty in my bag.

                   I would feel a bit like DanDaz when the mayor said "there is no key" and DD says" ahh but there is no door".

        so????????????? what happens??????

                 Dave, Olives in bed with the cats force 9 gale blowing outside bins just gone down the street, trees are going past the window...... what the weather like in 79 ??

[Loiseau]

In my (limited) experience, it seems to be the vendors - i.e. the people who pocket your money - who take the buyer out for a drink after the signing, either to the vendors' home or to the nearest bar.

Glorious sunshine in 85 today (though temp was -3C at breakfast time).

Angela (85)

[Ewa]

Congratulations - exciting time for you!

We've just come back last month having signed and it was not a big deal. Our vendors had to travel back to Loire Atlantique so weren't stopping so we went to the local bar in Beuzeville with our agent and had a couple. I had the champers all ready in my handbag (yes, it also carries the kitchen sink!) but to no avail. Our new neighbour - bless him, he speaks no English and our French is minimal - celebrated our purchase with his newly pressed cider.... still recovering a month later!

[Moorejw]

Don't get too keyed up about it, and don't expect any champagne cork popping in the Notaire's office - they are busy people and will be shooing you out the door for the next signing to take place.

The celebrations can be very varied, depending on the circumstances. When we purchased our fermette we decamped to the local bar with the vendors (4 siblings) and then they treated us to a meal, with their partners and children present, plus the estate agent, in total 15 of us! It was a fantastic evening, but all we wanted to do was take possession of our new home.

Good luck, I hope all goes to plan.

[GRT17]

[quote]In my (limited) experience, it seems to be the vendors - i.e. the people who pocket your money - who take the buyer out for a drink after the signing, either to the vendors' home or to the nearest bar...[/quote]

 

This was our experience. The vendors (French) took us and Fr. agent lady to the village bar and we all sat outside and enjoyed a glass of wine in the sunshine.

Congratulations and I do hope you will both be very happy with your French dream.

Gill (99) & (17)

[Whiskers]

Blimey!  

When we signed for our place last year, the Notaire, Agent and translator dashed out of the door the moment the ink had dried.  No niceties at all.  We expected the Notaire or Agent to say congratulations to us.  A smile would have been nice!  We would have happily taken them all for a drink or something, but nothing...... They disappeared!    Mind you, as another person said, we just wanted to drive straight to the property (check the keys worked!) and celebrate in private, so no big deal really... 

My sister received a hard-backed full glossy A4 book on the region plus a bottle of vintage champagne from her Agent when buying in France.   They still get Xmas cards from them 3 years later!    Everyone's experiences are different!

Congratulations to you - I hope your move is successful!

[Lizzie15]

How exciting-good luck. When we signed the first time we all just shuffled off in different directions although the estate agent then brought us round a bottle of Cognac. The second time took 6 hours so we were all just grateful to escape!

 I had expected a much bigger deal than it proved to be. The first time we put smart clothes on ,the vendor turned up in his slippers!

[Paulhogan]

When we signed early in 2004 the vendors did not attend, they gave power of attorney to one of the notaire's colleagues, so there was only my wife and I, the immobilier who also translated, and the notaire. The vendor's appointed representative popped into the office to sign at the appropriate time and then disappeared without a word. After quick handshakes all round we all went our separate ways, notaire and immo had other appointments, we went straight to the house, had a cup of tea in celebration as we had a 5 hour drive back to Calais for the ferry.

We did celebrate our new house properly on our next visit with a bottle or three of local wine.

Hope all goes well Dave and Olive

Paul

[Teamedup]

We signed for a bit of land a year or so ago, but no celebrations, going for a drink with the only one of the vendors who turned up was mentioned, but we didn't go. No celebrations when we signed for the land and building to be done here either. And friends have never mentioned doing it either on their various moves.

Look at all those who buy and have a hundred years junk to shift, as the sellers didn't actually move other than the stuff they really wanted. I'm sure that there is many a vendor one would not want to socialise with.

[SaligoBay]

As Monsieur et Madame Vendor were in the process of getting divorced (hence house sale), there was a distinctly frosty atmosphere at our signing.  They clearly weren't even going out for a drink with each other, never mind us!

I also had a go at Monsieur Notaire for being an incompetent git, so HE wasn't going for a drink with anyone either!

AND the vendors had inadvertently upset an agent immobilier, who was threatening them with bailiffs for alleged loss of 13000 euros commission from lost sale. 

C'est la vie.   

[La vieille]

It was a non event for us too, having read all about it on this forum first!   The vendors came back to the house to show us how things worked then disappeared pdq!  

Good luck!

[Patf]

The person we bought the house from was dutch and had come all the way down from Holland with his friend. They asked if they could stay the night in the house so we said ok. They left early in the morning. You ask if you should bring anything - just be sure to have the money all lined up and available for the notaire. We arranged to collect a bankers draft on the way to the signing. Pat.

[Alexis]

I got taken to the office of the insurance man after my first house purchase.  Then we went back to the house to wait for EDF and the SAUR.

[Lizzie15]

[quote]I got taken to the office of the insurance man after my first house purchase. Then we went back to the house to wait for EDF and the SAUR.[/quote]

On our first purchase we didn't even have house insurance( !!). We didn't think about this until a day or 2 later when we rushed off to the estate agents to inform them, they pointed us in the direction of an insurance company-literally .We obviously took out insurance immediately.

[GRT17]

After our drink with vendors and a quick look again at the house we hurried off to arrange the insurance only to find when we returned that EDF had called and cut us off! After many attempted phone calls on my mobile, lack of signal and complete failure trying to put across lengthy (U.K) mobile number I asked our neighbour to phone, which he did willingly . EDF came out, it was well after 18.00 and put things right immediately.

 

Gill

[Georgina]

You should enjoy it, it is very civilised and the vendors usually take you for a drink to celebrate.  I remember the Notaire being a bit scary with his enormous desk to sit behind.  We all felt about 3 inches tall and I think even the immobilier was scared of him too.  However it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we made good friends with the vendors.

Georgina

[SaligoBay]

<<it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience>>

Enjoyable, paying to listen to all that tedious legal stuff????   Nah, the only pleasure involved was pointing out the mistakes that the useless notaire had made

I didn't find him scary at all, a notaire is only a con in a suit.  Certainly didn't deserve the 16 thousand euros we had to pay him.

See, Miki, almost 3 months on and STILL not laughing!!     

 

[Miki]

[quote]<<it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience>> Enjoyable, paying to listen to all that tedious legal stuff???? Nah, the only pleasure involved was pointing out the mistakes that the usel...[/quote]

Oh my, normally 3 months would see the smile return but 16,000€ thats an awful lot of euros. My calculation of return to grinning was based on 8-10,000€. I will still tell you a story though, that still chills me old bones.

Whilst at the Notaires and purchasing our 2nd property (we had sold the first one, so don't put me in the Alexis class of ownership ) in the Doo Don. Fun and games were being had and just like like you, umpteen crosses out and more signatures added than in a kids scrapbook at a teeny bopper concert.

Anyway, one and a half hours and still our money had not crossed the road from CA to the Notaires office, faxes, phone calls, zut alors were muttered from the French and b****** were mentionned a few times by the English. Then I suggested I went over there to remind them that I was in a panic and 3 weeks should have been sufficient time to send money from CA Provence to CA Doo Don.

"Ooh la la" said the Maitre, "zat long" (ooh matron I said)  "I didn't realise" another call from her and whoosh all OK..................."Monsieur,  money will be here tomorrow, first thing"...yipes, what a to do I calmly thought. Where do we stay tonight then? No problems, the outgoing owners said we could stay there, very nice of them, we thought... "at half the normal tarif Monsieur" they said..........

Now here is the chill in the bones bit;

Before we entered the Notarial office, we had enjoyed a chilled drink on the shady terrace opposite the Notaires. I had with me a briefcase, rather a yuppy thing to do but, when in the Doo Don and all that !! It contained several thousand Francs in cash. This was from the sale at the last minute of a camper van and also to be used to help buy a car from a local garage. Yes I know it should have been deposited but time scales and all that...................

After the last signature, the shaking of hands and "let's retire to the bar opposite", the bells rang, bloody hell I thought or something like that anyway. "I've left the case outside the bar, two hours ago". Tina reckons the tan I had from Provence went North and a Procul Harem colour hit my face in an instant. 

Smashing the long held Notaire to Bar run in a time so fast the stopwatch had barely registered any movement (still a record that has not even come close to being equalled let alone beaten) Where is it ? where is it ? well it was still on the chair and a family were sitting on the next table and when I went to pick it up, the lady said to me "if you had not arrived soon we were going to put it opposite with the Maitre"

The family were arriving at the café just before we left and I thought, well they had plenty of opportunity to have it on their feet with the case, if they had been that way inclined.

Bottom line, yep I paid for all the drinks and a happy family were shocked to find lunch and drinks had been mysteriously paid for......................wouldn't you have done the same? I would have French kissed the lot of them, toothless Granny included, if I would have had to !!

Much as it hurts to say it, even Chelsea losing would not have bothered me in that record run to the bar that afternoon, I can&

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

Day of signing of our second house,turned up to look at the house(tip,always look at the house you are buying the same day BEFORE you sign)no probs off to the notaire,signed for the house 20mins later off to the insurance and then back to the vendors house(next door to our,s) for a glass or 3 of the fizzy stuff,in all took less than an hour and half.We dont talk about the first house!!!!!

[janetandmartin]

We are off to sign on the 28th Jan, booked flight etc. Are we wise??

[Miki]

You and only you, will know the answer to that soon enough !

Good luck anyway.

[Quillan]

We had rad that you turn up 'suited and booted' and there would be a drink after, when we asked our agent he said 'In Paris maybe but down here no'.

We had asked for things to be put in the contract which we were told had been. We had emailed the items to both the Notaire and the agent. We took our own translator we with us. What initially stared out quite boring, the reading of the complete contract in front of everyone, got quite exciting when there was no mention of the amendments we wanted, the agent tried to tell us our translator had got it wrong, the Notaire didn't know and swore blind I never emailed him. I took everything with me including copies of emails etc. When I produced them the Notaire went a funny colour, as did the agent and we all had to wait 20 minutes while the contract was retyped. We had turned up in casual wear, the seller was a plasterer and turned up in his working gear, the wife worked at Champion and still had her tabard on and of course they were getting 'excited' as they had to return to work.

So my story is, take your own translator, don't be frightened to ask questions and pay attention to everything that is going on.

Some will say 'why did you not get a translation in French' well we asked but never got.

The other point is that if the contract is not what you asked for you can stop the proceedings till it's sorted out, it will cost you nothing and the house can't be resold till it's sorted. Oh yes you don't get any deeds straight away, they then have to be registered at the prefecture and will turn up about 6 months later. You can ask for a letter from the notaire to prove you have bought the place which might come in handy later.

I think what happened to be was the exception rather than the norm and I wish you success and happiness in your new adventure.

[Teamedup]

We bought a little bit of land in 2003 and for this hundred or so m² there were errors in the documentation. We had to wait whilst the secretary sorted it out, twice. I commented to the notaire how much easier things were with computers, but he insisted that it was all equally time consuming and difficult.......... However, he didn't bump our bill up as it was their fault.

It had taken us several years to buy this land from a group of heritiers and only one was there. Coffee was mentioned, but no time was left due to the delays at the notaires.

When we bought our house,there was no pot either.

 

[Tresco]

Noticed earlier in the thread people talking about having to run off to get insurance after they had signed.

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but we had to have the insurance in place before signing. The Notaire asked to see the documents as soon as we arrived.

Do remember to get the Notaire to give you something proving you are the owner before you leave, as Quillan suggests.  It comes in very very handy.

I hope you have a good trip and everything goes well.

tresco

[Em]

We didn't want or have time for drinks and everyone departed very quickly. So quickly in fact that I was nearly out of the car park and had forgotten to take the keys from the vendors. Oops. Whole thing took about 1.5 hours.

The Notaire should give you an Attestation to prove you own the property. Deeds will follow in a few weeks, together with perhaps a rebate on fees once they have calculated all the charges. Lovely.

We took over the previous insurance. All sorted on the day with a phone call and faxing of the Attestation to the insurer, all done by our agent. Very simple.

If you can, try to view the property before you sign to check it is as agreed.

Good luck and enjoy!

Em