Firs time home buyer in France.

[Mattyj198]

Hello there everyone,  I have fallen in love with a house in France and I am almost ready to take the plunge.  It is an older house good condition, good roof, good walls.  Actually the outer walls are in great condition, but it needs renovation on the inside.  It also needs electric, water and a septic. 

I know nothing about doing this in France,  I can do the reno work myself but as far as hydro and water coming in I think it would be up to the town right?

Im not looking for you guys to 100% answer my questions but if you have experience that would be helpful.

All I really need is to do some research myself on the internet,  but if you could point me in the right direction of where to look or what to look for that would be great!

Matthew Johnson

[Russethouse]

 I suspect you  need to post how far the services are from the house at present ?

[Mattyj198]

I suppose that would be good to know :-p  The add and the real estate agent were not helpful with this but from the photo I can see a new house next door,  So I am going to assume they have water and hydro.

[andyh4]

This may sound silly to you, but it would be a good idea to get confirmation that the house is in fact a habitation.

 

Even if it looks like a house it may not be classified as one and then you will have the task (not guaranteed to be successful) of getting ht property recategorised back to a habitation.

[Russethouse]

[quote user="Mattyj198"]I suppose that would be good to know :-p  The add and the real estate agent were not helpful with this but from the photo I can see a new house next door,  So I am going to assume they have water and hydro.
[/quote]

errrr hum.....  'from the photo'?

 You have seen this house 'in the flesh' haven't you ?

[Mattyj198]

We have not seen the house in the flesh yet.  We live in Canada and flying to France is quite expensive,  and flying out of Toronto is ALWAYS expensive for some reason.

We are trying to do as much research as we can to make it  worth our while before we go over.

This is all the add says,  I am waiting for some more info from the agent.

Property details

Ref:

657

Property type:

House

Location:

In the countryside

Region:

Pays-de-la-Loire

Département:

Mayenne 53

Habitable Space:

67 m²

Summary

Very nce stone house which needs to be renovated, 1300 m² of land, 67 m² on the ground floor

[Will]

If it's the place I think, then it's a barn - so do make it a condition of sale that permission for change of use is obtained. Also the roof needs renovating (probably replacement, or major repair). I'd be a little wary of those wall ties. Check how much it will cost to connect water, and also to install a septic tank (chances of main drainage are pretty much non-existent in the country), both of these might come as a shock. Don't forget either that you need to allow an additional 8-10% of the purchase price for legal fees and taxes.

Are you dealing with an agent in UK? You will probably get better and faster service if you can deal direct with the agent in France, though it might take a bit of finding. Some of the UK sub-agents are perfectly professional, but others leave something to be desired.

The area of 'your' barn is around Ernée, which is nice enough, but it's much more Normandy than Pays de Loire.

[Judie]

Here is maybe a little more information. Think it must be the one you are interested in. It's on an english introductory agent's website.

"Detached stone and slate barn(67 sqm on the

ground floor), situated in a hamlet, with a land area of 1 300 sqm. No

water and electricity but close by, no septic tank, renovation needed

for the roof. Old bread oven attached to the property.

To renovate

Ground floor : room with a fireplace.

First floor : loft."

[LisaSmithy]

HI,

I had the same problem when I moved here, there are some immobiliers here that help with advise and can give you great contacts . Also handy when you come on to buy or sell the next property .

Leggett Immobilier was who I used and I they were really good . Call at the Head office for General info . They were all in the Same boat as us, All English agents that have lived here for years now. So know how to help and all the answers .

Hope this Helps

Lisa

[woody234]

if it is a house then why is there not electric and water and what is hydro is it gas electric or telephone line