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Buying in france FIRST TIME


Mattyj198
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Hey guys!

I am working on buying a home in France, This is the situation.

It is a house we have rented a few times in the past, so we are quite aware of the state the house is in. We contacted the owners one day and asked us to let us know if they ever wanted to sell. Whell that day has come and they contacted us.

We are totally new to buying a home in France (We are from Canada) And I am looking for some help.

I am very good at doing my own research on the net but my problem is I don't know what I am researching. So if you guys could give me some topics I should research that would be great. Things I should be learning that I probbly don't know. I don't need answers just the topics I should be reading up on. If I have any questions Ill ask later.

Thanks in advance

Matty
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We have just completed our purchase in France, and apart from a few small technical details it is exactly the same as purchasing any where else. The buyer provides money and the seller hands over the house.

As death and taxes are the only certainty in this life now is also the perfect time to consider future transfer implications.

My advice unless you are very skilled in French law or can afford to treat the purchase as petty cash is to employ a competent lawyer who will for the sake of about £1200/£1500 protect your interests.

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It would be a kind of second home, vacation home and rental property. Not 100% sure what is going to happen there. We own an extra property in Canada that we will be selling for this one.

Thanks for the advice. an extra 1500 euros for A lawyer i think would be worth the money for a lot less stress.
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Don't bother with a lawyer. If you get a French Notaire of your own then it will not cost you more as the 'price' is fixed so the original fee is split between the two. If you get a lawyer in your own country, as some Brits do, then all you are doing is lining their (lawyers) pocket to deal with something which is quite straight forward. Don't forget they won't do the search's (are they going to build a motorway next to my house or a new airport at the bottom of my garden) etc, you will have to do most of that yourself (ask the mayor and the DDE). The notaire is only there to see the transaction goes through properly in accordance to French law. The contract must be give so you can understand it (I forget the proper term in France) so if you don't speak French they need to give you a translation. My advice, for what its worth, is if you feel the need to spend some money then do so on a translator, we did and it cost us 80 Euros which is a lot cheaper and told us all we neded to know.
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Thanks for the advice! I will check and and see if they are going to build anything. I doubt it though, its 1 1/2 acres and is right in between a river and chamboard national park.

I have been reading the forums and apparently one of the biggest problems I have read about is water. This house is out in the country. Are wells in france commen?
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We had a well in our house when we bought it. However, the water was tested at the local 'biology lab' and was found to be 'chemique non-potable'. However the previous occupant we believe use to drink it. All is not lost, as the water from the well can be used for the toilet, as well as watering the garden etc. We therefore had a new supply from the nearby mains ( about 600mts). this was done by the contractors of the Syndicat des eaux. So long as you are forward planning there shouldn't be any problems with getting a new supply from wherever you choose. Cost us either 4K or 6K euros several years back, but had to come dog-leg through the other properties. All in all, we were very pleased with their work

Aitch
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  • 3 weeks later...

[quote user="Richard"]He mentions " its 1 1/2 acres and is right in between a river and chamboard national park."

[/quote]

In which case he should visit the Mayors office and the DDE to find out about flooding and if there are any restrictions concerning such should he want to build or change anything.

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  • 1 month later...
[quote user="Quillan"]Don't bother with a lawyer. If you get a French Notaire of your own then it will not cost you more as the 'price' is fixed so the original fee is split between the two. If you get a lawyer in your own country, as some Brits do, then all you are doing is lining their (lawyers) pocket to deal with something which is quite straight forward. Don't forget they won't do the search's (are they going to build a motorway next to my house or a new airport at the bottom of my garden) etc, you will have to do most of that yourself (ask the mayor and the DDE). The notaire is only there to see the transaction goes through properly in accordance to French law. The contract must be give so you can understand it (I forget the proper term in France) so if you don't speak French they need to give you a translation. My advice, for what its worth, is if you feel the need to spend some money then do so on a translator, we did and it cost us 80 Euros which is a lot cheaper and told us all we neded to know.[/quote]

If the Notaire is only concerned about transacting the property according to the law, who does the searches for these important things that may be planned, like new airports, roads etc.?
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Welcome to the forum [:)]

[quote user="WB"]Have you got an idea of the location in France?[/quote]

[quote user="Mattyj198"]Hey guys! I am working on buying a home in France, This is the situation. It is a house we have rented a few times in the past, so we are quite aware of the state the house is in.[/quote]I think there is a clue in there somewhere[;-)]

 

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[quote user="brodie19"]If the Notaire is only concerned about transacting the property according to the law, who does the searches for these important things that may be planned, like new airports, roads etc.?

[/quote]

Ask the agent selling the property but basically its you.

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[quote user="brodie19"]If the Notaire is only concerned about transacting the property according to the law, who does the searches for these important things that may be planned, like new airports, roads etc.?[/quote]I think you may be making the same mistake that a lot of people do, applying UK property buying standards and norms to France whereas about the only common factor is as Braco said earlier,

[quote user="Braco"]The buyer provides money and the seller hands over the house.[/quote]

 

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Just to add that you can find quite a bit of information in English on the www.notaires.fr website.

The only things that are obligatory are (where required due to age etc) reports on Lead (pipes and paint), Asbestos, Termites, Gas, Electricity, Energy (insulation, Co2 emmisions etc), Natural Hazards (like are you on a flood plain etc) and Fosse Septic as stated in Dossier de Diagnostic Technique or "DDT". You can use Google to translate it in to English.

If you Google "Buying a house in France" there are loads of websites that come up that you can read. Research, research and research again is my tip and if your gut tells you to walk away then walk away. Buy in haste, repent at leisure as they say.

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[quote user="Quillan"]

Just to add that you can find quite a bit of information in English on the www.notaires.fr website.

The only things that are obligatory are (where required due to age etc) reports on Lead (pipes and paint), Asbestos, Termites, Gas, Electricity, Energy (insulation, Co2 emmisions etc), Natural Hazards (like are you on a flood plain etc) and Fosse Septic as stated in Dossier de Diagnostic Technique or "DDT". You can use Google to translate it in to English.

If you Google "Buying a house in France" there are loads of websites that come up that you can read. Research, research and research again is my tip and if your gut tells you to walk away then walk away. Buy in haste, repent at leisure as they say.

[/quote]

The lead survey is only for paint not pipes and the fosse survey is not yet universally obligatory.
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  • 2 months later...
If you are a French speaking Canadian then no problem but if not, ff you go to the Notaire website you can also search for a local Notaire who speaks English.

When we bought the sellers Notaire only spoke French so we chose one nearby who spoke English.

Our Notaire hosted the completion of the purchase which was all in English (seller, salesperson and us English) apart from when he translated parts into French for the benefit of the sellers Notaire and the principal of the estate agency.

Paul
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