Orbec, Bernay,Broglie

[salamander]

Hello to all those living in Normandy

We're planning to move further north away from the searing summer heat of Poitou Charentes (and a bit closer to family and friends in England) and are thinking back to a gite holiday spent near Orbec. 

If anyone living near the triangle Orbay, Bernay, Broglie has any advice or info about the area, please share it with us.  We're looking for a village/small town with its own pharmacie and basic shops.  A bit worried that Normandy is 'overrun' with English - don't want to go where we're not wanted!  is this just a media exaggeration?

Any input will be appreciated. 

[Mozman]

We have owned a colombage just outside Orbec for the last 3 years and look forward to the day we can live there permanently.  The Town is a gem and the people very welcoming.

We have never encountered any animosity and use the services of a local man to look after the grounds.  We bought the house from Espace Immobilier (Christof Duclos) in Orbec - the service was very good.  He has two other agencies.

There are very few English people in Orbec, although we do see tourists.  If you plan to visit and want a drink and a good solid meal visit the Tourist Bar on La Grande Rue.

The new auto route from Alencon to Rouen opens in Oct and this has been putting up prices - and they look likely to move up further.  There are two new agencies moving into the town soon, so there will be 4 in all for a small town.  Clearly they are preparing for business.  The current agencies in the town are used to dealing with the English.

 

If I can help any more please shout.

 

Regards,   PETE

 

[Mozman]

We have owned a colombage just outside Orbec for the last 3 years and look forward to the day we can live there permanently.  The Town is a gem and the people very welcoming.

We have never encountered any animosity and use the services of a local man to look after the grounds.  We bought the house from Espace Immobilier (Christof Duclos) in Orbec - the service was very good.  He has two other agencies.

There are very few English people in Orbec, although we do see tourists.  If you plan to visit and want a drink and a good solid meal visit the Tourist Bar on La Grande Rue.

The new auto route from Alencon to Rouen opens in Oct and this has been putting up prices - and they look likely to move up further.  There are two new agencies moving into the town soon, so there will be 4 in all for a small town.  Clearly they are preparing for business.  The current agencies in the town are used to dealing with the English.

 

If I can help any more please shout.

 

Regards,   PETE

 

[Coco]

I believe that this particular area of Normandy is far less populated with Brits than we are here in Manche and the further western areas.  We are ten minutes from the A84 and when we bought our house 6 years ago we were at the last junction of the motorway at that time.  Since the motorway has been completed property prices in this area have at least doubled, so if you're interested in the area, make sure you make your purchase either before, or as soon after the opening of the new motorway as possible.

[Alane]

We are located just north of Bernay and recently had some work done on the house. The builders were absolutely delighted with the predicted, and already realised increases in house prices. They are looking for at least a 50% increase and were talking about doubled prices just because of the motorway. Primarily they are looking for Parisiens buying weekend cottages - plus they were expecting extra demand for builders etc as these people improved the properties. I asked about the problems for local people who wouldn't be able to afford houses and the response was basically well that's just their hard luck. When I asked about the extra noise to be endured by those living close to the new motorway I thought they were going to ask if I needed to increase my medication.

A good area to buy just now if you haven't already missed the bus. Me, well I bought eight years ago for less than the price of a car so I'm all right Jack. I do wonder however what impact the influx of weekenders will have on the country life that we liked so much in this area. Already I see shops closing in the villages, that thrived up until very recently.

I was recently looking through the old files that I kept when we bought our property and came across adverts for habitable houses in W. Normandy, Mayenne and Brittany for £6k! What happened to the people who bought at those prices I wonder.

Best Regards

Alan.

[Furry Knickers]

Hello Rosaline (what a lovely name)

I am in a little wooden house not too far from Bernay, if you are nearby anytime, you should pop into me little place for a cup a tea and few potato cakes and a bit of brack! You can have a look at me mastiff too  if you like!

There aint that many of those English lads around here mind! There are a good few Paris women though! Don't they wear grand clothes? they look so chick in their Eve sallorent and Hitachi creations from Paris! bejaney, those lads have some style! I feel like a big ejit going round in me Matterland stretchy pants and shirts with palm trees on them.

I was in that Dauville place the other morning, and I saw a sign on a roundabout for Kildare 600 Kilometeres, So I followed the sign and after about 200 miles I thought I must have took a wrong turn and turned back. Imagine only having the one sign post? what good is that? Them French are strange! a bit like that lad that lives in a picnic hamper with a bear and the girl in the spotty dress! Why would you do that? There is no need for that when there are council houses and flats lying empty.

There was a woman back in County Kildare, that lived in a fridge for 5 years. Her name was Bridget Slevin (do you know her?) The last I heard, she was having an observatory built on to it to keep her lemon tree in for the winters, they can't take the frost you see.

Well, I am off to see if me new turtle (Allan) is ok!

 

 

 

 

 

[Ciel Bleu]

I thought that the majority of property prices in France had doubled over the last 5 years regardless of whether they are near to new roads or not. It also looks as if more and more French people think that an unsustainable 'Bulle Immobiliere' has developed which COULD very easily burst.

Listen to this catchy song: http://fr.audiofanzine.com/produits/index,idproduit,71511.html

Ciel Bleu

[salamander]

We’ve just come back from spending a week in a gite about 7kms west of Bernay. Pleased to find some replies to my original post. Pete, we had 2 good lunches in the Tourist Bar! Orbec is so animated yet surrounded by beautiful countryside. It seems like the best of both worlds. We only found 2 estate agents, Espace and Mer et Campagne. The guy at Espace said the prices in Orbec were ’fou’ and likely to become more so because of the motorway. Are the other 2 agents already there or in the pipeline? There were also 2 notaires but we didn’t get as far as seeing them.

I would like to know what it’s like trying to keep a colombage house warm in the winter. The walls seem so thin compared to the thick stone we’ve got used to down here. Does it cost a bomb to keep warm?

I was quite sad to leave the area but our next visit will be an easier and shorter drive thanks to the motorway extension.

Thanks for replies and offer of help. Will send a PM if I think of anything.

[Rasputin]

[quote]Hello Rosaline (what a lovely name) I am in a little wooden house not too far from Bernay, if you are nearby anytime, you should pop into me little place for a cup a tea and few potato cakes and a bi...[/quote]

Hello, Hello, Hello,   what make of Turtle would it be then?