moving to france

[luthermax]

we have so many questions ,dont know where to begin!.

we are a married couple in our 30,s.with 4 young children.both fed up with life in the UK and desperate for a better future for our kids.we have bought all relevant magazines and read as much info from websites as we can take in.so we are hoping someone out there can give us some answers/advice which may help us to make the move easier????

we are looking at houses in brittany,there are some decent ones within our budget[200,00 euros] ,which we could buy outright ,and there are some with lots of land as well ,but for those we would need a mortgage

1. are mortgage easily available?

2.what types are they?

3.what are typical rates like?

4.is there a tax payable on the size of the house/land

we currently receive child benefit from the UK goverment.

1.would we continue to receive it from the UK,even though we are no longer residents

2.does france operate anything similar.                                                                                                                                                    continued

[tj]

Hi

I think you will find/receive positive answers to your questions.

But would ask you, what you will do for a living, and hope you have something lined up or plenty of savings to see you thru at least the first couple of years.

Dont mean to put a damper on things, I am sure others will agree that is by far the most important consideration at this point. Once you have financial security here in France, the quality of life, sadly leaves England in its wake.

best of luck.

[Nick Trollope]

Hummmm...

I think you need to do a search of the forum and then alot of research.

But, broadly speaking and house purchases apart the cost of living is roughly the same here as it is in the UK, earnings however are significantly lower.

Mortgages are cheaper (3.75% or thereabouts), but are based primarily on your ability to pay them. No job, no mortgage - no dodgy sub-market lenders here!

No WFTC or similar here & no, you can't get it from the UK (or rather you could, but they demand it back...). Prospects of getting any significant assistance when you first arrive - nil.

etc etc

 

[Val_2]

As you sound very unsure of any facts and don't mention how you will support your family, good advice is to rent a property for 6 months or more first before committing yourselves and losing out if it does not work. As Nick said, credit,loans,benefits and financial help are not forthcoming in France without being in the system for some time and mortgages are usually no more than one third of your monthly income regarding the repayment,that is, if a bank will give you one without any previous history of banking with them or an employer's letter etc. Child benefit should be paid but not immediately until you are in the system and Newcastle and France sort the paperwork out. Foncières and Habitation tax depends on property size, location and the local commune settings and no two properties are the same charges here - the more you have, the more you pay basically.

Don't be fooled into thinking it is utopia here just by watching programmes on TV, there are serious problems too such as increasing crimes and unemployment especially in rural places here in Brittany. If you do lots of research then try it,but don't expect it to be as UK living and try and learn some french to help you get by.