Buying first house in France

[Mattyj198]

I have been searching for years to find the perfect house.   I have found it online and have been talking to the agent though email up until now.  I am going to be talking to him on the phone this evening and then flying from Canada to France to view the property.

I have my own list of questions I would like to ask but I am a newbie when it comes to buying in France.   Can you guys suggest some questions that I should ask that I may not even think of.

Thanks a bunch

Matty

[Hoddy]

Have you checked out its exact location on something like Google Earth ? Think motorways, railways flight path of airports etc.

Hoddy

[Mattyj198]

yes,  I have google mapped it,  its about 30 min away from the Portiers airport.  Google maps does not have a street view of this town though :-(

[Swissie]

Flooding history? Pig or chicken farms? Sewage system? Neighbours? Shared access/areas. The perfect house may not be in the perfect place!

Do you intend to live in it? Have you found out about health insurance? Do you have children that will require schooling?

I sincerely wish you good luck - but I am amazed you are even considering buying a house in a country and region you have never experienced- and lived in during the winter. What may seem a dream in July may be very different in the dark and lonely months.

[Pickles]

Check the location using http://cartorisque.prim.net/

as well as http://www.geoportail.fr (you need to select various layers to get the best from this site)

to find possible problems arising from flooding, proximity to dangerous sites etc.

Regards

Pickles

[Patf]

If you're coming all that way I would think you would want to see more than one house.

Suggest you ask the immo to line up some others in the same price range, same amount of land, rooms, condition etc.

I don't know what the system is for housebuying in Canada, but in France it's very much caveat emptor. Many of the things you will want to know can be found out at the local Mairie, rather than from the immo - eg plans for building in the environs .

[PaulT]

What you see on the Internet and reality, in our experience, can be two completely different things. A house described as isolated might have a number of other houses close by.

We also found that some agents try to capture you and will show you houses that do not meet your requirements - I assume they are hoping that you will give in and buy anything.

When we made viewing trips it was to see several until we found one that suited us - strangely, the agent had not really done a good job of the internet details as they could have used better photos etc.

Best of luck

Paul

[Chrissie]

Ask when the electrical system was installed and whether it conforms to current French Standards.

Some suggestions:

Ask whether the property is on mains drainage or has a septic tank (fosse septique) - if the latter, does it conform to current French specs and do they have a certificate to say so?

Are there any rights of way onto your land?

Are there any restrictions on what you can do (eg you can't put up sheds or garages if it is in a flooding zone etc)

Do the current owners have any outstanding problems with their neighbours?  If they have made or received any formal complaints, they are obliged to tell you.

Is the road cleared of snow in the winter?

How is the house heated?  And is the hot water on the same system or a separate one?  You could be cheeky and ask what the bills are, but naturally they don't have to tell you.

How much is the Taxe d'Habitation and Taxe Foncière? (i.e. rates)

Check how much you are likely to have to pay the Notaire for performing the transaction, and also that it is the vendor who will be paying the estate agent and not you.

Good luck!

Chrissie (81)

[Quillan]

[quote user="P2"]

We also found that some agents try to capture you and will show you houses that do not meet your requirements - I assume they are hoping that you will give in and buy anything.

[/quote]

We got caught on that. Saw a nice house on the Internet and took a 3 hour drive to see it. When we met with the agent we discovered it had been sold the week below "never mind" she said, "I bought a,long a selection of 5 or 6 houses for you to view today". Needles to say we were rather annoyed and didn't view any of the other houses, she became upset, we had an argument, got in our car and drove another 3 hours back to where we were staying. After that we only dealt with French agents that spoke English as opposed to English people working directly or indirectly for a French agent.

Also be aware than many agents use wide angle lens on their camera. This is not done to deceive directly, it enables them to get everything that's in a room in to a picture. The side result is that the room can look bigger than it really is and unless your OK with metric measurements you can get the wrong impression.

When visiting take a notepad and camera, even a phone camera is OK. Do a sketch of the layout and then take your own pictures of inside. I took 4 of each room, 1 from each corner. I numbered the plan as I went in the order I took the photo's. I used to take a laptop and after each visit, or in the evening, sit down and type out our impressions and upload the photo's thus creating my own dossier. If you don't like the house your going to see but decided to carry on looking while your here then don't let them make you see 4 houses a day. We found any more than that after a few days one house merged in to another.

Other than that I would pay attention to Chrissie's post, theres some good tips there.

Good luck.

[Panda]

[quote user="Mattyj198"]I have been searching for years to find the perfect house.   I have found it online and have been talking to the agent though email up until now.  I am going to be talking to him on the phone this evening and then flying from Canada to France to view the property.

I have my own list of questions I would like to ask but I am a newbie when it comes to buying in France.   Can you guys suggest some questions that I should ask that I may not even think of.

Thanks a bunch

Matty
[/quote]

Hello

Having lived 30 minutes from Poitiers for a few years if you can be more specific about area it may well be in an area I know very well and could point out some issues. 

[P-D de Rouffignac]

I have been in the French property business for nearly ten years, so I think I know what I am talking about. In my view, it is invariably unwise to 'fall in love with your dream house' when refering to something you have seen on the internet, let alone travel half way across the world to view it. The problem is that you are already thinking of this house as 'the one' rather than keeping a cool head, taking time, getting to know an area, viewing a selection of properties, and possibly not committing yourself on a first vist, and certainly not without taking time.

Some of the questions that other posters suggest you ask are useful, but others not - for example, no-one urging you to buy a house is going to say it is located next door to the neighbours from hell! You need to re-visit the property and make your own judgement rather than rely on someone else's word. For example, planning permission can be granted at almost any time, so the fact that a plot of land does not have planning permission currently does not mean that this cannot change in the future.

A lot of the questions a potential buyer wants to ask can only be answered with any validity when the 'expertises' (expert survey reports) are prepared, at the time of the pre-sale contract, which itself would be subject to these reports being satisfactory. You are unlikely to get this sort of detailed information during one or a series of preliminary visits.

I would urge you to have faith in your estate agent and his knowledge and judgement. That said, do not look at them or any other third party as a scapegoat. An estate agent does not sell you a property, the customer buys it - it is your decision and yours alone. So proceed as you would with any other purchase, using your head rather than your heart!

Best of luck,

P-D de R.

 

[Gardener]

[quote user="Mattyj198"]I have been searching for years to find the perfect house.   I have found it online and have been talking to the agent though email up until now. 
Matty
[/quote]

The house could be on sale with more than one immobilier and if so the photos etc could be different as taken by another agent. Some agents in my experience show flattering or cleverly angled photos (bordering on deception) just to get you through the door and others are more honest ( with ref to photos etc).  Ask for more photos if needed as it is not like you are in the next village.

Have a look on pages jaunes for other local immobiliers and notaires or immonot and see if the house is for sale elsewhere.

Don't rely on verbal assurances to your questions. Put them in writing and get the answers in writing too. I would do this before I got on the plane, to try and avoid a wasted trip.

If the immo does think you are flying from Canada to see one house, then they will see you as a loaded foreigner [:-))]and you may to battle to get a lower offer accepted if you do decide to make an offer

[mint]

Hi, Panda

I am sending you a PM and I would be very grateful if you would please look at it.  Cheers!

[Stan Streason]

We had about 5 viewing trips (only from England) and even that was very few compared to many peoples experience.

Each trip we based around one house that looked a possibility of being "the one".  We then filled in the weekend with visits to another 3 or 4 "possibles"

I am a bit OCD on these things and badgered the agent for exact position of my "preferred" house so I could google earth etc.  I looked at other agents sites and found extra photos of the same house.  I spoke to the agent in detail before I even travelled, even "tell me the bad points now so I can prepare myself rather than be disappointed on the day".

In short, none of the 5 lived up to expectations.

The house we eventually bought was one the agent forced us to see - yes we saw some rubbish early on on these trips but the agent gradually got to know what we wanted (at about the same time as we worked it out as well).

The house wasnt initially even on his books at first.  I have no idea how he squared that side of it.  He knew our cast iron total sterling limit, arranged a sterling deal with the vendor (took a fairly small sellers fee to help the deal work).

So in summary, based on my extensive experience of one purchase:

- the things you expect to be perfect, wont be

- sometimes the agent pressing you to view something is not a bad idea

- you are not going to get something sorted in one trip unless you are very very lucky.

[andyh4]

On the point of pages jaunes, if the property has a telephone still connected, you may be able to get an aerial picture of the immediate surroundings.  Altenatively you can give the village/town name and maybe work from there

[Swissie]

P.D de R - in the UK you have to declare any problems with neighbours- especially if letters were exchanged, official complaints made, etc. Is that really not the case in France - could somebody not claim that it is a 'vice caché'? I have honestly no idea - but would be interested.

[bettyboop]

I agree with the others, internet descriptions can be very deceiving. when we bought our house, I fell in love with the photos and description, 3 bed habitable house with large barn attached, orchard and beautiful grounds - House has kitchen,bathroom,lounge,3 beds and the picture confirmed this, when we arrived to view the property, we pulled up outside a completely unknown house - this was the 3 bed habitable house, out through the back door and into the back garden were the buildings in the agents photograph - a large barn with house attached,two floors, no rooms in need of complete renovation.

We loved the place even more, great 3 bed house to live in whilst we converted the barn/house into a large house and then use the 3 bed as gite.

Well things dont always go to plan, hubby had heart attack (all well now) but had to scrap the renovation plans.

So, go into the viewings with an open mind - things arent always what they seem, it could well be the house of your dreams, but could also be a big disappointment.

Hope your trip goes well and you find your place in France (wherever it may be)

[Mattyj198]

Thanks guys for all your tips! I am

leaving this afternoon for France to have a look at the house. The

real estate agent has been very truthful about any problems with the

house but you are right, I do need to see it first. I am really

hoping I get it right the first time but would not be surprised if it

did not work out.

The house is in Couhe France, I have

never been there before but I guess I will very soon!

It was a vacation property for an

elderly british person who is now in a home so it is at least

“liveable” but probably not clean :-p

Lets hope this all works out well

Mattyj198

[Gardengirl]

Hope you have a great trip, whether or not the house turns out to be 'the' one!

[Mattyj198]

Thanks for all your advice guys!

The trip was exhausting and exciting.

I love the area even though I had never been to this area before. It

is very quiet. The towns are very French and they are all very

friendly. The house turned out to be AMAZING.

It has been re done and the wiring is

all new, plumbing is all new. The kitchen is crap but thats no

biggie, I don't like the layout anywyas.

I think I found the one. I put in an

offer and it was accepted. I am back home in Canada now and I

already have my next trip planned. I am going to be spending 2 whole

weeks there just to explore the area and get more of a feel for the

town.