Taking the plunge !

[JP]

Hi all - just a quick question on buying a house in France.  My situation is lsightly different to many on this board in that I work for a UK company in their Paris office.  We (Anna & 3 kids) have been in France for the past year now, renting, but now is the time to buy we feel & so will be doing that in the western suburbs (78).  No doubt I will have loads of Q's as I go along the process, but the first is in terms of undertsanding the french contracts etc.  We think we may have found the property that we want through a local agent (who speaks reasonably good English) - so we may be making an offer this week.  Mortgage has been provisionally approved through a UK broker with BNP Parisbas & house is within budget with all fees.

My question is should I be engaging an English speaking lawyer to help with the process / compromis de vente ?  Anna ia reasonably good at French conversation, but would not be able to cope with legal docs (if that is necessary?).

Advice from those that have been through the process would be very much appreciated.

Cheers .... JP

[Sunday Driver]

The compromis de vente itself is not an overly complex document  - here's an example.  Your agent should be able to provide you with an English translation if required.

You can also find a useful explanation of the French property buying process from here.

 

[JP]

Many thanks for the doc - interesting stuff.  In terms of surveys, I gather that they are not all that common in France ?  What about things like making sure that the boiler is not about to pack in or the roof needs replacing in 12 months ... etc etc etc ?  How does one cover that sort of stuff ?

[ColinE]

[quote user="JP"]Many thanks for the doc - interesting stuff.  In terms of surveys, I gather that they are not all that common in France ?  What about things like making sure that the boiler is not about to pack in or the roof needs replacing in 12 months ... etc etc etc ?  How does one cover that sort of stuff ?[/quote]

Hi JP

My estate agent in the UK said I should get a UK Lawyer, I had a quote, she wanted £3000 just to do the French end, spoke to a friend in France who said they are not needed, to get an english speaking Notaire its part of their job.

Colin

[Patf]

There's much more responsibility on the buyer to check out these things in France - caveat emptor++

The vendor has to produce reports on asbestos, lead, termites (some areas) and eco-type things. Also a current report on the drainage system if not on mains drains. Also guarantees of recent works completed. I think that's all.

So it might be worth getting a builder to check the place out, especially if the house is old. And visit the Mairie to find out if there are  plans for building nearby, windfarms, servitudes etc.

[P-D de Rouffignac]

I have got some info on my blog below which is slightly less convoluted than the helpful references you have already been offered, and if you want, a fact sheet taking you through the property buying process. As I live about a million miles from Dept 78 I am not touting for business!

P-D de R.  

[neil33]

Dear JP

Please be aware that in France it is "Buyer beware". 

With regards to the roof and boiler, ask the owners when they were fitted / installed and if they have all of the necessary paperwork (factures, decenal cover of the artisan(s) concerned.

If you're not certain, ask the local mairie for a list of registered artisans and ask one or two by each trade to visit the property (having agreed with agent and vendor in advance) and give you their opinion.  If the items you've mentioned are 'old' then perhaps ask those very same artisans to provide you with a cost (devis) for the works concerned.

Good luck

Neil

[JP]

Thanks for all the advice - looks like we are close to making an offer on the place that we want now.  Had a local architect come round to assess the house & he said that it was in very good condition, confirmed that the electrics had been recently renewed but that everything was in good order - as you might expect from a house that a family currently lives in just to the west of Paris ;-) .  Just finding out about the fosse & when it was last inspected / emptied & then its negotiation time.  Am thinking of going in with 15% below their asking price as I want a little bit extra money to do some stuff inside (new kitchen) & a knock through of loung into dining room (as it is really small).

Cheers all ... JP

[woolybanana]

Good luck JP, and keep in touch.

[JP]

Well the first offer had gone in at 10% below asking price plus a bit more off to do some work internally (total 12% below asking price) & was rejected, but they obviously want / need to sell as they have come back with a counter offer.  After leaving them to wonder for a day or two, I have now gone back with a straight 10% discount on their list price which is less than their counter offer - they were keen to know if I had already secured a mortgage (have an agreement in principle with BNPP) & whether or not I had another property to sell (haven't) so the signals are all reasonable ..... watch this space !!

[JP]

OK - offer accepted at a straight 10% discount on the list price of the house, fairly chuffed with that as it is a very popular area - estate agent had to give up 25% of their fees as the owner would not quite come down to my final price so am fairly confident that I have a good deal &, most importantly, me & Mrs P are both happy !   Will be signing the CdV towards the end of this week & paying the 5% deposit to the notaire.  Excited & nervous all at the same time !!

[Gardengirl]

Exciting times!

GG

[JP]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but .... CdV all signed, Notaire was fantastic & translated the whole proceedings into French so that Anna could concentrate on looking after our youngest & she even provided a few toys.  All went swimmingly well.  Signed & initialled numerous pages of the CdV plus the Diagnostique & the proof of work done to the house / receipts etc. & then handed over a big cheque for the deposit & a much smaller one for the Notaires charge (€300).  Then received 2 more copies of the whole proceedings via registered post ?!

Am now into the throes of planning the changes that we want, its either a veranda or, if we cant get the Permis (we are in a restricted area, within the 'Parc' of the Chateau, so they are a bit fussy, but many others have done external work) then it will be a bit of remodelling inside.  Found a good architect to help us & she has some great ideas .... fingers crossed.  AdV scheduled for no later than 15th Feb.  All in all, a very good experience so far - if only I could say the same about the trauma we have had in trying to cancel our car insurance when we took out a policy with a new insurer that was cheaper .... what a palava ..... Cheers all ... JP

[Clair]

Congratulations JP!