House Hunting in France, Episode 318

Video Description

This episode of the podcast is a conversation with Wendy Sherwood on house-hunting in France. Wendy is looking to retire in France which is a dream for a lot of people. It’s achievable, she explains how they are going about it. Wendy keeps a blog called Are We In France Yet and I recommend you take a look, lots of inspiration for places to visit in France if you need your list to get any longer! 2021 is finally here! Not that rolling over a new digit will necessarily change everything, but it’s a step forward and I’m happy that it’s finally here. So, Bonne Année to all of you, wishing you health, joy with your family and friends, professional success, and the ability to visit France soon. Will travel for pleasure resume in 2021? I am sure some of it will. How much? I can’t say for sure right now. House Hunting in France Wendy and her husband decided to look for a house they could buy for their retirement. They're not ready to retire yet, but they've decided they would like to live in France and are exploring ways to make that happen. Wendy has lived in France in the past, she speaks French and loves France. Her husband was in the wine business and would love to live in France. They have friends whose parents are in Toulouse and they are helping them locate a property. They spent 10 weeks in France doing on the ground reconnaissance but they haven't decided where they want to settle yet. They are considering buying a property they could rent as a gite or possibly use the space to do cooking classes or some such service. If they don't develop a business they will have more leeway as to where they settle. 10 Weeks of House Hunting in France They landed in Bordeaux and leased a car through Renault and Euro Drive. This gave them plenty of time to see several regions and be really mobile. At first they stayed with their friends around Bordeaux and the Dordogne and then moved on to AirBnB. Their friends have a lot of local knowledge and was able to tell them all about the area they were looking into. They were able to take personal house tours arranged by their friends without involving a realtor. They know they want an old house with old stones, some land, access to water. But not anything like renovate a chateau. They'd like a historic property (which they know might come with some issues) and possibly has a barn they can renovate into a B&B or gite. Making the Purchase Contingent on What You Need It's important to make sure whatever property the buyer chooses is zoned right for that sort of development because in France zoning is only reviewed every decade or so. If it's not zoned right it may be get the right zoning in your lifetime. In the purchase contract you can put a condition that says I will only buy if it turns out I can put in a pool or turn an agricultural building into a house. But be aware that the only people who can tell you for sure is city officials. Not realtors and definitely not sellers because they'll say anything to make the sale. Find an Agent who Speaks English Finding an agent who speaks English is good, but knowing French yourself is a lot better. Annie guesses that a buyer who doesn't understand the fine print will be taken for a lot of rides. If you're looking into areas where it's touristy most real-estate agents will look at you like a walking checkbook. They figure the rich Americans have shown up, let's sell them something even if it's not really what they wanted. Work with a British Agent If you're not 100% comfortable with French, look for an agent who is English or speaks great English. They will often be more understanding of your point of view as a buyer. There are a lot of them in the Dordogne, Provence, Normandy. Putting an Offer on a House If you're house hunting in France, eventually you'll make an offer. That's exactly what happened to Wendy and her husband. They fell in love with a property that checked all their boxes and put an offer on it. They made the offer, negotiated it, the sellers accepted it. The sellers were adamant that they should sign the "compromis de vente" right away. That's the document that commits you and if you break that commitment you lose your deposit. Getting the House Inspected In France there are mandatory reports that the seller has to pay for but buyers can also hire an engineer who will give an independent inspection. Hiring an independent inspector is not common in France, but it's a good idea to do it even if it'll cost a few hundred euros. Finding an independent building inspector might be difficult. In France it's still very much about who you know. People get their uncle who is a builder to come look at the house. The "bilan énergétique" is mandatory. But you're on your own when it comes to floods and other risks. In the Dordogne you can find building inspectors (because there are so many English-speaking buyers) and that's what they did. Their...