Consideration
for some of the practicalities of buying property in France……
It’s quite understandable that a great many people who are looking to
buy a property in France, particularly if it is to be a vacation home, have had
a dream for a long time and in many cases that dream consists of peace,
tranquillity, isolation and as much land as their buying euros can get them.
‘We really want a place with land – we feel so hemmed in at home and
have always wanted space – perhaps something with an orchard ……… We want to be able to get away to a place
that’s quiet and not surrounded by other people – yes we really want to be
right out in the country…….!’
We hear this from so many of the clients that we talk to and yes
doesn’t it sound wonderful? But we never
want people to make a mistake. Our job
is to work with people to find a property that is a perfect gem for them and so
we regularly challenge this dream. We take
our responsibility very seriously and try hard to pass on some of the practicalities
of living with this dream and what it will actually mean to our clients.
If it’s right for you land is great and it brings with it some great
opportunities. Properties with large
amounts of land are certainly readily available and compared to elsewhere still
great value in France. But if it’s a vacation
home, who is going to maintain that land and who is going to keep that garden
looking pristine for each time you visit.
It’s certainly possible to employ property and land management companies
to do this for you but if you can’t run to that expense do you really want to
be spending all of your vacation time, mowing, pruning, trimming, digging and
in some cases harvesting orchard fruits in quantities that you probably can’t
consume- It’s certainly worth consideration? Would a small manageable garden with
a terrace allowing you to sit with a glass of something suitably chilled and
enjoy the view be more appropriate and give you more of the lifestyle dream
that you have.
Even if the property is for a permanent move – perhaps a retirement, is
the land that is manageable now going to be as much of a pleasure in say 5 or
10 year’s time?
Similarly, solitude and isolation have a great attraction particularly
if you are surrounded by neighbours at home but consider the practicality of
the journey for fresh bread and croissants each morning or the forgotten bottle
of milk? If you can’t walk to even a
basic shop do you really want to have to get into the car for these little
daily tasks or emergencies?
If you don’t have easy access to a restaurant or a bar, do you really want
to get into the car every time you fancy an evening out? And perhaps more
importantly, does that mean that the second glass of wine with dinner would not
be a good idea? Again certainly worth
serious consideration.
Of course in our job we understand that each client is different and in
some cases the practicalities of living with the dream far outweigh any
disadvantages but make sure that all the aspects of your new life are
considered and whichever way you do decide to go we can certainly help you find
the property of your dreams.
And as a PS and certainly an important property tip, just because it’s
going to be a holiday home – don’t think that it’s a good place to ‘practice’
you DIY skills. Even if you think you
will never sell on your property, try to get work done to as high a specification
as possible. Buyers want the best value
they can get and if work has been done, a finish that is as professional as it
can be. We have seen some DIY horrors in
our time and advise our clients that unless they are well skilled and
understand French structural nuances to leave work to the professionals either
French artisans or expats who have been recommended. Ensuite bathrooms created in corners of
bedrooms from UPVC cladding – I don’t think so……….
If you do need to do work and want to use French artisans, be prepared
for the 4 or 5 different tradesmen it will take to complete a new bathroom for
example. If you can’t be there yourself
to oversee the work, don’t just hand over the keys and expect completion – get
someone to project manage on your behalf – there are companies out there that
will do that for you….
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