Why not subscribe to our monthly news letter?

Just fill in your email address at the bottom of the Blog page.

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….like us Brittany Gems

Saturday is a big day for us ………..Bastille Day!

Bastille Day, the French national holiday celebrated on July 14^th each year, celebrates the storming of ‘La Bastille’ prison by French peasants in 1789 and therefore the start of the French revolution.

While most people think the holiday commemorates just the storming of the Bastille, it actually also commemorates the Fête de la Fédération held on July 14, 1790 to celebrate its first anniversary. A huge national party, the Fête de la Fédération was held to celebrate the new post-revolution French state, and has come to be seen as a symbol of the birth of the nation of France.

The Bastille was a prison where people had been unfairly jailed by the King and famous for holding political prisoners and those whose writings displeased Louis 16th. Thus the Bastille had become a symbol of the unfair repression of the monarchy.

Somewhat ironically, in actuality there were only 7 inmates housed in the Bastille when it was stormed. Truth be told, the storming of the Bastille was more important as a symbolic act of rebellion than a practical act of defiance. Although it was certainly an important moment in the French Revolution and the history of France, the typical image of courageous French patriots storming the Bastille and freeing hundreds of oppressed peasants is not quite historically accurate.

Still, the whole day, its history and now the large national party that it has become, is extremely important to the people of France with fireworks being the highlight in most French towns.

To us this year it is equally as important as it will be the first ‘Bastille Day’ that we have spent in St Malo and therefore marks our own revolution and the rebirth of our life here in France.

Vive la France and Bonne quatorze Juillet!

Tall Ships and a Gallery Exhibition Opening:

The crowd control barriers are up, the flags are out and the whole of St Malo is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the tall ships on Thursday. 

This is a once every four year event and one which certainly draws the crowds – 150,000 visitors are expected on each of the four days.  There are lots of associated events taking place in and around the town with street parades, dancing and live music which will hopefully include the crews from the tall ships themselves.

Local artists are also taking full advantage of the event and in their varying styles they will be capturing the ships and the atmosphere as the event unfolds. 

Eric Duhan, a resident of St Malo for 30 years plus, specialises in watercolours and has just opened an exhibition in his ‘intra muros’ gallery to mark the arrival of the ships.  We were delighted to have been invited to the opening last Saturday evening and to see the work that he had already done.  The Tall Ships are well known to Eric and his gallery is now full of beautiful images of them.

Well worth a look to give yourselves a feeling of how the town will look and feel over the next few days.