An Intro to Our Service
& "How did we get into this anyway?"...
Thanks for visiting our site...
If your French buying experience is to be anything like our own was back in 1999, then buying in Brittany or Normandy should be a very, very exciting time in your life.
You’ve already recognised this corner of northern France as ideally placed to give you good access backwards and forwards to the UK for you, your family and friends. If you’re planning to live over there then you’ll benefit from • No road tax • Fast track healthcare that the UK tries hard to emulate • Good and comparatively empty road links • Great and economic eating out opportunities and food shopping that offers a wide choice of fresh and local produce. The supermarkets are great and the speciality shops...very special.
By having a good working relationship with 18 (fully registered) agents across Brittany and Southern Normandy, we hope that we can take some of the negative twists and turns out of the process. In fact, the reason we started our business, not long after we bought Le Ros (that’s it on the right both before and after a bit of tlc) was because of some of the things that went wrong. Briefly, one of our viewing trips was totally wasted because of the ineptitude of one particular UK agency...big enough and well known enough to know better.
Quite simply we hope to show you, either by post, or on our website, houses which appeal to you enough to include them in your search ‘on the ground’ in Brittany or Normandy. Our agents always have more properties on their own portfolio than are carried on our site, so there will be more to see when you view the agent’s books on arrival at their offices for your appointment.
Our associate agents are all fully registered to deal in the sale of property and will assist you through the legal processes of the compromis and, when all of the searches are completed, the signing of the Acte Finale. They also see it as part of their responsibility to make sure that all services that can be supplied to your new home, are in place. By the way...The use of our service is free to you and is paid for by our agents from their own commisssion, but only after you are Brittany/Normandy house owners and the keys to your new home are in your hands!
The ‘Notaire’ in France always officiates over the exchange of property and traditionally works on behalf of both the vendor and the buyer. This is not at all unusual, but you may wish to appoint another Notaire to work on your individual behalf. In cases such as this then the fees are divided between both Notaires. We used the simpler route of accepting the Notaire representing the family which sold us the house. Our own Compromis was presented to us for signaturein a bi-lingual form. You should be prepared to pay the 10% deposit at the point of signing this either by bank transfer or with a Euro cheque. After this formality it’s a good idea to open a French bank account (the agent will probably assist you with this if you feel you need help). Then, with money placed in the account between Compromis and Acte Finale you’ll be ready for the final signing of documentation which has to be signed as understood by all parties on every page....Good hunting!
If we're allowed just a little self indulgence!...We bought Le Ros (our own house in Brittany) in 1999 for a price I daren't even tell you about. It was designated as a ruin and bits of it still do look a bit like that - but it's coming on. A new roof stopped the water coming in and didn't make the house look "too new" and, having the spiral staircase (we can give you the contact names of the people to talk to) was a 'best buy ever' - but I don't mean it was cheap! But it means that now, having had the walls chau plastered (we've got that number too) we can get some tiles or flagstones for the lounge floor. It's good the way things always look better by candle light isn't it? Just after we bought the house and created the first bathroom Micki - the one you speak to when you call us (she's also a stained glass artist) filled a hole I had left in the wall with one of her windows (she takes commissions too - 01903 202272) and it looks like it's always been there!
Enjoy the website and, better still, your future in Brittany or Normandy!
