Where do I look?
Where do I find properties?
What do the locals pay?
What do the diagnostics mean?
What does a notaire do?
What are the admin and regulatory procedures?
How do I navigate the French language?
How do I maximise my currency exchange?
What about inheritance?

These are just some of the questions.

Here are a few more:

Buying a property is just one aspect. Do you want to live in Normandy, is it a second home? What are the procedures.? Do I need healthcare? Will I start an enterprise? How do I get into the system?

The world we live in has changed rapidly over the last 30 years. People seem to be peddling faster and faster to stand still. Property prices seem to only increase, and rapidly at times. People are often working harder for less. The way of life seems to be increasingly fractious and busy for all the wrong reasons.

A few more questions:

What will be my retirement. Will I have one?
What is the healthcare provision?
Education?
Space, clean air and peace of mind?
Great food, relaxation and the ‘SIMPLE PLEASURES OF LIFE’

We often say to ourselves. I need a change, I cannot carry on like this.

Often the problem is that people just do not have the time. They are bogged down with work and all the other things that take our time.

People are often seduced by the vision of France but do not know how to take the steps needed to turn a dream into a reality. I call it the ‘Red wine moment’. After the red wine wears off the reality again sinks in and nothing happens. That is where a local specialist can turn a dream into a reality:

Find suitable properties to match criteria.
Research the total market.
Find properties not advertised.
Assist with processes and procedures.
Know what the locals pay.
Independent of agencies and working for the buyer only.

Save time and lot of hassle by appointing a local specialist to help turn the dream into a reality. An independent specialist in my camp alone.

The clock is ticking and life does not hang around. Turn that red wine moment into a reality!

We specialise with the La Pays D’Auge. We live here and bought our property 23 years ago. We know and love our region. If you like cider, Calvados, cheese, beaches, history and a peaceful way of life then it could be for you.

Visits completed and one emerges. An offer accepted. Then it is deciphering the diagnostics and all the other documents that have to be understood. All explained in French. Who can help? Do I rely on the agent.

The date arrives and the Acte de Vente is signed in the notaires office. You have the keys and look forward to the many happy holidays to come. It is the culmination of a journey, it is laced with excitement. Many have made that same journey and can testify to the challenges that are presented.

We purchased our property in 2002 as a second home. Perhaps we were a little ‘green’. We were excited to own some history in a great location. We could not dream of this in the UK. But it had 3000m2, in hindsight a lot of land for a second home. Gardening ended up our biggest ongoing expense. We had several gardeners over the years. Things went missing and perhaps the period between cuts were at longer periods than the schedule that was agreed and paid for! We had plants that disappeared. A rhubarb plant on one occasion! Not wishing to put people off, but I am sure you get the drift.

Every time we returned to the UK; we knew it would be 8 weeks before we returned. We always had our mind in Normandy. Is the house ok. It can be a worry.

We never found someone to help look after the property reliably. We relied on honesty and in hindsight on a bit of a ‘wing and a prayer’. It would have been so comforting to a trusted person to visit every month, make sure the property is safe and secure, nothing missing and the gardener doing the job. A nice batch of comforting photos every month. Someone on call to deal with problems, get some quotes, oversea artisans doing work, hold the keys and accept deliveries. Prepare the property for guests.

We have found that it is difficult to get tradesmen to do small jobs. Again, this can be so much easier with a trusted property manager who knows the area and the good artisans.

A second home is a luxury purchase and an important investment. The intention is to enjoy many happy holidays and perhaps improve the property as an investment. Perhaps it will become a future home to retire to. All to often people do not realise the benefit of a bit of help when the property is not occupied. Also, perhaps opportunities for some holiday letting income.

We visited our second home many times during a 14 year period. Perhaps 100 visits. We did encounter issues. Also, we always worked when on holiday. We lacked the faith to find someone to help us. Perhaps we wanted to avoid some expense and save that money for the holidays. Without doubt if we had the time again, we would have sought out a caretaker for the property. It does not have to be expensive.

PEACE OF MIND!!!!!!!

I cannot easily advise on the first two. Especially the LOVE bit!

Selling and then buying a property is one of the major transactions that we will undertake in life. It involves money and emotions. It is often stressful. We all love our homes and it is a wrench to leave them. How many times has it been said ‘I wish I could pick the house up and move it’. It is possible, but somewhat inconvenient!

As with most successes in life, appreciation and planning are essential.

If selling, the first thing is to look at the property as if you were a potential buyer. Be critical, a buyer will be. Does that gate need painting, is the fence broken is there lots of rubbish in the garden? I think you know where I am coming from. Inside the same approach applies. Is the toilet seat broken, paintwork shabby, kitchen doors tired?

Many small improvements all add up. They do not have to be expensive. Often some elbow grease and paint can work wonders!  Clean, clean and clean again. Allocate a budget to deal with the priorities. I guarantee that you will gain a very good yield for your efforts. Simply put – ‘House Doctoring’. Every little negative eliminated is putting money in your pocket!

The property is now gleaming and ready for the next all-important stage. How much is it worth? In France there is such a variety of property. It is not easy. It makes sense to get at least two respected local agents to visit and give an opinion. There are two significant pitfalls with an agent:

• Is the valuation low to permit an easy sale? Easy commission for the agency.
• Is the valuation too high to convince you to engage the agent? Then the property does not sell and the price eventually drops to the correct price?

To combat/confirm the ‘expert opinions’ there are a wide range of online tools and information to assist with forming a view yourself. Take the time and trouble to do this before meeting an agent.

Classically a valuation for a ‘marketing price’ should provide an ASK and a GET price. Sometimes what you ask is what you get. Often some negotiation is required to achieve the GET. I also think that buyers should consider the price to be achieved falls into three categories – LIKE, MUST, INTEND.

Having considered what the agency had to say, the marketing they offer, and the credibility that they offered, I then suggest one is chosen. NOT an exclusive arrangement. Tying one’s hands is never a good idea. You must allow yourself the option to sell the property privately. In France nearly 50% of all properties are sold privately. Agency fees are significant in France. The agent inevitably is paid by the vendor. Agencies fiddle about with this. Sometimes they bill the buyer. IT ALL COMES OUT OF THE SAME POT!

Selling the property privately will inevitably result in a higher return for the vendor. The loser being the agent. C’est la Vie!

There are processes that can seem daunting – Photos, measurements, marketing, arranging and conducting viewings, questions, diagnostics, notaires, translators, artisans, permits, Mairie and many other things that crop up. These things put vendors off and they usually plump for the simplicity of the agency. Not realising the heavy price that they will pay.

At the moment the market is quite buoyant for vendors. Particularly good quality rural properties near to nice towns that are well connected. The market is certainly not saturated. So why give a ‘shed full of money’ to an agent?

Specialists can help clients with a service driven consultative approach. We have completed house doctor projects and helped to facilitate all processes to achieve a private sale. We cannot draft a Compromis de Vente, but a notaire can.

Recently, I discussed a proposition with a potential client. An agency valued at 180,000 Euros and added more than 12,000 Euros for agency fees. Yes, you read that correctly – 12,000 Euros!!!!! Perhaps we are in the wrong business. We would charge well under half that amount for the services that we offer to assist that private sale. We are also acting only for the vendor who pays us. That is not always so with an agency.

We have helped clients to sell second homes. We count ourselves as specialists in that field. Clients who are often overseas and really need a service that can address multiple issues besides a sale. Again, vendors will often plump for an easy option and use an agency. It all seems too difficult. It does not have to be.

So, you will complete all the good work to maximise the impression. Then promptly give away up to 10% of the realised price to an agency!! Not a great reward for that effort. Consider a private sale, keep control and use the savings to pay for a well-earned holiday and perhaps that new bathroom or kitchen!

As a former agent commercial in Normandy I understand how difficult it is to find an ideal property. Buyers wade through websites, portals, property shows etc.Then discover ‘honeypot’ properties are sold. Or, the photos are 10 years old. Or no mention of that busy road, noisy neighbours, dodgy septic tank etc.

After achieving the ‘purple heart’ and wading through all of these pitfalls you eventually find your dream property. Next obstacle is paying for it. Or, more particularly the agent selling it. Typically agents will charge between 5 -10% of the property price for the benefit of selling the buyer a property. The fee is never less than 5000 Euros. I have seen fees that are eye watering. The buyer then pays the Notaires fees at about 8% of the property price. Therefore nearly 15% is commonly required in addition to the cost of the ‘bricks and mortar’. The Notaires fees are unavoidable and are mainly taxes. Notaires are keen to stress the ‘taxes’ bit as people think they get all the money and go on expensive holidays. The Notaires bit pays for the conveyancing and completion processes.

You can reduce and often avoid expensive agents fees. The private sale market in France is vibrant. Approximately 40 – 50 % of all sales each year are within the private sales market. Inevitably a private sale is likely to suit both parties. If you are not used to transactions in France it can be daunting. But there are specialists who can assist with property finding and facilitating the sales process. This takes a lot of the strain, and expense out of the equation. The cost of such services is a fraction of an agents fee.

It is not always possible to buy privately. Estate agents in France fiercely protect the location of properties and often ‘somehow’ state a location that is nowhere near the property. This is to protect there fee and is often quite irritating, especially when researching at a distance. However sometimes fees are unavoidable. The property may be exclusive to the agent for example. In these circumstances it is still a good idea to have someone who knows the ‘script’ in your camp. A balanced professional perspective can be gained. A relatively small fee can give peace of mind and it is quite possible to cover that fee within the overall negotiation.

All too often clients will come to France, little knowledge of the language, property market, prices and processes. They will reduce there effective budget for a property by paying agency fees for services that are really straightforward and could be delivered cost effectively. Often, and I have been there, people get loss averse and do not want to part with a few hundred Euros for a professional opinion and advice. Steaming ahead with what is a major purchase in a foreign land. Sometimes disaster follows.

Consider the private market, save expensive fees and get that kitchen instead.