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Languedoc:
10 Steps Buying Guide
By Louise
Hurren
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August 2006
| Here’s
how to buy property for sale in Languedoc Roussillon, south France.
There are whole tomes written on this subject (and you’d do well to read
a couple if you’re serious about this property buying lark – my personal
favourite is David Hampshire’s Buying a Home in France, published by Survival
Books - you can order it at www.survivalbooks.net
but here’s the potted version.
You know those
month-by-month guides that are sometimes advertised on TV – they usually
have a title like “Creative crochet for your home” and you get a handy
ring binder to keep them in? This part of the site gives you a step-by-step,
monthly planner to help you buy a home in France (afraid there’s no ring
binder, though). Think of it like planning your wedding, or the birth
of your first baby: it’s all about counting down to The Big Day. Preparation
is key: that way you won’t forget the wedding rings, or the nipple cream,
or in this instance, the funds to complete your purchase. They say
that getting married, giving birth and buying property are some of the
most stressful events you go through in a lifetime, and as someone who’s
done all three, I can testify to that. Here’s how to plan your Langue-doc
property purchase, and keep your cool.
Step 1:Looking
to buy this year? Count your beans.
So you’re
serious about buying a place in Languedoc Roussillon, south France.
Draw up a financial plan: your budget will affect the kind of property
you’ll be able to afford, and the areas you’ll be looking in. Will
you fund your purchase with cash, mortgage or a loan, or a combination
of all three? Do you need to sell your current home in order to raise
the necessary cash? You’ll have to pay around 8% of the purchase
price in notaire’s fees (newer properties are subject to reduced fees of
around 3%), which are always paid by the buyer. If you need a mortgage,
get an “in principle” quotation and application form, and request a current
account application form from a French bank (essential so you can transfer
funds later); doing this now will help speed things up further down the
line.
Step 2:Eleven
months to go. Ask yourself some questions.
Finished sorting
out your finances? Then you’re ready to focus on the age of home
you’re looking for – new or old? Consider the pros and cons of each.
Older homes have charm and character, but cost more to run and repair.
What’s it to be? A ruin to renovate, a fully-finished, carefully
converted barn, a recently built bungalow, or a brand, spanking new off-plan
apartment? Leading on from this, decide what style of property you
prefer – village house or villa? Detached family home or apartment?
Answering these two questions should help direct your search to specific
areas, as the type of property you seek may be plentiful in some parts
of the region and scarce in others. Former winemakers’ homes (domaines
de vigneron) are easily found in Languedoc Roussillon, south France (no
surprises there - it’s the world largest single wine producing region)
ditto stone-built terraced village houses built over two or three floors,
with small windows and no outside space to speak of. Converted silk
mills can be found as you follow the Herault river path inland; head up
into the Cévennes peaks and you’re in chestnut country, where ancient
stone-built houses and clèdes (chestnut drying barns) perch on steeply
terraced land farmed by Cevenol families over the centuries.
What are your
must haves? Identify the three most important criteria that the property
should meet for you to be able to consider buying it. For example,
is a garden, roof terrace or several acres of land part of the plan?
Does there have to be space for a pool? s being within an hour’s drive
of an airport essential (I’ll answer this one for you – yes, it is, if
only to ensure the resaleability of your Languedoc home).
Step 3:Ten
months to go. Spend some time online.
Use the internet
to browse property websites and check out property styles and prices in
specific areas. Visit some property exhibitions, too (these are great
for picking agents’ brains).
Step 4:Nine
months to your big day. Go on a recce.
If you’ve
followed the steps properly so far, you should now have a clear idea of
your spending power, the kind of home you’re hunting for, and the areas
of Languedoc Roussillon, south France in which you’ll be searching. Now
the fun really starts; you can go and check out the lie of the land (you
wouldn’t buy a house in the UK without knowing the area well, would you?).
Book those plane tickets and pop over for a fortnight to get a really good
feel for your département of choice (Languedoc Roussillon has five
- Lozère, Gard, Hérault, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales
– and you really shouldn’t be house hunting unless you’ve whittled the
search area down to just one). Try visiting out of season too, as
this can be a real eye-opener; what looks like a dream home in the summer
sun can be a little house of horrors in the depths of winter. Spend
some time checking out what the local estate agents have on offer.
Do a bit of what the French call lèche-vitrine – literally, window
licking, but please don’t be tempted to waste agents’ and vendors’ time
with viewings unless you’re really ready to buy.
Step 5:Eight
months to go. Finding the house of your dreams.
Hurrah!
It’s time to contact estate agents and arrange some viewings. Alternatively,
you could use a property search agent (see our Find a Property Agent section)
who’ll contact agents immobiliers on your behalf and draw up a shortlist
of viewings for you (handy if you’re cash rich, time poor, or linguistically
challenged). You may be asked to sign a bon de visite, which effectively
protects the agent’s commission and prevents you from buying the same property
through another agent, or cutting a private deal with the vendor, which
is a big no-no. In the excitement of heading to France, don’t leave
your brain at the check-in desk. Consider things like proximity to
airports, the coast, lakes, mountains, or (let’s be realistic here) supermarkets
and hospitals. Do you really want to drive umpteen kilometres everyday
just to buy your breakfast baguette? Do you need to be within easy
reach of (say) a doctor’s surgery or pharmacy?
Step 6
When you’ve
found the house (barn, farm, villa – whatever) and you’re ready
to put in an offer, consider getting quotes for building work before committing
yourself. Unlike the UK, it’s very rare for structural surveys to
be carried out on buildings in France, although it’s perfectly possible
to commission one through a British surveyor (there are a number working
in France, try www.surveyors-en-france.com
for starters). Most French people buying an older property would
ask an architect or builder to come and take a look. Better safe
than sorry, after all.
-
Article Continued Below -
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- Article
continued From Above -
Step 7
Sure you’re
doing the right thing? Then sign the preliminary sales agreement
or compromis de vente. Once this has been counter signed by the vendor
it becomes legally binding, although there’s a seven day cooling off period
during which you can pull out, but the vendor can’t (which effectively
protects you from gazumping). Pull out after the seven days are up
and you’ll lose your deposit. Various let-out clauses, called conditions
suspensives, can be inserted into the compromis, typically covering things
like rights of way, planning permission, or your mortgage application being
approved. Once the seven days have elapsed, you’ll have to stump
up the readies (usually 5-10% of the purchase price) as a deposit, and
then you’ve got a couple of months to get your ducks in a row while the
notaire does the conveyancing.
Step 8:Two
months left - break open your piggy bank
If you’re
going to need a mortgage to fund your purchase, now is the time to complete
your application, and open that French bank account we talked about earlier.
On the subject of money, you might need to prepare any personal assets
you intend to use for the purchase (e.g. give notice for any savings you
want to withdraw, sell securities, etc). Hopefully you’ve done your financial
planning carefully from day one and things won’t be going pear-shaped on
this front… will they?
Step 9:One
month to go - the final countdown
Now you need
to confirm the date and time of the signing of the acte de vente with the
notaire, and make any necessary travel arrangements (if you’re not going
to complete in person, you’ll need to complete a power of attorney form).
Your place in the sun has to be insured in your name from the date of completion,
so contact an insurance company now and get the relevant form so this can
be finalised painlessly on the day when you finally sign the acte de vente.
Step 10:Your
big day
It’s time
to take a deep breath, say “I do”, and sign on the dotted line. Completion
is usually organised at the notaire’s office; all the relevant parties
(vendor, purchaser or their proxy, possibly another notaire appointed by
the purchaser, plus the estate agent, maybe a search agent or a translator)
put on their Sunday best and gather round the notaire’s desk while he reads
through the title, checks that all is in order, and then asks each party
to sign the contract. The reading through of all the papers plus
each party then initialing each and every page makes for a fairly time
consuming ceremony, but hey, it’s your big day, so enjoy it. Once
the deed is done, you can crack open the champagne, raise your glass and
drink to your new home in Languedoc Roussillon, south France.
Sincerely
yours,
.
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