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Finding a house in France

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Your Perfect French Home

Welcome, this is the 2nd in a series of lenses written to help you find and buy a house in France in the right region at the right price and suited to meeting your requirements whatever they may be. You can find the related lenses at the bottom of the page in the featured lenses section.

French houses come in all shapes and sizes, this lens is intended to help you decide exactly what you want and how to go about getting it.

By the way if you like the idea of creating your own single page website like this then all you have to do is click on I want to make my own Squidoo lens

Table of Contents to get you where you want to be quickly

Loads of information here just click on the point of interest

If you like this lens don't forget to rate it just above by clicking on the appropriate star.
  1. Your essential checklist for your new home
  2. Finding your French property
  3. Buying French Property
  4. Useful Websites for French House Hunters
  5. Have Shortlist Will Travel
  6. Ferry Crossings to France
  7. Photos from France
  8. Favourite Films on DVD
  9. Keep an eye on currency changes in the financial world
  10. Buying a House in France
  11. Serious about moving to France
  12. For a flavour of France in our region
  13. I am constantly reviewing and updating my lenses, let me know how I am doing
  14. Bookmark This Lens and Share with Friends
  15. Need Skyscanner Flights to France
  16. Skyscanner News
  17. ClickBank on Foreign Exchange
  18. What are people saying about finding a house in France
  19. Check the weather in any region of France
  20. Destination France - a guide to finding a house in France
  21. Life in the France Lane
  22. One or two sites of Interest

Your essential checklist for your new home

You need to define exactly what you want before you start looking

So far we have discussed whether you really want to move to France and the issues you need to consider when trying to find the right region in France for you and your family.

The next step is about finding the right house, it's only really about applying a bit of common sense and organizing your thoughts to define exactly what it is you are looking for.

You may have noticed that I put a lot of check lists together, there is a good reason for that, first of all in referring to or making a checklist you actually have to think about what you need to include, secondly once you have your checklist you can compare it to the property you have found when you think it is the house of your dreams.

Actually it may be the house of your dreams but you need to know if it will fulfill its intended purpose , comparing it to your checklist will establish that and if it doesn't tick all the boxes then you at least know where you need to compromise.

As an aside, you also need to be keeping a very close eye on the exchange rate at this stage and if you haven't already you should be getting a French bank account sorted out. Barclays France offer an English support service for people opening an account with them in France and when you visit their website you can view it in English or French.

I mentioned the Euro exchange rate in a previous lens but it can't be stressed too much how important this is, not paying attention to the exchange rate could cost you a lot of money. Also given the way the exchange rate has gone these days it may be worth thinking about financing any purchase through a French mortgage, that way you will borrow Euros and be less susceptible to the exchange rate and you can always look at swapping back to pounds or paying the loan off when things are more favorable. I would take the advice of a financial adviser first though, just to be on the safe side.

I can help you with a basic list to consider but you will need to take the list and make it fit to your requirements. What you are doing is specifying your exact requirements so try and make sure you include what is important to you.

Checklist for Buying Property in France
  • Is the property going to be used for a business
  • How many bedrooms for you and your family
  • How many reception roooms, bathrooms, kitchens do you need
  • How much outside space do you want/need
  • Is there a pool or can you build one
  • Are views important
  • How private/overlooked is the property
  • What rooms/buildings/storage space do you need for business
  • Is there scope to expand if necessary
  • How much renovation is required (watch out for "monuments historiques" listed buildings)
  • How much parking do you need
  • Country or town
  • Nearest shops/restaurants/bars for a car or to walk
  • Are the towns busy all year
  • Can you access people to look after the property when you are not there
  • Do you want pets or animals
  • Want to grow your own vegetables
  • Are there known problems, reason for sale
  • What is your budget for purchase and renovation
Don't forget you are the one that knows what you want better than anyone else, use this checklist but make sure you add your important items or features to make it as comprehensive as possible.

Also bear in mind that it is possible to arrange the complete renovation of an older building using companies that specialise in complete projects. You can hand over all aspects of the build to be project managed on your behalf or even have a new house built from the ground up.

travaux en Aude and Ariege

Finding your French property

Once you have your list you are armed with the tools you need to start your search and clearly the best way to view a property is to physically visit it and take a look. That way you can get a really good feel about whether the property is going to be right for you and your family and is in the right location.

The practicalities are however that you probably haven't got the time or finances to go and physically look at hundreds of houses so you need an alternative method to help you create a shortlist of properties you are really interested in.



There are loads of websites on the internet that market property abroad and these are a good starting point for your search. I personally liked to look for houses using rightmove.co.uk

Another good source of information is the French Property News magazine which you can find online at French Property News

It is a hard slog but it is probably the only way you can get a shortlist of potential properties that meet your criteria, during the process of your search one of your objectives should be to establish contact with some agents based in France in your regions of interest. Try and build up a rapport with the agents you find, you can tell them exactly what you are looking for,when you expect to be able to visit to have a look at properties and when you are planning to move to France i.e. when you need to complete the purchase by. If they are any good they will listen to what you are asking for and send you further properties to meet your requirements.

Buying French Property

Houses and businesses for sale in France

Guidelines for finding and buying property in France
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Useful Websites for French House Hunters

Where to find the information you need to support your search for property in France

Travel Advice for france
Advice on Air Travel, Car Travel and Rail Travel including, flights, airlines, ferry bookings, stop over hotels, car hire and much more.
Estate Agency for Houses in France
English speaking UK estate agent with comprehensive property listing of houses for sale in France
French Property News
A whole range of topics relating to life in France, with property guides, legal advice, breaking news and classified ads.
How you buy a house in France
This describes the legal processes associated with house buying in France and walks you through the various stages from initial offer to final contract and ownership.
First steps to Moving to France
This module is the first in the series and questions why you would like to move to France and then gives guidance on the process of finding the right region to live in.
Agences Hamilton
Agences Hamilton is a French estate agents that have offices in and around the Languedoc-Rousillion and Midi Pyrenees regions of Southern France
Financial advice in English for Exapts living or moving to France
Free financial advice in English for expats living or moving to France. Life Assurance, Pensions, Investments, Mortgages, Insurance,
Property Prices by Region in France
Housing Prices per Region in France, information about the French Real Estate, with average prices of properties in the different regions of France.
French Property
For property in France
Euro Traveller UK to Europe
Euro Traveller offers general travel advice for Europe, including cheap flights to Europe, ferrys to France, rail travel and bus travel for Europe

Have Shortlist Will Travel

The only way to be sure a house is right for you is a personal viewing

Once you have your shortlist of properties in the regions of interest you need to plan your trip, and you need to be realistic about what you can achieve in the period you have set aside, depending on distance apart you should really only be thinking of about 4 or 5 properties a day maximum, less if there is any distance involved.

Contact the agents that are selling the houses you are interested in so that you can plan a day to spend with them to view properties. Give them plenty of notice and don't let them down because if you do and you need to go back to them they may not be so helpful.

http://www.squidoo.com/destination_france_the_purchase

Try and arrange the viewings (with the help of the agents) so that you are looking at groups of houses in the same area. This will cut down on your traveling and allow you to view more properties. Also don't forget to allow time for lunch, this is a very important part of French life and you may find that everything stops for an hour or two at lunchtime.

If you need somewhere to stay, especially in the low season, you can ask the agents if they can recommend somewhere that will put you up. If you are looking in Languedoc-Rousillion region you can always try the following

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well you have to try don't you!!!

A couple of other things to think about, firstly once you are there and you find the house of your dreams, remember a written offer such as an 'Offre d'Achat' is legally binding and may not be in your best interests. If you can it would be a very good idea to have access to a bi-lingual solicitor who is completely familiar with French property law and represents you, that way if you want to make an offer you can contact him/her quickly with a copy of the offer and make sure everything is in order so you are protected before proceeding.

Many bi-lingual solicitors advertise in French Property News

To be honest you really shouldn't sign anything before taking legal advice from your own solicitor or at least the notaire involved, remember as nice as they are estate agents are there to sell you the property and first and foremost represent the interests of the seller. That said they are a very good source of information and will usually try to be as helpful as possible.

Secondly, remember you are not just buying a house, you are buying into a region, a new culture, a society into which you would like to integrate and a support structure for being able to live your life. What I am saying is it might be the house of your dreams but is it in the right place, so take some time to check out the area before you commit, try and talk to the neighbors and visit at different times of the day and on different days if possible . Easier said than done in a very tight schedule but it might just save you a lot of grief.

If you need to hire a car or to arrange some currency for your trip have a look at moneysupermarket.com and click on the money and travel tabs. Or you can visit my travel advice page at Travel Advice French Holidays Aude

Ferry Crossings to France

Find the perfect Ferry crossing to suit your requirements

If you need to book a ferry to France you can explore all the available options using the search facility below:

 Ferries to France by Ferrysavers.co.uk 

Or just go to Norfolkline, they tend to be the cheapest anyway and you get a good toll free section of motorway from Dunkerque to south of Lille.

Channel Crossings

For travel insurance take a look at what Insurance Choice can do for you. They can also provide breakdown insurance for you as part of your car insurance renewal and a host of other insurance packages if you need them.

Photos from France

Photographs taken as we explore our new country
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Favourite Films on DVD

DVDs are great value entertainment and you decide what repeats you watch

Don't forget to chill out occasionally, house hunting is a very intense process, especially in another country, so you need to take some time to relax once in a while. If you haven't seen these then you definitely need to buy a copy get some popcorn, a big screen TV then settle back and enjoy.

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Keep an eye on currency changes in the financial world

The cost of buying your French dream home could change significantly with exchange rate changes, make sure you are up to date
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Buying a House in France

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Let me know how I am doing by completing the poll and submitting it

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Serious about moving to France

If you really are serious about moving to France make sure you get all the information you need by checking out these other lenses
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For a flavour of France in our region

To give you a flavor of the region where we live I have included a couple of day out websites for your information.
A day out in Toulouse
A day out in Toulouse to discover the city center, the Victor Hugo food market, the Donjon du Capitole and the Canal du Midi via the Garonne river.
A day out in Carcassonne
A day out in Carcassonne via St Papoul, Saissac and coming back via Bram and Castelnaudary. Start point is Issel.
A day out in the Corbieres wine region
An excellent way to visit and explore the Corbieres wine region of France is to drive from Carcassonne to Narbonne via Lagrasse.

Includes one of the best wine tasting venues available at Portel de Corbieres called the Terra Vinea: Languedoc's Wine-Tasting Disneyland.
Places to Visit in France
Living in the South of France as an expat means that every now and then we need to get back to the UK to visit friends and family. There are obviously options on how you can get back to the UK.
Ski or Snowboard in the French Pyrenees
The skiing and snowboarding in the Pyrenees can be surprisingly good, everyone knows about the Alps and they are usually the first consideration when thinking about skiing in France but the Pyrenees certainly provides an alternative option.
Life in the France Lane
Blog about life in the South of France, starting a new business or two and loads of information on how to go about moving to France, the house buying process and life in general.
Euro Traveller Holiday Destinations - France
Euro Traveller offers holiday destinations in Europe. This page provides information on France with suggestions on some great places to visit in France

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Need Skyscanner Flights to France

The cheapest flights you will find will be on Skyscanner, the price comparison site that includes all the major and budget airline's listings, check it out here:




click on the banner to access the best price comparison website for the South of France and Europe.

You can find Skyscanner plus information on all the other travel options for travelling to and through Europe on Euro Traveller UK

Skyscanner News

Find out what's happening in the world of low cost air travel

You might find a new service to an area you are interested or even more importantly the withdraw of a service you may have been relying on.
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ClickBank on Foreign Exchange

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What are people saying about finding a house in France

House hunting in France is a seriously challenging task, you can't just pop around the corner to take a quick look, it takes research, organising, planning and liaison with French estate agents. Check out what advice is available, including financial advice.

france-financial.com

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Check the weather in any region of France

Check todays weather and up to 6 days ahead

Once on the website you can change location and put in a city or department code of choice and find out exactly what the weather is doing right now.
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Destination France - a guide to finding a house in France

Develop a strategy for finding the house of your dreams in France

If you have made a decision to step into the world of the expatriate and are about to make a move abroad take a look at what people are saying on the world wide web.
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Life in the France Lane

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One or two sites of Interest

Many people buying a property in France are often looking to set up their own business or perhaps offer their services as a tradesman. One of the best ways of marketing that business or service is to do it via the world wide web. For many this is not a trivial task, so if you would like help registering a domain name, designing a website and publishing it on the Internet then get in touch with Web Design France for an affordable website design that will help you market your business using 21st century advertising.

Moulin Website Design
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Prof diplômé expérimenté Formation d'anglais intensif particulier ou groupe Spécialisé
pour les debutants et la remise à niveau. 25 ans d'expérience enseignement l'anglais
Builder Languedoc Roussillon
General building and project management in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France
Mortgage Refinance Basics
Help and advice for mortgage refinance, secured loans and personal unsecured loans.
Painting Holidays Languedoc, France
Art courses for basic sketching and water colours in the Languedoc Roussillon region of the South of France
eBook Publishing Service For Amazon Kindle
Convert eBooks for Kindle and upload to Amazon in a file format that will be accepted and will work on the Amazon Kindle and in Kindle applications.

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BrianS

Hi Everyone

I moved to France in March 2008 and started a gite business - French Holidays Aude This was after 33 years of working in technology for... more »

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