Buying Property in France
French Properties For Sale
So many wonderful looking French properties, such tempting prices but how do you choose the right one?
Be certain the area is right for you
Know what you want from an area in the way of lifestyle, climate and access from the U.K. Once you have a good ‘feel’ for which part of France will suit your requirements then be more specific about the type of location that will give you the lifestyle you want. Will it be a large town, smaller market town, village, hamlet or isolated? Do you want access to coast, rivers, lakes, mountains, easy walking country, cycle trails, museums, art galleries, gourmet restaurants. Finally think about how far you may be prepared to travel for anything important to your time in France, especially baguettes and a glass of wine!
Be realistic about the size of property
Once of the biggest mistakes that we see U.K. buyers of French property making is to buy a property that is too large for them. Either too many bedrooms, too many outbuildings or too much land. It is so easy to fall into this trap as often the larger the property the cheaper the price! Don’t forget that not only is there the maintenance of a property and it’s grounds to consider, there are also the annual running costs to be paid.
Know your limitations
Having decided where and what you want to buy the next task is to ensure you don’t become overwhelmed by the thousands of French houses for sale that we all have access to via the web. When you start to search for the right property for your needs do make sure you do specific searches on websites itemising all the important criteria. Be firm with yourself, put in the precise area, the type of facilities you want, the size of property and the condition and don’t be tempted to stray outside of these search details.
You may also decide to look at only a few websites as you are likely to find that many properties appear on several sites. Often it is better to go for the quality of the house details making sure that the site gives enough information on each property for you to be pretty certain when you have found one or two that are likely to suit your requirements. It is also worth checking the service that the different companies offer to prospective buyers. Some will have a U.K. office from which they will be happy to talk to you on the phone or where they will be happy to meet you. Others will only deal with email requests for information and these may only be handled from France. It’s all a matter of deciding what kind of service you want, how much help you would like and whether having a U.K. contact is useful. All companies marketing French property should be offering a free service as they will be sharing commission with the French agencies.
Good luck with your searching and may 2019 be the year you become the owner of a home in France.
