Ownership!

After all the effort of pursuing the immobilier and the Notaire since April 2006 we went to France expecting there to be yet further problems and therefore hold-up. But nothing of the sort happened. Instead the week has gone quite smoothly.

The first hurdle was to open a bank account with a French bank. In this we are very fortunate that there is a bank which has recognised the influx of Brits and set up a special division to deal with them. So we had an adviser who spoke good english and took us efficiently through the process to set the account up. In her own words, the French love their bureaucracy, and I had to produce twelve different bits of paper to prove that I wasn't trying to launder money and am a solid citizen! No matter, the account has been established so that I can use this to make life much easier in dealing with French builders, etc.

Next was the signing for the house itself. Again we are fortunate in that the seller was English but speaks good French added to the fact that the Notaire had studied in the USA and also had good language skills. So the process was efficient and at the end of it I have the vital bits of paper that prove that I own the house.

The major disappointment for this visit relates to the question of submitting the plans for the renovation. It's clear that we shall have to spend some time working out how we are going to do this. The main issue being the costs of using a French architect with the scale fees that they are likely to charge. Some research needed here!

But progress at last after all this time. The whole visit proved to us that being in this area is what we want. The weather was simply stunning - shirt-sleeves in the middle of January. We met many really helpful and pleasant people who are keen to share their local knowledge. And the house despite all the problems that it poses - look at the selection of internal pictures to get an idea - is still an exciting prospect.