Case Study: Buying Property Privately In The Charente – Part 2
Conversations with Sue C: Buying A Home In Charente
Part 2
Today I met with Sue again just before her trip to France next week. So to continue the story of buying a house privately in the Charente. As a reminder, Sue fell suddenly and unexpectedly in love with a private sale house on the Healey Fox website and is now in the process of buying a house in Charente.
Step 4: The owners of the house have now instructed the Notaire to draw up the Compromis de Vente (the first sale contract). For this, Sue has had to send her personal details to the Notaire – date and place of birth and marital status so that the contract can be ready for her to sign when she visits the office. She is planning to go to the Notaire’s office with the current owners of the house so that both parties can sign the contract and the 10 day ‘Cooling off’ period can start.
Step 5 : Whilst in France Sue is going to open a bank account so she has taken some cash with her. It is a requirement with French banks to put money in immediately the account is opened.
Step 6: Sue is also going to discuss furniture with the owners. Often when a U.K. owner is returning to England it makes financial sense for both parties to save the cost of transporting furniture to and from France. Sue is hoping to get a good deal!
So, that’s Sue’s plan for the next couple of weeks, She was certainly nervous about her purchase today, especially the fact that she is buying the house on her own. Whilst being pleased that she has bought a property in France before, so that she has some experience, as she says ‘it’s always harder doing things on your own’. However, I have no doubt that Sue is going to make a go of it all…she is incredibly inventive – even to the point of packing a butterfly net in her car so that she doesn’t have to get out at the tolls but can place the money in the net and pass it through the passenger window!
Once Sue returns from France and the ‘cooling off’ period is over everything will be set in motion and she can begin to decide how soon she will move out to France full time. At the moment she is thinking about using the house for holidays for a while and letting it out when she is not there. Watch this spot, I have a feeling that once Sue owns the house it will be hard for her to return to life in the U.K.
