Lovely 3 bedroom house for sale in Caunes Minervois

Normally July and August are very slow times for real estate in the Aude.  Not this year!

At Aude France Property we’re getting fewer emails – normal for this time of the year – but they’re from people coming to France to buy property – not usual this time of year. Another thing I’ve noticed is that they are planning to come now – within 2 or 3 weeks.

Usually in the summer it’s safe for an estate agent to take time off, slow down and enjoy life in France, especially if they don’t work in an office – don’t have a vitrine (window).  Not so easy if you work in an immo’s office with listings in the window.

Then you have to deal with what I’ve always thought of as ‘property tourists’ – people who see listings in an agents window and think it would be fun to spend a day looking at houses.

I work with three agents in the Aude.  This year Elaine went away for a month in the late spring. Very prescient! Nicola has a trip to Ireland planned. leaving on Aug 8th.  Ingrid closed shop for a month on July 16.

Nicola will be working flat out until the day before she leaves and Elaine won’t have much breathing time for the first two weeks in August.  Ingrid will hit the ground running in the middle of August.

Why the difference?  I’m not sure.  Pent up demand, good exchange rates, and still low prices I guess.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in September.

Bon de visites are shrouded in mystery, mainly because they do absolutely nothing for a buyer or vendor and everything for an agent.  When I first started selling real estate in France I was told I had to get a client to sign so that if anything happened on a visit – the roof fell on us, one of us broke our leg on slippery stairs – insurance would cover it.  I thought it was a bit strange, there wasn’t anything about insurance in the text of the bon de visit but went along with it.

I mentioned it to another agent and they said no, no.  It was so that we could show the vendor who had been through the house.  Again a bit strange.

Then one day I asked a broker and he said the only reason it exists is so that if agent x shows a house to a buyer and the buyer then negotiates the deal through agent y then somebody has to pay agent x the full commission.  It’s crap.  What if the buyer really hates agent x, can’t possibly deal with  them.  Where’s the choice in that.

I suspect that some immobiliers use the bons de visite to track their agents activity.  To see how many properties an agent is showing to potential buyers.

The only time I ever use a bon de visit is if someone wants to go and see where a house is located and look at the outside before making an appointment to see it.  The reason I use it was in case the owner comes out and decides to do a direct deal with the potential buyer.  I always explain to the vendor and the buyer what I ‘m doing and the vendor always understands that if I send a client to look at the outside and the client does a deal directly with the vendor then the vendor owes the agency fees and commission anyway.

Clear as mud.  Right?

French immos will undoubtedly ask you to sign a bon de visite before they show you a house.  At least you should know what you’re signing.  I’m assuming if you don’t speak French you’re going to have someone who can translate with you.  Ask them to translate the text before you sign.

Looking for properties for sale in France

This article talks about house hunting in Languedoc because that’s the area we work in however it applies to any region of France.

You’ve done your research, and you’ve visited and found the area that’s right for you.  You’ve spent time researching property on the internet. From your research and your exploring you’ve established a wish list and a budget.  It’s time to come to Languedoc, visit houses, find the house you want, and buy it.

It sounds so easy, doesn’t it?  This can actually be where things get frustrating.  And this is where we can help.

Pick dates for your visit.

If possible make sure there isn’t a bank holiday while you’re here.  The French take bank holidays and weekends seriously.  You may be able to make appointments to view properties for sale on a Saturday but you’ll be hard pressed to find an immobilier (or owner) who will show you houses in Languedoc on a Sunday or holiday.

Plan to stay for at least two weeks if you can.  This will give you time to see houses and to make a second visit to any that you like.  Also time to make an offer and have it accepted.

Arrange accommodation.

If you’ve decided to look at properties near Carcassonne don’t stay near Béziers, you’ll spend a lot of time driving back and forth.  If you’ve decided to look in two areas stay somewhere in between.

Make appointments to view properties.

In this area people list their houses with more than one immobilier, sometimes with as many as 7.  Don’t assume that the you’ll see a wider range of houses by making appointments with a lot of real estate agents.  You won’t.

Pick one or two immobiliers.

You’ll have an idea from your research which agencies seem to have the kind of properties that you’re looking for.  By now you are probably in contact with an agent  by email or on the phone and have a list of potential houses to visit. Make appointments for the visits.

Avoid frustration

I read a lot about buying property in France that says always meet the agent at their office.  My personal experience was that I had been emailing back and forth with an agent, picked houses I wanted to see and made an appointment to meet him – I thought to look at houses.  Instead he handed me off to someone else who sat me down to go through the book.  The agent was charming but she had absolutely no idea what I was looking for and was just using price as a guide.  I showed her the listings of the three houses I wanted to see and she said they were all sold.

Finally we decided on three houses that I wanted to see.  She could only show me two because she couldn’t get in touch with the third owner and she would only be able to show them to me in the afternoon.  I hung around for three hours and we set off.

First house was ok but didn’t sing to me.  Second house?  Don’t know.  We couldn’t get inside because the owner had forgotten to leave the key in the hiding place.

Frustrated?  You bet.

This isn’t necessarily typical but if you go to an appointment expecting to immediately go visit a house and instead are parked in front of a book of listings you have to realize that the agent really hasn’t paid any attention to what you want.  It’s ok to leave at that point.

If you feel that you’re being pressured to look at houses that you don’t like, leave.  Once you sign a bon de visite the agent should tell you where the house is.  If they won’t, leave.  This is a major step in your life, you need to feel comfortable with the person that you’re dealing with.  If you aren’t then find another agent.

Looks can be deceiving

Keep in mind that you really can’t tell anything about a house in Languedoc until you’ve seen the inside.  If you hate the area, fine, but don’t dismiss a house just because it looks a little sad from the outside.

Make the offer

When you find a house that you like and are ready to think about making an offer, sleep on it.  Arrange to go back the next day and look at it again. If the house needs work you might want to arrange for a builder to visit with you to give you an idea of the costs involved.  You’ll know that it’s the right house if you want to make an offer and cancel any other viewings you’ve arranged.  If you want to make an offer and keep looking at other houses ‘just in case’ then it isn’t the house for you.  Don’t make an offer.

Signing the Compromis de Vente

Before the Compromis de Vente can be signed the various inspection (expertises) have to be done.  The may not be finished in time for you to sign the Compromis in person but you will have time to meet the Notiare.

The Notaire will explain the procedure for buying French property.  They will also explain the various ownership options and the advantages and disadvantages of each.  You can do this from home by fax but you’ll have a better understanding of the process if you do it in person.

Contact us, we make it easy to find the right property for sale in the Aude.

If you’re planning to buy a house in France don’t set yourself up for disappointment.  Pick the area before you look at houses.  It’s horrible to find a house you love in an area you don’t like.

You’ve done your research and have a good idea of the areas that you think will appeal. Now is the time to visit and explore, to find the perfect part of France, the part where you want to buy a house.

It is really all about the truism in the real estate market that it is location, location, location above anything else. With sufficient budget you can alter just about anything else about a property . You can tear it all down and rebuild it in your own taste, you can add more land, sell some off. But you can’t move it to another location.

Keep an open mind

You’ve selected perhaps a single department, or an area near the border of two departments, and it is almost time to go exploring. This is a fun, no pressure stage.

Your research will have told you the type of town or village you want to be in or near. We suggest you rent a house or a gîte for a week or two. Rent one in a town or village as close as you can find to where you would like to buy. If your budget says you will probably only find the type of house you are looking for in a village with no amenities, then try to find a gîte or house to rent in a village like that.

Be prepared to change your mind about what you like in an area.  I did a lot of research before my first visit to Languedoc.  I had narrowed location down to the Herault and the Aude but believed that the Herault was where I would want to buy a house.  My daughter and I spent three weeks exploring and by the end of the three weeks I knew that it was the Aude for me.  I loved the Minervois and was sure that was where I would buy a house but there was something about the Corbieres that called to me and I decided to look there as well.

The Corbieres won my heart. Specifically the Val de Daigne, the area around Montlaur and Servies in the northern part of the Corbieres.

My first house in France was in a tiny village with no amenities. But every day vans came to town offering all the basic needs like bread, meat, fish, vegetables. And within a three minute drive down roads with no traffic; There’s tabac where you can buy magazines, toys, videos and games, and – of course – tobacco. There is also an small grocery, a bakery, two wine producers who sell direct, a hairdresser, a doctor, a mechanic and 2 great picnic spots by running water you can fish in. If we up the travel time to ten minutes the numbers double or triple for these items and many others are added on. Most big stores deliver within 25 km for very little or even nothing. Carcassonne is about a 25 minute drive.

Travel time

Another thing about travel time. I came to France after living in Toronto where travel was always difficult. Crowded roads, busses, trains, subways and sidewalks. Traffic was always dense and dangerous. If you spend your time traveling on French secondary roads, most of the time there is no other traffic to speak of. It is a pleasant, no hassle kind of driving that makes life a pleasure.

Experience the area

This is where you’re going to spend your holidays, perhaps rent your home as a holiday home when you are not using it. Maybe you are going to eventually retire to this home, or your plan is to move to it, then live and work from there. Whatever the plan, you need to experience the general neighbourhood before you can decide to make a purchase of a specific house there.

If you’re planning to rent your house to vacationers you need to know if you think the specific area will be a good attraction to holiday renters, if there are sufficient amenities to live the time spent there comfortably. How close is it in time and distance to the various activities you plan for your life there.

Take the time to visit the local shops, see what kind of welcome you get there, if they are happy at the prospect of you as a new neighbour. This is a wonderful time to take a few side trips to local bars and restaurants. Stop and have a coffee or a glass of wine, see the kind of places they are.

See the French countryside

Get off the big roads and navigate from town to town via the secondary road system. They are much more scenic, allow you to drive slowly along and appreciate the local area much better. You will see where you can walk to, or cycle to, from your new home.

Observe how much extra road room French drivers give to cyclists. See why cycling is still a major sport and recreation in France.

If you get off the main street through the towns these routes take, you very often get to see a much more charming town. Ask around. Are there local swimming holes, pleasant picnic spots, summer fairs or cultural events?

How close is the city?

If you think you will need the occasional fix of big city life, drive off to the nearest big city – Montpellier or Toulouse  in my case – and see what sort of trip it is. How much organization would it take to go for a day. Is it sensible to think of spending sixty or so euros on a one night stay in a 2 star hotel while taking in a day of shopping, a bit of theatre. Find out about train service to and from your new locale.

Your intent is to unwind, have a pleasant pace to life with time to appreciate the world around you. So see if the places you pick provide this type of living. Look for the town or village that resonates with your idea of where you want to live.

Once you’ve found that place it’s time for the next step. Finding the perfect French property in your favourite part of France.

France is divided into 22 regions, the equivalent of a state or province. Each region is divided into several départements, the equivalent of counties, and each département is divided is further divided into cantons, the equivalents of townships. Here is a link to a list of French départements. The site’s in French so you get to practice.

Languedoc-Roussillon as an example

Because Aude France Property sells real estate in the Aude in Languedoc it’s the part of France that I know best.  Makes sense to use it as the example.

Languedoc consists of 5 départements. Aude (11), Hérault (34), Gard (30), Lozère (48), Pyrénées Orientales (66). (Our focus is primarily the Aude. We also work in the parts of the Hérault, Pyrénées Orientales, and the Ariège, that border on the Aude.)

Not only is each département different than the others, all have areas that are vastly different. In the Aude people talk about the Corbières, the Minervois, the Lauragais, the Cabardes, and the Razes. Geographically they’re very different.

Internet Research

How do you start to find out which area is going to suit you? Use the internet. Use your favourite search engine – mine is Google – and enter keywords. Start by entering france and aude (or the appropriate département) into the search box. You’ll get pages of results. Scan the descriptions, add the ones that sound interesting to a favourites folder to be read later or scan them as you go.

You’ll probably find the tourism sites most useful in the beginning. There are also personal sites that can be quite informative. Ode to Aude is a personal site with a lot of information about the area.  Browse the sites, read anything that interests you, click on the related links, journey around the internet. Don’t forget to bookmark anything that interests you so you can find it again. I developed Ode to Aude to keep track of the information when I was researching the area before I bought my house. It really isn’t necessary to go to that length.

You’ll start to find that some areas appeal to you more than others. Now is the time to narrow your search.  The France Guide site lets you search by all kinds of topics and has links to local tourist offices. It’s a good site to use to get an idea of the size and the amenities of various towns and villages.

Vacation rental sites are another good source of information. The ads often describe the area, the amenities, activities, and describe an owner’s love of the region. If you’re planning to buy a vacation home and want to rent it out when you aren’t using it this will also give you an idea of the level of rents and the rental seasons. It will also help you find places to stay while you visit the area.

Develop your wishlist and budget

Look at real estate agency sites. You’ll find them by searching for immobilier or property for sale (or variations) and the département that interests you. If you’ve narrowed it down to specific towns or villages enter that too. Don’t worry about not reading French, use our glossary the first couple of times and you’ll be reading ‘immobilier’ in no time. Reading the ads will give you an idea of the type of property available and the price you can expect to pay.  By this time you should be able to start establishing a realistic budget and fine-tuning your wishlist.

At this point you’re just trying to get a feel for the market. Don’t get frustrated at the lack of specific information about locations. The French real estate system is such that agents are perpetually terrified that other agents are going to steal their listings. A lot of them won’t even tell you in person where the house is. You have to make an appointment and go with the agent. They don’t go as far as to blindfold you for the drive but I think they’d like to.

You’ll save yourself time and disappointment by using the internet as the place to start your search for property in France.

Once you have an idea of the area that you think will appeal most it’s time to visit and explore.

What now?

1. Use the internet to find the area of France that interest you the most
2. Come and explore areas and villages to find the ones you like
3. Come on a house hunting trip

France is huge. First you need to narrow down the area that you want to look in. Then you need to get some idea of what’s available in that area. The next step is to visit and make sure you like it. Then put together a wish list and decide on your budget and come and look at houses.

More detail to follow