Languedoc
Property: Buying Property in the Languedoc:
Finding a House to Live In
If you are thinking about buying in the Languedoc, there are a number ofways of
setting about it:
- (a) Visit the area you're interested in and search out
home-made "A Vendre" signs. You will not need to pay anyone
a commission, but the vendor's valuation of their own property
might be a little ambitious.
- (b) Contact local notaires. Notaires (notaries) are government
officials responsible for overseeing and authenticating
property sales. They often have properties to sell and their
commissions are fixed by law. Pot luck.
- (c) Look in local Languedoc newspapers for property for
sale
- (d) Search on the internet, especially useful if you have
a specific area in mind. You'll find a mix of properties
for sale privately, and properties advertised by estate
agents (French estate agents having recently discovered
the internet). Here's an example of what you'll find for
Properties
in the Languedoc-Roussillon
- (e) Attend property auctions (vente aux enchères).
Auctions are advertised in local newspapers. This being
France, a notaire or lawyer will need to bid on your behalf.
- (f) Visit a French Real Estate Agent (Agence Immobilier).
Immobilier are strictly regulated in France (like everything
else) and their commissions are fixed by law.
- (g) Use a property finding service. Just specify what
you're looking for and let someone else find it. (You might
have thought that an ordinary estate agent could do this,
but you'll find that estate agents are only interested in
selling whatever they have on their books this week, not
what you're looking for, so unless you're lucky the two
might not overlap)
- (h) Buy an international property magazine (such as France,
French Property News, Focus on France and
Bonjour. Also Homes Abroad, International
Homes and Homes Overseas)
- (i) Visit a foreign (eg British) Estate Agent specialising
in French Property. Many agents immobiliers operate through
UK agencies (and share the commission)
| The import thing to bear in mind is that
as you work down the list the amount of effort you need
to devote to the exercise goes down, and the price goes
up. If your time is worth more than 500Euros
a day then it is sensible to do (g) (h) or (i) especially
if you are looking for a more executive style property.
Otherwise you will be much better off doing (a) - (f),
even if it means renting a place for a few weeks in an
area you're interested in. |
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Some gîtes offer significant
discounts for property hunters out of season,
especially for bookings of two weeks or more.
For three in the heart of Cathar country,
click
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 .
here
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or
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Property surveys are not part of the normal buying &
selling process in France, but there is no reason why you
should not commission your own survey for your own peace of
mind. There are almost no professional surveyors in the Sounth
of France so are difficult to find. The most popular one,
operating since 2002, is John Marchall at www.johnmarshallsurveys.com
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