The Aude is becoming more and more popular for house hunters with the advent of so many cheap flights to the area. From London Stansted with Ryanair you can fly either to Carcassonne or Perpignan. Ryanair also flies from Brussels Charleroi to Carcassonne and From Frankfurt Hahn to Perpignan.With Buzz you can fly to Toulouse or Montpellier and of course, being main airports, there are flights with British Airways and Air France, KLM etc to those airports. Car hire is available at all those destinations with Hertz, Avis, Budget and all the main companies.
Buying a house in France is not as complicated as some people make out. For sure there are many differences between the U.K and here just the same as there are differences between every country. One of the main differences I found was that I was parting with my deposit less than 2 hours after seeing the "house of my dreams". No in depth survey, well, actually, no survey whatsoever. Not the sort of thing you would even think about doing in the U.K. There is however a one week period after signing and handing over the cash in which you have the right by law to pull out of the sale and receive your deposit back. Cold feet?? No problem, although I'm sure the agent would be wringing his/her hands if you did that. This clause is also very useful if you are house hunting while the wife or husband is at home "YOU BOUGHT WHAT!!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!"
Without doubt the hardest thing is making up your mind what to buy. There is a huge range of properties available from small ruins...often not advertised to large Maison de Maitre "Lord of the Manor" with land. Large properties can seem great value for money but if it's a holiday house you want beware of buying too big a place or your holiday will be spent working harder than you do normally!!
Look for a suitable property. Check what fees are included in the price. Sometimes you may have to pay the Estate Agents fees which can be considerable so check they are included. Negotiating the price is always a good idea but not guaranteed. When I bought my house I paid the asking price mainly because there was another serious buyer involved. Notaires fees are added on to the sale and the buyer pays for them. They are also quite high. Depending on the purchase price expect about 7% to be added on. It is perfectly normal for the seller and buyer to use the same Notaire but if you want a different one it won't cost any more. The fee is simply split between the two.
Sign the promise to buy or "compromis de vente" Don't be rushed. There are lots of houses available so no need to feel pressured. Of course if someone else comes along who wants it in the meantime and they sign then you have lost it. Unless of course they get home and their wife says "YOU BOUGHT WHAT!!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!"
When you sign the compromis de vente there will normally be a date which everything must be completed by. The owner has the responsibility to provide a certificate on the wood in the construction of the house being free from woodboring insects and also that the house is free of asbestos. The seller pays for these reports.
The Final Act: On a day agreed by both parties everyone meets at the notaires office and the long process of signing gets underway. At this point I heard many people talk about shady deals...money under the table and lawyers leaving the room for 5 minutes. None of this happened in my experience and I think it is less common now. Not to be recommended. However, it's a good time to conclude any other business. Maybe you are buying some furniture in the house and this can be done at the same time.
That's it. All that is left is to move in.
Private sale...ring owner...no agent!!
| Esperaza. Villa built in 1994. 98 m2 of living space. 3 bedrooms with hanging cupboards. Equipped kitchen (15m2) Living/dining room (31m2) bathroom, wc, 18m2 garage. 740m2 garden. 8metre by 4 metre swimming pool. 190,000 Euros. Ring the owner on 0468 74 2718
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Property for sale in South west France Lots of house for sale on this website.
Les Hauts de Cleive This is one of my favourite sites. Easy to use with 2 offices in Esperaza and Quillan.
Aude France Property Research and translation services to help you find the perfect house in the Aude
Another good source for houses for sale is a monthly brochure called Aude Immo Media. You can pick one up at Carcassonne Airport or in many tourist locations around the Aude.
