When you are sat around deciding upon your resolutions for the New Year, is one of yours going to be realising your dream of moving to France?
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
No doubt come New Year’s Eve there will be hundreds of people around the country toasting in 2013 amid cries that “this year will be their year”. If you renovating a character home in France, here are some tips from Alexis Goldberg of the FranceBuyingGuide.com to help you make this coming year memorable for all the right reasons.
Money matters
“Working out your budget and monitoring your finances should be top of your priority list. Make sure that you keep a record of everything that you spend and it is always a good idea to have a contingency fund just in case”.
Get organised
“Be meticulous with your property search. At each property that you visit take photographs and detailed notes. If you are visiting France on a viewing trip it is highly likely that you will be seeing multiple properties – you will be surprised how quickly they all merge together”.
Befriend the powers that be
“Make contact with the “mairie” (townhall). In France, they have a lot of power and can help you to get things done. As you are renovating an old property, they will be more than happy to provide any assistance that they can when it comes to telling you what local rules that you must adhere to and the guidelines that you must follow for external decoration”.
Enlist local help
“Although there will be a language barrier I really recommend employing local artisans to complete the renovation work. This will help you to integrate and improve your language skills. They will be able to guarantee that the work they do respects local traditions which are of the utmost importance”.
Shop around
“Just like you would back in the UK, always ask for recommendations and obtain a few quotes before you commit to using any one contractor. Shopping around means that you are more likely to get a competitive rate”
For details of property for sale in France, visit the listings on Rightmove Overseas.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc