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Property in the Charente
If you plan on buying property in the Charente, or you wish to purchase land for a new build, then do be prepared:
They do things differently over here.
Despite what they tell you on the websites, a much greater percentage of properties are bought and sold without estate agents ever being involved in France than in the UK.
We have heard that in some regions over half the properties bought and sold exchange hands privately via the notaire and agents don't get a look in.
Unlike UK solicitors the local Notaire in French towns keeps an up-to-date register of properties for sale.
And with their expert knowledge on the local property market, they can give you an unbiased opinion on property prices.
Some even do it on line:
Property in the Charente
Property in the Gironde
Property in the Dordogne
We found our local Notaire and all the staff in his office extremely helpful and knowledgeable of everything concerning our property. Some Notaires speak good English, whilst others prefer not to. If you need help with translation, there are people around who can help you, just
Contact Us
and we will put you in touch with some, or check out the
Classified Ads
section.The main Notaires website in France,
Notaires France
has an English translation and a down-loadable booklet of over 20 pages with advice on buying or selling property in France. The translation is a bit of a mish-mash of English and American English (it makes numerous mentions
of 'real property' and 'payment by check', for example) but none the less
it is recommended reading before starting out on the property trail.
The best advice we received was to rent in the area we were considering buying a property. This gives you the opportunity to find out about and meet the local Notaire. He can advise on other aspects of your project as well, including choosing the best financing facilities if you need them. You also have a guarantee of security as Notaires are sworn public officials who are liable financially and legally for the deeds that they draft.
But you don't have to make a formal appointment to discuss your needs. You can just pop in to the office and register your requirements with the staff behind the counter. They will go through what is currently available and notify you when anything else approaching your needs comes onto the market. For more information on the buying process itself see the
Buying a Property page.
If you can't make it over here easily and are looking for reliable estate agents, we can recommend Richard & Catherine from Euro Immobilier in Chalais. They are open and honest and will do their utmost to find what you are looking for.
You can see their website at
www.euro-immo.com
If you have any experiences of finding property in the Charente and you would like to share them with others please
Contact Us
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