Testimonials
Sarah has been helping me for nearly three years. It can be extremely hard when first arriving in France to set up utility bills, insurances, car re-registration etc. Although my husband and I initially set all these things up alone, after about a year it seemed to me that we were paying a vast amount of money having signed up for everything apart from the telephone through our local bank. Through the grapevine I heard about Sarah who has lived here I think now for about 18 years and knows just about every hoop to jump through. We spent hours pouring through every bank statement, insurance document and bill; consequently Sarah discovered that by changing phone provider we could cut our phone bill in half. We had been paying twice for the same medical insurance. Sarah managed to negotiate a refund on one of them for us, this may sound easy but believe me it is not always that easy in France - the French don't usually do 'the customer is always right'! We have gradually moved all our insurances to a company recommended by Sarah at a huge saving. Sarah has also helped me sort out child allowance, bus passes for schools, wisdom tooth removal ; the list is endless. I would recommend Sarah without hesitation to anyone who is needing help settling into their new life in France. Sarah is thorough, incredibly helpful and extremely patient. My French has improved enough that I can usually deal with the more simple things, but I still call on Sarah when complicated situations occur. Catherine (Teacher) Juignac I can confirm that Sarah was instrumental in dealing with the Immobilier and the Notaire in the purchase of our house five years ago. Our understanding of French and particularly the legal system was sadly lacking and we could not have done it without her patience, time and understanding. Sarah was also able to deal competently with the setting up of all the utilities in an efficient and pleasant manner and she continues to be of valuable assistance when required. I have no hesitation in recommending Sarah to you. Anne (Retired Teacher) Montignac My wife Jennifer and myself have known Sarah for over 10 years and are more than happy to provide the following character and professional reference. Sarah has excellent knowledge and skills regarding purchasing,managing,maintaining and improving properties in the Charente region and achieves results efficiently and pleasantly, notwithstanding the French penchant for a degree of beaurocracy. She has helped us on many occasions by knowing exactly what or whom is required for the solution to diverse problems or requirements. Sarah is totally trustworthy and provides an essential infrastructure of support and expertise at all stages of property search,purchase and thereafter. I have no hesitation in recommending Sarah's services-our "French life" would not have been as enjoyable and trouble free as it has been for the last ten years without her professional yet personable help. John and Jennifer (Retired Marketing Director & Teacher) We have known Sarah since we purchased our property in France in 2007. She had provided a property care service to the previous owners who spoke very highly of her support and strongly recommended that we should use her services as caretaker for our property. Since that time Sarah has assisted us in a number of very useful ways. She regularly visits our property to check for problems, provides care and maintenance for the house and swimming pool, maintains contact with the utility companies when required, liaises with plumbers and the like to ensure repairs are carried out and keeps us informed. Living locally, she often helps us sort out ad-hoc problems. It has proved to be extremely useful to have somebody we can trust and who can speak French helping us with all of the above tasks. More recently she has been acting as our representative in buying a piece of land. This has involved meeting with the vendor and notaire, providing us with advice on how the French purchase process works, and updating us on progress. We find Sarah to be very friendly, easy going and trust worthy. She is always prepared to help and we value her advice as this certainly helps us navigate through the sometimes mysterious way that things are done in France!" Mike & Hilary (Management Consultant)Pillac I have no hesitation in recommending Sarah to you for her Professional skills in: property search and preparation of purchaser specification; sound advice re the location’s advantages/drawbacks; establishment of Banking facilities; assessing the negotiating positions to be adopted re the vendors; price negotiation, progressing the appropriate paperwork through the rather labyrinthine French system and managing the purchasing process through the local Notaire’s office. In addition she supplies good translation skills and will organise such details as utilities (re)connection and tariffs (phone, internet broadband, electricity, water etc) if required post purchase. This latter is an invaluable service for those who possess ‘tourist French’ only. She also operates a successful Gite/House rental support service for those who wish to rent out their properties. She is also rather adept at finding and organising local trades in electricals, plumbing, building, carpentry, garden maintenance, Security services etc and managing those trades during modifications to properties. Taken overall, the above services engender considerable savings compared to the rather more expensive services of local Estate Agents. Dr Peter S (Bio-chemist & Company Director) St Severin My family and I found Sarah’s services to be invaluable before, during, and after our move to France. We feel extremely fortunate to have found her. Sarah is a very knowledgeable, approachable and patient lady. She has helped us with not only finding the house of our dreams, but has assisted us greatly with other tasks including arranging for our sons to attend the local school, registering with the local doctor, dentist and sorting out our utilities. I would not hesitate to recommend her services, and I myself will continue to use and recommend her in the future. Sharon & Sam (Company Director & IT Tester)
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