Central France
Profiles
This section is where you will find the profiles of the people closely associated with the CFPS web site.
Ann
Welcome to CFPS23, the English web site for Century21 MARCON IMMOBILIER.
My name is ANN BAILEY and I am the English negotiator for Century21 in the Southern Creuse region of the Limousin. I have lived in the Creuse for five years; originally our house was a holiday home but we soon decided to move here permanently. I live between Aubusson and Auzances and have responsibility for all properties on the web site prefixed with 0048 (Aubusson area), 0050 (Auzances area), 0052 (Bourganeuf area) and a shared responsibility for 0054 (Chenerailles area).
MARCON IMMOBILIER is a French estate agent dealing with mainly French buyers. All property prices are those advertised, with no "extras" for English clients.
The only other amount incurred will be the notaries' fees, these are between 8.5% and 10% of the price.
As you can appreciate we cannot put all our properties on the web site so those shown are a small representative selection from an extensive portfolio.
I will make appointments for you to view any properties you are interested in and also to look for other properties meeting your criteria. On your arrival we will go through our portfolio together before viewing your selected properties.
I am with you throughout your time with us and should you decide to buy I will be available to help with all the paperwork involved in buying. You can also contact me for help with all those questions that we all forget to ask at the time.
Sheena
My name is Sheena Pacetti and I am the English negotiator for the Northern Creuse region of the Limousin. Originally from Scotland, I lived for fifteen years in Essex before moving eight years ago, with my partner, to an old watermill with seven hectares of land near the village of Nouziers. I have worked with and for Marcon Immobilier since 2002 introducing clients to the areas of Guéret (prefixed 0047) La Souterraine (prefixed 0049), Bessines (prefixed 0051) and a shared responsibility for 0054 (Chenerailles area).
Ann has outlined the work that we both do with Marcon Immobilier and I would like to continue by mentioning briefly the buying procedure.
IS BUYING PROPERTY IN FRANCE DIFFERENT FROM IN THE UK?
Yes. The procedure of buying property in France is very different to buying property in the UK. The process of buying in France is contractually binding much earlier and it is necessary to have your finances in place before committing to any purchase. For example, if you have a house to sell in the UK before being able to buy your new home in France no allowance will be made if at the time of the final contract you are not in a position to sign because your house has not sold.
House hunting is similar to the UK in as much as you can look at properties on the web sites; arrange visits with several agents, although I would always suggest only using bona fide French Immobiliers, and discussing your offer price. The agent will always accompany you on visits and you will be asked to sign a visiting form beforehand.
Once you have found the property you wish to buy and agreed on a price with the seller, the agent will prepare the initial contract, the compromis de vente. At this stage you must be in a position to say whether you are paying cash for the property or require finance. If you declare that you require a mortgage, a period of one month will be accorded to you to obtain the loan. If you are unable to obtain financing your deposit will be reimbursed to you and the contract will be cancelled. The compromis de vente describes the property and details the selling conditions. This contract is a guarantee for both the seller and the buyer about the state and precise description of the sold property and the complete financial circumstances of the sale.
At this point you will have to pay a 10% deposit, which will remain blocked on a special account with the Immobilier and will serve as a guarantee for the seller that you will really buy the property, and as one for you that he will not sell to anyone else. This deposit will only be reimbursed if you change your mind within seven days of signing the Compromis de vente, the loan you have organised for buying the property is not granted by the bank, or the seller changes his mind. In this case not only will he have to pay the deposit back, but also to pay you an equivalent compensation. After the Compromis de vente has been signed searches are carried out, as in the UK, which takes around eight weeks. Then the final contract is signed and the property becomes the buyer’s.
I am often asked about having a survey carried out on property in France. It is not mandatory and indeed it may be impossible to engage the services of a surveyor here but it is advisable to have a local artisan check a particular problem area, for example the roof or walls, and give their opinion. The agent too will be able to give his opinion as to the condition of the property and you should always ask his advice as he acts for both seller and buyer.
Jo (webmaster)
Hi, my name is Jo Bailey and I am responsible for the CFPS web site. I am the person to contact if you find any problems with the site, or if you feel anything needs adding or changing. So please feel free to contact me at webmaster@cfps23.com
