The dream of finding an old stone farmhouse somewhere in France with an orange-tiled roof and a vine growing over the door keeps some of us going through the dreary Irish winter. Now that many property companies advertise on the internet, it's much easier to find a house in France to buy. It will still have to be visited, to make sure the perfectly charming cottage hasn't got a motorway running past the front door or a mosquito-ridden swamp in the front garden.
But it's a start. And being able to download house details (including colour photographs) from a website means there's no pressure to buy. Several French property agents have their own sites on the web, easily accessed through servers such as Altavista or Lycos. Just decide on the area and price range and surf away. To save time and phone bills, download the promising ones for a longer browse over a cup of coffee later. Even in summer, when houses in good condition are more likely to be off the market and rented for the season, there is a good choice of properties for sale in rural France. Houses on the coast cost more, as does anything unusual like a water-mill or small tower. Provence, immortalised in Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence, is generally out of reach of most pockets, although there are affordable apartments here. That said, there is a windmill for sale in Lot-et-Garonne in south-west France for FF 360,000 (IR43,023) with Properties in France and an 18th century mill owner's house in Normandy overlooking a river for FF620,000 (IR74,439) including all fees, with agent Vivre en France. In France, the solicitor or notaire deals with all aspects of the contract of sale for both purchaser and vendor and often acts as estate agent. Around 10 per cent should be added on for legal fees and government tax, unless this is included into the asking price.
Agency fees vary. Latitudes and Properties in France charge a straightforward agency fee (usually around 8 per cent) and legal fees are extra. Vivre en France offers a complete service from processing the legal work to organising a builder to do the renovations when the sale is completed. Vivre en France claims their basic prices are lower than others because they have local offices within France and stronger buying power. However, it is worth comparing prices with other English-based agencies and agents immobiliers and notaires in the locality. Membership of the EMU means there is a fixed rate of FF 8.32894 to the Irish pound or IR£120 for every 1,000 French francs.
Weather is a consideration to bear in mind. Brittany cottages and half-timbered Normandy houses can be very attractive and a mere hour's drive from the ferry port sounds tempting - but this part of France can be as wet as Bundoran and seasoned Francophiles tend to travel south of the Loire in search of the sun. There are plenty of very cheap houses around needing work. French builders have a reputation for quality workmanship, although language difficulties may make it necessary to employ someone to oversee the job. A pretty stone cottage for renovation in Normandy with two bedrooms and with arched doors and exposed beams is for sale with Vivres en France for FF240,000 (£28,800), inclusive of all fees.
The same agency has a barn for conversion near Saint-Chinion in the Languedoc for FF233,000 (IR£27,960) and a lovely stone Charantaise house with good walls and roof but needing complete renovation for FF178,000 (IR£21,360). For the cost of a second-hand car there is a tiny one-bedroom Breton cottage needing total renovation for FF39,160 (IR£4,800). French Taxe d'Habitation is not payable while a house is unfurnished.
Money could be better spent on a smaller property in good condition rather than a romantic but near-derelict farmhouse which might prove a financial drain. And houses that are habitable can be lived in while work is in progress. British agency Latitudes has a three-roomed cottage in the picturesque Sarlat area beside the River Dordogne in immediately habitable condition for FF350,000 (IR£42,000). A semidetached cottage in the same department with a convertable roof space costs FF110,000 (IR14,400).
Vivre en France has a Hansel and Gretel house in Vienne for FF380,000 (IR£46,000). A house in perfect condition will cost from FF500,000 (IR£60,000), depending on whether it is a town house or a chateau. Francophiles Ltd is selling a three bedroom stone cottage in Brittany, near Pontivy for ST£65,000 (IR£78,000) plus legal costs. This has a heated swimming pool and two acres of grounds.
A newly-built bungalow with a pool near Cahors, in Lot, with four bedrooms and a large garden is FF804,000 (IR£96,481), plus legal costs, with the same agency.
Properties in France is selling an old house on the edge of a lake and with its own jetty near Rille in the Loire Valley. This has two bedrooms and costs FF900,000 (IR£108,000). Or how about a small chateau in the Loire with a swimming pool and a few hectares of land for FF1.2 million (IR144,076) - about the cost of a four-bedroom semi in Lucan. Installing a swimming pool will greatly enhance letting potential and around IR£14,000 will buy a basic in-ground pool kit. The average weekly rent for a three bedroom house with a pool in a rural part of France is £500 £600 per week.
When a decision to purchase is made, the notaires will draw up a Compromis de Vente and a deposit of 10 per cent is paid. In France this contract is binding unless either the title deeds are incorrect or the seller's financial arrangements fall through. In the latter case, documented proof is required. Signing of the final Acte de Vente and completion will be about three months later.
