Starfish00

Hi All,

I've been reading through threads going back as far as 2010 posted by ladies who were planning to move to France and I wondered if any of you are still on this Forum and could give me a heads up on how life panned out for you?
(I need to be more active on here before I can PM said ladies).

I'm in my mid 50s, kinda retired, speak French (although not as fluent as I would like to be) and could really do with some advice on making such a big move.

Any kind souls out there who could spare me a few moments of their time?
Thanks.

Chatter Static

Welcome to the Forum, Im not so sure any of the more active users are single women but they may still lurk. You'd probably have to be pretty forwards doing it toute seule and would probably want somewhere thats a bit more active and vibrant. You have to make three posts before the PM system opens up to you.

EuroTrash

I wasn't on the forum in 2010 but I moved to France toute seule in 2007, and absolutely no regrets. Have to say though that my work has been a big part of it. It made me get stuck in and get things sorted, if I ever had rose tinted specs they got broke very quickly. I suppose it helped give me a structure to my life here and a new sense of identity. Would be a totally different experience I'm sure if you're retired and don't have to batter your way through a brick wall or two. It's not something you'd do if you didn't have to but you feel a sense of achievement when you break through and come out the other side. I imagine being retired is a more serene experience.
Where are you moving from?

dmu

Hi, I moved to France a few decades ago, fancy free, with a job lined up. It worked for me because of my work and then meeting my future OH
This being so, I'd hesitate if I were in your shoes and not yet fully retired. If you need to earn a living, it'll be hard-going and if you don't find a legal job (bear in mind that there are 3 1/2 million French unemployed), you may not have healthcare coverage either, if the present agreement between France and the UK re pre-retirees no longer exists. The bottom line is that you'd need to bring over a lot of savings until you reach retirement age.
Where were you thinking of settling?

Starfish00

Thank you for your responses and advice - I'm considering Normandy or Brittany in terms of location. Being on my own, rural living would not be the best option. Can anyone recommend a property agent they've used - I would be happy to receive PMs on this. Many thanks.

mikelincs

Recommendations are far better posted on the forum, then people know who has been recommended, and can also indicate whether there have been any problems with then. If you just ask for PMs, then you could get 20 or 30 all recommending the same agent, which gives you no choice. Really PMs are there for people aking personal questions and things not really suitable for public discusion.

Starfish00

OK, that's fine. I suggested PMs as I wasn't sure if recommendations on the open forum would be considered as advertising. I would be grateful for any recommendations!

capricorn2013

I think you need to narrow down the area you want to live in before looking for agents - rural France will be very lonely if you are planning to be alone most of the time.

When I was looking for a small property to live in half the year under 75k I was rather depressed at how many dank, dark, damp properties there were for sale. Most of them looked ideal in the sales details but were far from ideal to live in.

Properties in towns with a more vibrant social life tend to be more expensive than I could afford but would be your best bet.

Happy hunting!

Chatter Static

Estate agents should develop some form of scratch and sniff brochure it could really saving on wasted visits here. The quantity of really damp homes in the north really surprised me.

Tweedpipe

How true that is.
Based on many years of experience, and listening to numerous sob stories from friends and colleagues when visiting with estate agents, I put THIS together for a bit of fun some time back, but by now many realise that it's not as exaggerated as it first appears.
Be wary of the description, 'en bon état', and particularly wary of 'en bon état general'.
Many agents imho have a lot to answer for.

Chatter Static

When did Lassay les Chateaux get moved into 61? The commune of Le housseau bretignolles sits between it and Orne...

Novocastrian

Hast thou been indulging in the drinky stuff?

Tweedpipe

Absinthe overdose?

Chatter Static

Might have

Must have been the wife


Ironic that CP post count is the neighbouring dept number

On an related note feel free to ignore my post

EuroTrash

To the OP - to play devil's advocate: since Normandy and Brittany are essentially rural départements, with very few large towns between them, just wondering what's the attraction if you don't like rural? In fact, if you're apprehensive at the thought of moving to France solo, and since you need advice on where might suit which clearly suggests you aren't being pulled by an irresistibly strong draw to any one particular place, it's hard not to wonder why you would put yourself through it?