Jacks1979

Hi Guys,

Great forum, you all look super helpful.

Wife and I (late 30's) looking to sell up and move to one of the small inland villages.

Obviously seduced by the cost of property in France.

Seen lots of habitable (some nice) properties for circa 70k (gbp)

Not been to look at anything yet so just wondering if these properties are as good in real life as the internet.

Also what offers are likely to be accepted.

We are looking at buying a property for cash and live there full time with savings in the bank (we have no kids but they may change). How long to savings tend to last?

How easy in small villages is it for a couple with no real skills (pen pushers) to get little jobs for "Beer money"

Any advice welcome (we would be learning french of course).

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
My first thought is that you should take what internet shows with a pinch of salt. Photos and descriptions might be attractive, but they conveniently forget any drawbacks, e.g. a smelly pig farm/autoroute/noisy neighbours nearby, and the photos don't show up defects.... The atmosphere of the village is also important, and you need to feel it for yourselves.
Come over for hands-on visits!
If you're going to live off your savings, you'll be "inactifs" and will have to take out private healthcare insurance before you're entitled to get into the French Social Security System (after 3 months proven residency and health insurance coverage).
Without French and any "skills", it's unlikely that you'd find much paid employment, unless you find little jobs on the black which would lead to risks with the Authorities. Unless there are other expats in your chosen location, village folk DIY or look after their own and have their own networks.
How long your savings last depends on the amount and your life-style. How long is a piece of string?
Take a look at the relevant threads in the Read-Me Moving to France FAQs above for info on living in France,
And learn French ASAP, you need to be able to communicate with the Administrations, Utilities, etc... as not everyone speaks English!
Hope this is of some help!

cyrian

Hello Jacks
Welcome to the forum.
Why don't you consider renting somewhere in France?
You don't say where you are in the UK but property in France (other than in Paris and a few other locations) is not an investment.
Try renting for 6 months to a year and keep your home in the UK.
If France does not work out for you then you can simply up-sticks and go home without having burned your bridges.
If you rent somewhere you like initially then you can choose to go somewhere else in France if you find you don't settle.
The reason property prices are low in rural France is because the French don't want to life in old property in rural France. They would prefer new-builds close to services like supermarkets; transport and medical services.
It is the Brits who want to live the dream who buy old run-down rural properties and then find they can't sell them when they decide to return to the UK.
When I drive through small villages, I see that many of the shop units are empty because the businesses have given up.
France is not in a good place just now with high unemployment (higher than the UK) and unless something changes getting higher.
You cannot just work in France - you either have to work some an employer or set up a business structure otherwise you will be working on the black - not good.
You need to dip your toe in the water and try life in France before you make a decision that could end up costing you a lot of money.
Good luck

EuroTrash

It's not clear what living here full-time is going to involve, and how you're envisaging your day-to-day life. You're in your 30s so you're probably too young to potter and doze most of the time, so how do you see yourselves spending the average day? Do you live in a village in the UK, or in a town with shops and pubs and things to do? How self-sufficient are you, how much outside stimulation and 'entertainment' do you need? It makes quite a difference because if you're going to treat living in France as a permanent holiday, going off to visit places and see the sights and eating out every day just for something to do, the savings will not last as long as if you have a hobby or an interest or a project to occupy you. Buying a house in France isn't an end in itself, it doesn't come with a ready-made French lifestyle attached, it's more of a starting point - a base from where to start building your new life. You don't say how good your French is but if it's not very, then your opportunities for hanging out with the neighbours getting involved in whatever goes on locally (if anything does) might be a bit limited, unless you find yourself a village full of expats.

So I agree that renting initially sounds like a good idea, to see if you're going to feel comfortable starting a new life here. Find out will France provide you with the building bricks that you need to build a fulfilling life. Some folks find it does, some find it doesn't and get bored silly.

Renting long-term will also give you an idea of the costs involved in living in France, the big surprise to most Brits being, how expensive health cover is when it's not "free".

Final thought - have you thought ahead to when you reach retirement age - do you have private pensions sorted? If you're only in your 30s you can't possibly have paid in your 35 years for full UK state pensions yet, and if you don't work in France you won't accrue anything here. It no doubt seems a long way off but the day will come.

As said, "working on the black" and getting away with it is a bit of an artform. If you go about it clumsily and tread on people's toes or upset the wrong people it risks ending in tears, because most communes have their "snitch". Best not to go there.

InVinoVeritas

About 4 years, although maybe only 1 year on the Cote d'Azur. Go for it

grannybunz

Welcome!

If you are looking at houses as cheap as you mentioned then it won;t be on the Cote D'Azur I guess,

Wise advice given already but you do need an a plan an objective. Call it what you want, but, young as you are you have to be practical.

I have seen too many expat dreamers coming horribly unstuck and will no doubt see many more, especially in these troubles and uncertain times,

By all means go for it, but with clear heads, Good Luck !

InVinoVeritas

I don't think 38 is particularly young and I don't think the questions asked are particularly serious - in any case the OP hasn't been back since posting.

Jacks1979

Thanks for advice. Pension, savings sorted not rich by any stretch of imagination but will be comfortable.

Looking to do a little Internet work to supplement income.

I am more interested at this pointime on negotiating on property prices.

Seen some threads where people lead you to believe you can be fairly aggressive with offers and others where it's hard to negotiate a deal.

mikelincs

I think property prices is currently the last thing you should worry about, there are a lot more pitfalls to trap the unwary.

You will therefore be self employed and have to set up a self employed business, not a simple matter, but essential if you want to be legal, also remember that, unlike the UK, internet speeds may not be as good as you would wish, something else to remember.

If you have ANY income, no matter from what source, you will HAVE to pay taxes in France, if you also pay in the UK you can defray those taxes against any French tax you may incur.

EuroTrash

The point being - moving France to live full time, is not like moving to another part of the UK where property prices are hugely cheaper

Leaving the UK means leaving behind all the safety nets you currently take for granted. In particular, leaving behind the social security system that you understand and that provides "free at the point of delivery" healthcare. Leaving behind the tax system that you are familiar with and understand. Leaving behind your automatic right to reside. As an economically active EU citizen, under EU law you have freedom of movement as long as you comply with your new state's social security and tax laws once you become resident. As an economically inactive EU citizen you do not automatically have freedom of movement, you have to meet certain criteria, which for France, for EU inactifs wanting to stay in France longer than 3 months, are set out here: https://www.service-public.fr/partic...sdroits/F12017 And bear in mind that if you stop being an EU citizen in 2019, different criteria will apply.

So what most of us are trying to say is, before you start making offers, make sure that you do actually want to leave the UK. There is more to life than the price of property, you need to make sure you've looked at all the downsides, as well as this one perceived upside that you have (in your own words) been seduced by.

But to answer your question, I guess France is the same as anywhere, you can offer what you like and either it will be accepted or it won't. There are no special rules. The lowest you can pay for a property is the lowest that the seller will accept. Some sellers want a quick sale and will accept a low offer. Other sellers are in no rush to sell and will wait for a better offer. Some have a mortgage to pay off and couldn't afford to accept a low offer even if they wanted to. But for a property in the arse end of nowhere, it should be cheap because it doesn't have a lot of value.

One thing to check when you start narrowing down your search, is the property taxes, because these vary hugely from one commune to the next. For a particular house the property taxes could easily be twice as high in one commune compared to an identical house in a commune a few km away. You can't guess, you need to see the figures in black and white.

grannybunz

When it is 15 years younger than your own children it is!!