AJ584

I’m technically not an expat, but hoped someone here may be able to help. I unexpectedly inherited a property in the Meuse region of France a few years ago, but the property is in need of restoration and currently uninhabitable.

I’m a UK resident but have no links to the area, except with the local notary, but they’ve been unhelpful with trying to sell the property. Regrettably I also cannot speak French. I’ve contacted a few online estate agents, but none have had agents in the local area.

I’m looking for other options to sell, including whether there are any kinds of online property auctions? Getting to the property is 12 hours each way, so would like to try and minimise the amount of travel involved in any viewings or sale. I’m also more interested in getting the property sold quickly than making a substantial profit on it, as the longer it takes the more it’s condition deteriorates and more money it’s costing me on local taxes.

Would any of you have suggestions to help me sell? Thank you in advance

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
It isn't really a Notaire's job to actually look for buyers, although I have seen adverts. in the local free newspaper. Take a look at the following link for property auctions via Notaires.
https://www.immobilier.notaires.fr/f...aison/meuse-55
Otherwise I can't help more than suggest advertizing on "LeBonCoin" or "Particulier à Particulier", but you'd need help in French and some one on the spot for visits - a Notary's Office wouldn't do this....
If you don't know anyone trustworthy, look in "Les Pages Jaunes" for an "Agence Immobilière" in the area of the town concerned, forget LBC and PAP, and get the property into the estate agent's books. They'll deal with everything up to the final signature before the Notaire.
HTH and Good Luck!

cyrian

Hi Welcome to the forum.
In France property like this is difficult/impossible to sell.
Are you the only family member to inherit?
Normally a property is jointly inherited by all eligible relatives.
You can (if it is not too late) reject the inheritance and walk away.

Just re-read your post and you inherited it a couple of years ago.
I would consider donating the property to the local commune and walk away.

dmu

The OP could contact the local Mairie and propose this option. Depending on the house's location, they could revalorize it in a social housing/enterprise project. To give an example, my local Mairie is currently looking for premises to turn into a café with services for our rural Commune.

EuroTrash

Selling a property in France can need a lot of patience, especially a do-er upper. It's not at all unusual for properties to stay on the market for years and years.
What exactly is your agreement with the notaire? As another poster has said, they're not estate agents as such. Those that do offer a property selling servide generally do little more than include the details on their property listings, usually in a local paper/website or two and a noticeboard outside their office. If somebody happens to see it and is interested the notaire will liaise, but they don't spend time on promoting properties, that's not what a notaire is for.
I can't see online property auctions being a thing in France. There just isn't the same property market, France isn't a nation of property speculators, and Brexit has put the brakes on the flow of Brits who used to dream of a place in the sun or who decided to move to France on a shoestring.

What property taxes are you paying currently? If it's uninhabitable you should be able to get exempted from taxe d'habitation, although not from taxe foncière.

I can't honestly see any other solution other than advertise it as widely as possible at an absolute bargain price, sit tight and cross your fingers, or offer it to the commune.

AJ584

Thank you for the responses and suggestions, I think my best bet may be to try speaking with the local Mairie and see if there's any mileage in that.

I didn't realize about the habitation tax exemption, I'll try and pursue that as well to try and minimize the costs until I'm able to sell.

I also hadn't appreciated the remit of the notaire, so that's useful to know as well, thank you. In terms of the agreement with them... the more complicated back story (which I'd omitted to try and keep this simple) is the property is actually a single structure, but split into 3 separate dwellings, 1 of which had a tenant in at the time of inheritance (the other 2 being uninhabitable). They were paying rent to the notaire, who was holding the funds to pay any bills and took a management fee. The rent was just enough to cover the bills/taxes, but the tenant vacated the property last year and so now it's a pure loss. Back when I first inherited the property the notaire did do a valuation and list the property on their site, but as has been said they weren't actively marketing it.

The other piece of info I omitted is a minority portion of the property was also inherited by another family member, UK national who does live in France (although still a few hours away) but they're estranged and extremely difficult to communicate with and they're ignoring/refusing my requests to help with the taxes, so unfortuantely I cannot rely on them for any help. They may also not agree with the Mairie option

EuroTrash

It would be the mairie that you approach about the taxe d'hab exemption, so it does sound like starting a dialogue with them is what to do.

I believe the procedure would be that if you wanted to offer them the property, and your co-owner agrees, the offer would be discussed by the municipal council and they would decide whether or not they had a use for it. For instance they may want to let the habitable dwelling, and either restore the others with a view to letting or use them as storage. Or they may use the whole property for storage. It's astonishing how much storage space towns seem to need, and it's quite common for abandoned properties to be used for this. So it would depend on location, is the property either in the town centre or near any other 'hivernage' that the town uses. If it's right in the centre and the town happens to be looking for a building it can turn into a public amenity - sports hall, media centre or whatever - that would be even better. But they're not so likely to take a property they have no use for, for exactly the same reasons as you don't want it.
I would get agreement from the co-owner first, because the municipal council won't thank you if they spend time discussing and debating and doing financial projections, and then it turns out that you can't offer it after all.

Bon courage.

dmu

Definitely! All co-owners must be in agreement and sign all documents.

Faddy66

My sister sadly died in France and her son inherited a derelict property that he has been paying taxes on for 15years. He would happily give it away to the local community or anyone. Is this possible does anyone know?
?

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
Your nephew should contact the Mairie and propose selling/donating the property. My Mairie hasn't yet found a suitable locale for the café mentioned above, but has recently bought an old house which will be converted into a multi-purpose medical centre. This will be heaven-sent, since we must drive 5 km to the nearest Doctor, Dentist, etc.....
Whereabouts is his property? In a village or in the middle of nowhere?

White Trash

Giving it away to the commune is an option we have tried. They didn't want it. OH is still paying the TF every year for a large house that gets worse every time the wind blows and more of the roof disappears. There needs to be a change in the law that forces people to pay taxes on something they don't even want. We are even forced to pay for insurance in case something falls onto a passerby.

Pulaski

My only relevant experience is vicarious, through my sister who owned a rural farmhouse/ barn conversion, with her husband for about 7 years IIRC (the 7 years was the period of ownership, not how long she was married to her husband .... that was about 9 years! ). You can do all the renovations and upgrades you like, but it won't increase the value, and you'll have the devil's own job ever selling it.

Your best shot, though Brexit has made this considerably more difficult/ less likely, is selling to another Brit, or Ozzie, Yank, Canadian, or Kiwi, probably by posting it on Farcebook.

White Trash

True enough. French people (the largest section of actual property buyers) tend not to buy cheap wrecks to do up and flog for a profit. They buy somewhere near their source of income to sleep and live in, not as a money earner. Unlike UK, France isn't a mecca for property speculators.

Faddy66

I wonder if you can help me? My nephew inherited a derelict property after his mother and father died. They were living (and are now buried) in Curcay sur Dive and the property is in Parcay les Pins. He has been paying taxes on it for 15 years now and has not been able to sell it. Your suggestion of donating it to the local commune sounds very hopeful. Can you tell me how to do this please? Thanks in advance, Carol

Faddy66

Thank you for replying. The property is in or near Parcay les Pins. I believe that's where the nearest Mairie is. It may now come under Noyant-Villages but I'm not sure. We will contact those Maires in the hope of a positive response. I need to find out the property particulars from my nephew and go from there. Kind regards