hi there all you guys
we are looking to buy in the basse normandy and were wondering what if any areas to avoid ..we were looking ....after visiting several times ,,,in the bayeux/carentan/st lo area triangle we wanted the pretty village and view type manoir if possible and have looked at loads of web sites and immobliers but are still looking for the right place ..should we look in the pont eveque /deauville /pays d'auge or falaise for better selection .we are going again at end of jan 08

Hi and welcome.
Normandy is such a big area, it's hard to narrow it down, to help you.
Do you need to get back to UK fairly frequently? If so then you probably need to look more towards Caen, as ferries are more frequent from there all year round, and there is a flight to Shoreham from the airport. We are in Carentan and love it. Bayeaux is a big favourite of ours, but overpriced I think compared to other areas, mainly because there is a larger English population there. One of our other regular posters on this forum has just bought a house in Isigny, and the coast from there along to Juno Beach is great. What about the area around Granville to Bayeaux, have you looked there?
If you have children, St Lo would be a good choice for schooling. It also has larger shops, theatre etc. a great market on Saturday's.
Can recomment Cabinet Faudais in Carentan (Marie, one of the agents there speaks English)
The notaires are also very good in Carentan, they have a website in English which lists all the properties they have for sale.
http://www.cr-bassenormandie.notaire...rch.asp?ext=en
I could go on - you've probably guessed I love this part of the world and have been very happy here.
Personally we prefer the area from Carentan to Valognes. Think properties and area is much nicer, especially along the coast from St Vaast to Barfleur, St Mere Eglise is also lovely, but a bit quiet in winter. It just depends on what you want. The further south you go, towards Falaise, the more hilly it gets, colder in winter etc. and more chance of snow. Around Carentan it is generally pretty mild, not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer (around 24 degs in July/August).
Hope this helps but let us know if you have any more queries
Val

hi Val
thanks for the great info we have looked briefly into the web site after your e-mail and it is very helpful ..we also know Marie and Bernard quite well and they know us as we have been in to see them at least three times ..They are lovely and helpful and also know a lot of useful contacts.
We looked at a favourite property in the town of Liesville sur douvre and wondered if the marshes had ever flooded as it is on a flood plain ..we know that the germans flooded the area deliberately during the normandy landings but we can find no records of subsequent problems ..do you know of any ?
when we come over at the end of january we will go to Valognes to visit ..we like the Carentan area a lot so will relx on this trip and check the Notaires boards as we believe it may save us an agents fee ..thanks again
steve

All that area around Liesville sur douvre still floods. March/April are the main times of year for it. It's something of a tourist attraction.
People drive from Baupte up to Pont d'Abbye to see the flooded fields.
Also occurs around Utah Beach up to Ravenoville.
Think it helps the ground as it washes out a lot of the phosphates.
Have you looked around St Andre de Bohan and Auvers as well?
La Haye de Puis is also popular. I don't know why, but we just prefer Est du Cotentin to other parts of Manche/Calvados.
You still pay fees if you use the Notaire. They are just usually calculated into the price. Olivier Simeon is the negotiator for the one's in Carentan. He found us our first property here and was good.
We've been here since 2001 now so have got to know a few people - let me know if there is anything else I can help with
Val

Hallo and welcome. As val and others know, we have bought a house in Isigny-sur-mer, just to the east of Carentan but over the Manche/Calvados border. My wife's family are scattered around Basse Normandie and we have been visiting the area pretty much every summer since the early '70s, so I know it well. Any help I can give will be willingly proffered.

Ah! Missed that. That's us.

that will teach you not to read the thread's properly
How's it going? Still snowed in
we had more yesterday and it hasn't got above zero degs for the last 2 weeks or so. Due to rain on Monday and go up to 8 degs - could almost believe I'm in Normandy 6 more sleeps to go

Well it's pretty mild here too. Supposed to be +9C tomorrow, (checks wristwatch, today) but I'll believe that when I see it.

The 30 cm of white stuff we got last weekend has slightly retreated, but only slightly.

Sleep well.

So you do get a bit of snow in Normandy ..in the surrey area where from where we are leaving has only frost for about a week so ....
just question about the flooding.. I believe it is controlled so the houses should be ok is that true ?
regards steve

I should clarify: the Richmond Hill where I'm posting from is just north of Toronto, Ontario. The Isigny property is a summer home for the time being and a future retirement destination. I don't think 30 cm of white stuff has ever been seen there.


As to flooding, the marais have been inundated most spring-times for centuries. Unless the Californian habit of building mega-houses in inappropriate places has spread to Normandy, I think you'll be fine. (At least until Al Gore is proved right).

YO THAT WAS A SURPRISE ...
I am in fact coming over to Toronto on the 21st January and then of to Normandy for the 25th January for 5 days ..did you want anything taking to France and i dont mean a gas BBQ ..
regards steve

That's a kind offer steve. Off the top of my head I can't think of anything. Maybe we can get together for a beer and chat about choses normandaise?

Sure if you are in the vicinity I will be staying at the following hotel ..perhaps leave me a message as I will be arriving in the late afternoon from LHR ..at hotel about 1800 to 1900 I guess ..regards steve

Fairmont Hotel
110 Front St West, Toronto, Ontario M5J1E3. [CANADA]
Phone: 001 416 368-2511 Main Fax: 001 416 860 4513
Sales Fax: 416-368-8148
Web Site: www.fairmont.com

Sorry Steve,
Novo and I are both in Canada at the moment - I'm in Nova Scotia until Friday - and we both had pretty bad blizzards a week or so back.
The flooding isn't controlled in all the areas but I haven't heard of surrounding houses being flooded anytime since we've been here. My OH's office is in Baupte and they often have the fields next to them under water but it never gets as far as the buildings.

That's a nice hotel...the Royal York. When it was built it was the tallest structure in the British Empire. It's now dwarfed by Toronto's downtown skyscrapers, but it maintains an appropriate elegance.

I'm at home for the holidays at the moment so I'll have to check my schedule after New Year, but a bevvy in the Scotland Yard (a short walk from your hotel) sounds a plan.

Have you figured out PM on this site yet?