I think the only pro about buying a small house and doing it up will be the resale value, which will almost certainly increase. A mobile home will not cost as much to buy but will not increase in value and depending on how long you keep it will probably decrease in value.

Judith i agree with you on that , but so many people are bothered about the value of their property , i really want to spend my time enjoying life in France , i do see a lot of people back and forth from here just spending time doing up their second home in France, i supose thats ok if you eventually want to go and live there, but there is no way my wife would want to do that because of the granchildren.
Oh also im crap at DIY lol

Not sure where you are thinking of but the French have little flats by the sea that are very basic just a couple of rooms a shower and loo if you don't need much space might suit you might be a bit more expensive on the coast but must be a good investment, we hope to retire to France in about 8 years and going to Pyrenees next week might start looking what is available though we haven't chosen a region yet, anywhere where there are not too many ex pats LOL G

Hi GT!

Please be careful if you are considering buying a 'secondary residence' over here because the legal practicalities are complicated and when you eventually sell, the French government will take 33% of your sale in tax!

Plus you'll be liable for local taxes and the equivalent of rates for the whole year, even if you're not in residence.

I know you'll enjoy it, but do take informed advice from a Notaire before you put your money on the table (and French law is binding ... if you say you want to buy, there's no second thoughts or wriggling out!).

I understand that the law for mobile homes is more relaxed ! all the pros but no cons , maybe this is the the best way for a summer retreat!

Gill,
What are the 'little flats by the sea'? Sounds interesting.
Is this different from normal studio apartments to buy?

These little flats by the sea are what the French call cabanons or paillots. They are literally made of plywood (or its waterproof equivalent) and are often rather makeshift - or original if you prefer!

The problem is that these are often built without planning permission and do not conform to safety regulations. Often local authorities 'demolish' them and the owners have no redress. There was a famous (well infamous actually) case in Corsica when the police destroyed an illegal paillot and it led to law procedings which put the local 'Prefect' in the brown stuff, and there was a lot of hostile feeling between the Corsicans and the French authorities (nothing new here!).

I suppose it is the French equivalent of a seaside beach hut .... and I hear that these can cost a lot to rent in the UK without any real security of tenure.

OK Alsacienne! Won't be getting one of those then!
What's the house market like in France at the moment? Have things calmed down or are there still loads of foreigners wanting to buy?
Do the French resent the influx of foreigners?
I've just posted a question about living in France on the relevant board, but you're the one to ask!
It's been & still is a bit of a dream of ours to make the move, maybe to buy now for holiday times with a view to permanent residence when I retire. But it is a bit scary. I can imagine the good things but worry about isolation & unknown problems that I haven't even thought of !!

What's the house market like in France at the moment?

Have things calmed down or are there still loads of foreigners wanting to buy?

Do the French resent the influx of foreigners?

Hi toastedmallow! I'm sorry if it seems I'm stalling you but it really depends on where you want to live! Obviously Paris is expensive (!) but certain areas such as the Ariège and Cental France are still very reasonable. And it really depends on what you want to buy ... a ruin to restore will severely test your sanity (costs, workmen, reliability, red tape)etc. Why not see if the area you'd like to live in has a local 'free paper' that will give you ideas from the small ads, or look up and see if any local estate agents post on the net? You should make sure that they are members of the FNAIM (Estate Agents National Federation) to be sure that they are reputable.

Many non-French people buy houses in France ... in my area they are mainly Germans and Swiss. There are British enclaves - notably in the Dordogne, Brittany and in the south eg Aix en Provence. See my post to you in your other thread about British ghettos! The danger of tieing your house to Ryanair destinations is that Michael O'Leary tends to pull routes for financial reasons and to heck with the regulars who depend on Ryanair for getting to their home.

The French really don't have anything against individual Brits (or any other nationality) who settle here and adapt to French ways - way of life, life styles as in eating hours/telephoning hours/making noise outside only at certain hours of the day ie NO MOWING on a Sunday afternoon! If I am being brutally honest however, they are not good at accepting dark skinned races, and one of their favourite denigratory terms is 'arab'! Sorry, but I think you know what I mean. However there are plenty of 'French Foreigners' such as former colonial inhabitants such as folk from North Africa (Morocco and Algeria), Vietnam (Indochina) and the overseas departments such as Guadaloupe, Martinique, La Reunion and New Caledonia.

The danger is when a village or town suddenly has an influx of incomers who take no notice of how life is lived and make no effort to settle in. If you are prepared to ask the locals for guidance and help (because there's more to living in France than wine, garlic and good food (regretably!)), and have an open and friendly disposition, you should get through the
inevitable teething troubles quicker than many!

Keep your questions and thoughts coming. This is a valuable and necessary step before moving anywhere, even in the UK!

Hi, guernsey tom I really like this idea of yours about the possibility of buying a caravan and having it sited somewhere in france.
I've spoken to my hubby about this and he's coming round to the idea, if it is possible.
We have a tourning van which we use most weekend and we've taken this over to France on numerous occassions, in fact he like the idea so much when we were over there on holiday last week we spent some of the time looking for tourning van sales but we weren't very sucessful (we were staying near Caen).
The reason he's thinking touring caravan is then we wont have to take ours down from Nottingham to Dover or Folkstone to do a bit of touring, we could just drive down to where it is sited and take it from there.
does anyone know if this is possible or is it just a dream? also does anyone know of any touring caravan sales near Calais or Boulogne?

thanks jayne.

Jayne
A number of people from Guernsey have large camper vans stored in large secure building in St malo , the owner is a Guernseyman that lives there and keeps batteries charged etc, the cost per year is about the same as a return trip on the ferry , so it very worth while, maybe there are similar place near where you cross over to france.
A lot cheaper and safer than keeping it on a camp site all year.
You will also find many sites selling campers and caravans near the ports .
Or do a search on the net.

GT

We haven't decided exactly on an area yet but my husband would like to buy a run down house that he can do up. It has been his dreams for a number of years now. He is able to turn his hand to anything so not worries about getting workmen in and not being able to oversea the situation. What worries us most I suppose is communicating with people about electricity supplies and setting up bank accounts etc as neither of us speaks French.

Is it possible to get by without knowing much of the language do you think or should we try to find some time to learn French?

We plan on buying either next year or the year after and using it for a holiday home and then when all the kids are finally off our hand spend half the year in France and half in the UK.

Nice idea CarrieBMW!

First you need to be sure of where you want to live - accessibility to the UK is a prime concern for folk like yourselves ... but don't rely on Ryanair, because they tend to pull out of local airports if they don't feel they are being treated well enough by the local authorities and don't make enough money!

You will definitely need to visit France 'little and often' to find your area - some areas are far more expensive than others.

You will DEFINITELY need to know a bit of French, especially technical terms for building processes, and for opening a bank account (not difficult), but you will have to provide lots of documentation depending on the bank! You may also find yourself handicapped by building regulations - and ignorance is sadly no defence!!!

Be tactful if you decide not to use local labour. Use of local labour, although pricier than DIY, is one of the quickest way to integration in your village ... and yes the local folk may well be 'interested' to the point of downright nosiness.

You may find it cheaper, though more longwinded to buy from a local Estate Agent rather than through a UK agent.

Good luck with your venture, but remember that there is lots of research to do first!

Have to say, GT, that i have toyed with the idea of a mobile home in France, and i do love Brittany, but given the distance from here to there, i'm more likely to buy one here in Scotland i think!!!

why are they called mobile homes....when they dont go anywhere?
Ive fancied what i would call a proper mobile home - one of those huge ARV things, with a little scooter strapped to the back. Maybe one day?

I did not mean beach huts but tiny flats on the sea front that we saw on the outskirts of St. Jean de Monts near Clarys Plage campsite it is a few years ago now but I can't remember the price but we toyed with the idea for a while so they can't have been very expensive as we are not mega rich!

I quite like the idea of those, GillC.

You have any more info on them?

sorry no as I said it was a few years ago and we have since moved house from a large Victorian to a small bungalow and all the info is long gone might be worth trying the immobilier ? estate agents in the area you are interested lots have web sites too and see what is available

My sister has just tied up with an estate agent in France. If anyone wants details pm me. They are just south of Claremonte Ferrand[Not sure about the spelling]. She speaks fluent French has lived there with her hubby for over 10 years I think. They also own several properties out there so know the ropes.