The Old French Houses

One difficult question many people have when they are thinking of investing in French property is whether to buy a new or an old property. Some people fall in love with french property for sale the wonderful French architecture of old farmhouses, small chateaux or quaint townhouses, whereas others are looking for perhaps an easier life in a modern flat, apartment or house in their chosen area of France. Both old and new French properties have potential pitfalls for the unwary whilst at the opposite end of the scale are very capable of turning out to be exactly what the purchaser wants. With older properties it can often be the case that land rights over land sold with the property go back hundreds of years. This is so both in town and country. Perhaps there is only a right of way by foot to your front door, or perhaps there is vehicular access to your neighbour's house across your back garden. Guites, or cottages belonging to the main building (particularly farmhouses and chateau) can sometimes be rented out for many years, with the possible difficulty of removing a tenant at the end of the term. Many people find that there is a considerable amount of building work necessary to make the property either habitable or comfortable, and French workmen have often been found to work differently from those of purchasers' home countries. On the other hand many workmen are masters of their crafts, having been working on older French properties all their life, and can warn against possible future problems whilst expertly fixing your present ones. Local recommendation is often, but not always, valuable. If, on the other hand, you are contemplating a newer property, whether a one story apartment or flat, or a new house, potentially different problems can occur, and, as with older properties, these should be addressed before you part with money, not after you have bought your new home. The advantage of new properties is that they are likely to be sold in a good state of repair, and only cosmetic changes should be necessary. You should be able to move-in soon after all the legalities have been completed. Rights of way are just one thing to be checked and understood. Who has access to common parts? Which bit of the garden can I use, who is my long term landlord, are there any service charges or extra taxes involved? These are just some of the questions you need to sort out. In the case of unfinished property for sale in france constructions, particularly in holiday destinations, you may need to apply penalties in the contract for slow completion or sub-standard workmanship. In general whether your proposed purchase of French property concerns new or old homes you should ensure that you have competent professionals to advise you at all stages of your dealings. Do make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for, both legally and financially so that you can make the very best of your French property.