How to Be Safe during Heavy Rains in France

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France is know for its wonderful Sunshine but there are certain times of the year that it rains a lot in some of the departments close to the Mediterranean sea.

The French goverment released a bulletin with 8 tips and noted that the departments mostly concerned are: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes Maritimes, Ardèche, Aveyron, Aude, Bouches-du-Rhône, Corse-du-Sud, Haute-Corse, Drôme, Gard, Hérault, Lozère, Pyrénées-Orientales, Var, Vaucluse.

Tip One
Keep yourself informed by TV, Radio and Social Media so you can be aware of what is happening.

Tip Two
Postpone travel

Three
Take care of neighbors and vunerable people close by such as the elderly. Keep in contact.

Four
Avoid water courses and do not park on the side of rivers or on bridges.

Five
Do not go out, stay in your building and especially do not stay under a tree to avoid the risk of being struck by lightning.

Six
Do not go down into basements or underground parking. Instead take refuge at a higher level.

Seven
Do not go out in a car or on foot. Remember less than 30 cm of water is enough to lift a car and have it float away.

Eight
Do not go to pick your children up from school they are safe.

Share this article with friends. It could save a life.

Source: Government of France Details and infographic in French here

Video Short Visit to Narbonne in the South of France

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Narbonne is a very pretty town in the south of France located between Montpellier and Carcassonne.

This short video below gives you a taste of the center of town on a day when the bustling market is active. Notice in the background the castle and you have to love the idea of travelling down the canal the winds its way through the center of town.

If you desire to invest in Narbonne contact us we can help you find an English speaking french agent.

Five Tips from a Happy French Real Estate Buyer

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When you enter into a French real estate buying process you need to be well prepared.

As you know we are here to help you learn French real estate information and connect with French real estate service providers to help you make your purchasing process a successful and happy experience.

Here is an example of how one person planned for a successful and happy French real estate purchase. These are 5 tips he recommended all buyers use.

One
CDI
At this moment in time the best path to getting approved for a French property loan is to have a CDI. This is a type of French employment contact that banks prefer buyer’s to have. Read an explanation here, if one of the buyer’s or the buyer does not have a CDI getting approved for a French mortgage is difficult.

Two
Bank Approval
When you want to buy French real estate the first step is, as we shared in our guide, is to get yourself approved by a French bank. Of course, this is if you are not buying all cash. You need a simulation of finance ( explained in this article ) to know what is your comfortable buying price range. This buyer got the documents the bank needed to create a ‘simulation de finance’ so they learned the maximum purchase price he could go to with the deposit he had on hand.

Three
Budget Planning
Once the buyers had his bank approval he decided that he wanted to buy a property that gave him no more expenses than what he currently had while renting. After assessing his renting expenses he knew he could handle the same amount each month so the goal was to buy a home that cost him no more on a monthly basis than he currently paid for renting.

Four
Lifestyle Choices
This person took the time to decide what is important in terms of his lifestyle that he wanted to continue in the area he would buy in.  He reviewed his lifestyle, what he enjoyed, what his family enjoyed and noted the features the new home needed to have. Note: Our French property buyer’s guide comes with convenient checklists to help you make sure you focus on what is right for you in a French property purchase.

Five
Property Value
The French property buyer also knew that if he could buy a property that needed work but was liveable right away over time he could build equity into the home, therefore, he intentionally looked for a property that fitted these criteria.

The buyer using these tips plus more he knew and had a successful purchase and is happy in his new French home.

P.S. The buyers is myself and my family so you know the story is real. 

If you are not a member of our community of readers you can join via the form below and receive a Free guide.

Want to learn lots and be a wise French property buyer check out our French property 110 tip buyer’s guide.

Need a English speaking French real estate agent please contact us here.

French Real Estate Lies

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French real estate lies or hiding information, avoid them:

You need to trust your French real estate agent because he or she is responsible to help you make sure you sell your property in an effective and indeed, legal manner.

The agent also needs to trust you.

We recently received an email containing a ‘real estate  sales’ guidance brochure from a French real estate agency and we were shocked that in the brochure there was the following note “sellers, if you live in a busy area, you should inform the agent when would be quietest to help the agent avoid busy rush hour traffic during visiting time”. This action by the seller to hide something negative about an area around a home (heavy rush hour traffic) that could make the buyer want to cancel a purchase when they find out is not recommended. An agent helping the seller hide information from a buyer is also not good.

It is best to be honest to a buyer so they do not find a reason to not proceed with the sale.

If the street is busy some buyers actually do not mind, they like activity. You will find the right buyer once you have an agent who is working to find you the right buyer.

 

If your are looking for an English speaking French real estate agent in your area of choice contact us here