Holiday offer led to a French love affair
For Pat and Yvonne Bernstein, a new life on the other side of the channel came about quite by chance when they were offered a week's holiday in south-west France by a friend who needed somebody to feed their ducks and chickens.
Four years ago, in their mid-fifties, the couple found themselves ousted from their family business in a boardroom coup. That October, a friend offered the week in Charente and while browsing in an estate agent's window, they had the idea of renovating a property in France to sell on. "There was one particular place in the window I fell for, so we went and looked at it, and a couple of days later, back in the UK, we made an offer," says Pat. Their bid was unsuccessful, but the idea took hold, and the couple began to research properties in the same area, using the internet. "France is a big country, but we'd already found an area that suited us, especially as we knew people in the area and so we'd be able to get some help," he explains.
They drew up a shortlist, contacted each of the agents and arranged to view a series of properties when they went back a few weeks later. In the event, it was a property not on their list, which had yet to come on the market, which they plumped for second time round. "We had two conditions: it had to be within our budget, which was £120,000 to £130,000, and there had to be enough space to live in and for us to do either B&B or gites in the future," says Pat. La Chevalier ticked both boxes. It was an old farmhouse in a small hamlet near the town of Chalais with almost an acre of grounds and a barn attached.
The state of the property would have been enough to deter most buyers: it had not been lived in for 50 years; the upper floor had been used for keeping animal feed; the roof was leaking; several beams had collapsed; and there were only a few pieces of glass left in the windows. In spite of having no experience of property renovation, Pat and Yvonne were keen to take it on, and within just four days, they'd had their offer accepted and had signed the initial contract.
Neither spoke more than a smattering of French, but they were fortunate that their estate agent, who was Dutch, and the notaire she took them to, both spoke good English. "We did have to put ourselves in our agent's hands as far as translation was concerned, but we'd been told by friends that she was trustworthy," says Pat. "It was a very short contract and so we didn't get our own solicitor. There is certainly a risk with doing that but you have to balance it against the costs."
They did insert into the initial contract that the sale was conditional on getting planning consent to convert the barn into living accommodation. And a separate clause was drawn up to circumvent French inheritance law and ensure that the house would pass to the other spouse when the first one died.
In lieu of a survey, Yvonne and Pat found a local English builder to look over the barn where the walls were in poor repair; and they did their own due diligence to check that a motorway wasn't about to be built next door. "We were advised by our estate agent that although the notaire is neutral, you can't expect them to point everything out to you," says Pat.
It took two months for the planning permission to come through, and then three weeks later, the final contract was signed at the notaire's office. "One of the things you quickly learn in this country is that, because there's more time, there's a bit more theatre about everything. Once it was signed, we all went to the local bar - ourselves, the agent, the notaire and the vendors."
Pat and Yvonne's work in carrying out the renovation started with getting a septic tank installed, as well as electricity and water supplied. Pat recommends that anyone buying in France would be well advised to attain a decent grasp of the language first, not least because everything takes longer as you struggle to make yourselves understood. But it's also important, he says, to make a cultural adjustment. People in shops expect you to take the time for a formal greeting; when you do so, they are far more friendly and helpful, he explains.
Neighbours have generally been helpful, in spite of their lack of French. One turned up on the doorstep with some tomatoes and mange-touts as a gift; another neighbouring farmer has assisted with his tractor and helped them set up a temporary electricity supply. Now both Pat and Yvonne are taking weekly French lessons and joining in a conversation group, which is helping them to build up their language skills.
Two years later, their house is almost finished, work has begun on the barn, and they're about to start building a swimming pool. Next year, they plan to move into the barn and offer the house for holiday lets. "There's been a tremendous satisfaction in doing all the work ourselves," says Pat. "A lot of people say they are renovating a property but they're using builders. After spending our working lives sitting at a desk, it's great to be doing physical work every day."
He advises anyone following in their tracks to 'go with the cultural flow' rather than complaining about things that are different. "When we first arrived, it was frustrating when the shops were closed between 12 and 3 every day. But after a while you just learn to use the time to have a bit of a rest after lunch." Pat's other tip: don't buy somewhere too remote. "Some people we know bought a house in the middle of some lovely woodland, but after a while they just found it was too isolated. It's a bit of a bore when you run out of milk and you have to drive 20km to the nearest supermarket."
May 2007
Alexander Garrett is a freelance property writer who contributes regularly to The Observer and British Airways' Business Life.
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