Rules for Buying a House in France

 I signed the final papers on Wednesday and am now a home owner in France.  I will spend my first night in the house today.  I learned a great deal about buying a house in France over the past six months.

Here are some rules to live by.

1. Open a French bank account.  This is the first step.  You do not have to be a resident of France.  I opened my account at CIC two years ago.  You will need tax returns, etc.  And it helps to speak some French.  I have a person that I correspond with at CIC, and she makes things easy.
2. Have a friend in France who knows how things work.  The whole process of buying a house in France takes 5 or 6 months.  If you have someone in France that you trust, you can give them power of attorney to sign papers, etc.  They should speak French.  And unless this person is a very close relative, you should pay them for their time.
3. Learn to speak French.  Even if your French is not up to dealing with the notaire, speaking French definitely helps.  The notaire is the person who handles all of the legal paperwork.  I was able to read all the documents and correspond by email with the notaire.  I was able to arrange for insurance for the house myself.  Arranging for water, electricity, and internet was a bit more challenging, but I had help.  And I doubt that I could have met with the notaire by myself for the final signing.
4. Get a mobile phone with a French telephone number.  You will need the French number so that people can call you back or text you in France.  The guy who empties your septic tank is not going to call or text you at your U.S. number.
5. Have a bank in the U.S. that knows how money transfers work.  And if you pay for your house in full, your French bank and your U.S. bank will want to know where the money came from.
6. Make friends with your neighbors.  My house sits on almost two acres.  One of my neighbors cuts the grass in the field for the hay twice each year.

Here a few more photos.