Chateau Chronicles – Promesse de Vente
A study of the Chateau de Borie from afar by Abigail Carter.
Each day, I seem to inch closer to actually owning a French Chateau, though it feels painfully slow. I initially thought that we were due to sign the “Promesse de Vente” on June 20th. I have to say, “Promesse de Vente” sounds so much more romantic than “Purchase Agreement.” Because I couldn’t be there in person, this involved signing a “Procuration Pour Acquierir” (a Power of Attorney). But the days kept slipping by and I still had yet to hear from the “Notaire” (who works on behalf of both the seller and the buyer since the government employs him) and had yet to see any documents.
As June 20th came closer, with still no word, I kept nagging my poor realtor who is English and whose French isn’t much better than mine. Finally, at the last hour, I was sent a link to an online portal with 1 document: the wiring instructions. It was a start.
The questions
In the meantime, the questions were piling up: is there a septic system, or is the house on town sewer? (state-of-the-art septic) Who owned the road/driveway? (still unclear) Is the house connected to town gas? (yes, but no idea where the connection for the stove is located) Is the electrical system to code? (in the main house, yes, but the caretaker’ cottage, no) Is the place in a slide/flood zone (my Vashon trauma surfacing)? (sort of in a flood area, but never flooded) Would the seller conduct new government-mandated inspections since the utilities were not turned on when the original inspections were done? (only septic was redone, leaving me to question electrics).
I did pay for a builder to come and do an inspection on my behalf and he found no issues other than a small leak that may be caused by a slipped roof tile and some squeaky floors possibly due to some cheap flooring (those terrible bathrooms were surely the culprit). So I had some peace of mind as far as the house goes. It’s not going to fall down anytime soon.
Eventually, the power of attorney document came and with the help of Google translate (I have now discovered the better option: Deeple.com) I slowly worked my way through weirdly translated legalese. June 20th came and went, but I was told the actual date the “Promesse” needed to be signed by was July 8th.
The closing?
Setting a closing date has also proven to be elusive. I was told it was always 3 months from the day the Promesse is signed, but most of that time was for the Dept of Agriculture to make their determination that they did NOT want to exercise their first right of refusal to buy the property for farmland. This decision normally takes 2 months unless you pay an extra 500 euros for an expedited decision. Hmm. French bureaucracy at its finest. I have asked for an Aug 10th closing date, but have yet to hear if that date has been accepted and there is no mention of it in the Promesse document.
I might mention here that the Promesse document is 264 pages! It includes all the addendums and inspection results. The Lead inspection alone covers about 50 pages! It is very thorough!
The money
I have also had an interesting experience with a currency company that many people who are buying properties in faraway lands use to convert and wire money. They are meant to save you money by locking you into a good exchange rate so that you don’t wind up getting “glinked” (as my daughter would say) at the last minute when the exchange rate suddenly takes a tumble the day before you are supposed to close. My financial advisors were very skeptical and felt that I could do just as well simply wiring the money from my own bank. We both spoke with the company recommended by the realtor and decided to try it out just for the deposit. But when it came down to the crunch, everything just felt a little too sketchy, and so we went with a normal bank wire.
The List
Do I buy or lease a car? or a van?
CAN I buy a car? I need a French bank account to buy a car. I need a French bank account to buy insurance for a car and set up utilities. (I am reminded of living in Brussels where life is a series of Catch 22s. )
How do I open a French bank account? Can I do it online?
How quickly can I get mattresses delivered?
How big is a Queen size in Europe?
If I buy antique beds in France, will I find mattresses to fit them?
Where do I buy a stove and a fridge and a washer-dryer? What are the best brands?
And so, the logistics go on and on and wake me up at 3 am.
The Signing
On July 4th, the Promesse was finally signed. Based on advice from my realtor that the Aug 10th date will happen, I went ahead and bought my airline ticket back to France. This time for 6 weeks. Chloe (the dog) will be joining me, which should be interesting. The kids are booked to come in early September. My friend Wendy will be joining me for the first week (we’ll be staying in an Airbnb) and will no doubt have a blast visiting French appliance and home furnishing stores. There is a heavy promise of brocante-ing (antiquing) however. Hopefully, if I ply her with enough French wine and croissants, she will be placated.
I think this might really be happening people!