The Acte de Vente
I'd like to think that this past couple of weeks will be remembered for the fact we enjoyed the pomp of the signing of the Acte de Vente and moving in to our new (second) home - but I fear the abiding memory will be of yellow paint - and lots of it.
But lets start the story at the beginning...
The Trip Down
Straight after work we hit the road for the 3-hour drive to Portsmouth. Getting out of our town was a pain due to traffic, but the rest of the journey was a breeze and we arrived in plenty of time for boarding of the 10 pm ferry to Caen. The overnight crossing was smooth and trouble-free. The cabin was very compact but the beds were comfortable enough and we both slept well enough.
We had invested in a new SatNav for the trip (cheaper than updating the seven year old maps in the Skoda's on-board SatNav) and it served us well in getting out of Caen and down to Uzerche, a trip of around six and a half hours. It also doubled as a Km speedo as the Skoda only displayed MPH (which I had not noticed before).
We collected the keys from the immobilier (the vendor had kindly agreed to provide access, in advance of the ceremony, so that we could get the luggage packed car off the street) and drove the short distance to the house.
The house has two garages and we selected the one that 'appeared' wider and reversed the car in, struggling up a ramp and scratching the car wing in the process. Later, a check with a tape measure would show that the other garage was a full 10" wider - oh well, perhaps the scratches will polish out.
We unpacked the car and then headed to the hotel we had booked for the first night; it was conveniently situated a few metres between the immobilier's and the notaire's office. A change of clothes (we'd read that these events were fairly formal) and we headed off for the signing.
The Acte de Vente Ceremony
We sat in the waiting room, which was reminiscent of a doctor's waiting room (it appears the offices had previously been a dental practice) where we met with our immobiler and the vendors; father and son. The son's English was very good and so the group of us had a pleasant conversation whilst waiting, getting to know each other a little.
Eventually we were called into the main office. The lady notaire had excellent English and was very friendly. The process lasted around 90 minutes, with the notaire talking both parties through various aspects of the Acte and answering a number of questions. I had already run the Acte through Google Translate (it did an excellent job) and so had a good appreciation of what was going to be covered and had questions ready prepared.
Everything was to everyone's satisfaction and we finished with circulating documents around the table for initialling and signing and then finished with the handover of the keys. All in all the ceremony, whilst formal, was really friendly, enjoyable and informative - so much nicer than the anonymous UK equivalent.
The vendors then kindly offered to show us how the boiler worked and so we headed back to the house. The heating's operation was nice and simple. Whilst there the younger vendor also showed me the location of the water meter and explained how to turn the water off and to purge the system (something the insurance would require us to do when we left the property vacant for any length of time).
Once the vendors had left we moved our luggage into various rooms and assembled the bed/settee we had brought with us. Then it was off to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
But lets start the story at the beginning...
The Trip Down
Straight after work we hit the road for the 3-hour drive to Portsmouth. Getting out of our town was a pain due to traffic, but the rest of the journey was a breeze and we arrived in plenty of time for boarding of the 10 pm ferry to Caen. The overnight crossing was smooth and trouble-free. The cabin was very compact but the beds were comfortable enough and we both slept well enough.
We had invested in a new SatNav for the trip (cheaper than updating the seven year old maps in the Skoda's on-board SatNav) and it served us well in getting out of Caen and down to Uzerche, a trip of around six and a half hours. It also doubled as a Km speedo as the Skoda only displayed MPH (which I had not noticed before).
We collected the keys from the immobilier (the vendor had kindly agreed to provide access, in advance of the ceremony, so that we could get the luggage packed car off the street) and drove the short distance to the house.
Heading over the threshold
The house has two garages and we selected the one that 'appeared' wider and reversed the car in, struggling up a ramp and scratching the car wing in the process. Later, a check with a tape measure would show that the other garage was a full 10" wider - oh well, perhaps the scratches will polish out.
Look just how much we squeezed into our hatchback
We unpacked the car and then headed to the hotel we had booked for the first night; it was conveniently situated a few metres between the immobilier's and the notaire's office. A change of clothes (we'd read that these events were fairly formal) and we headed off for the signing.
The Acte de Vente Ceremony
We sat in the waiting room, which was reminiscent of a doctor's waiting room (it appears the offices had previously been a dental practice) where we met with our immobiler and the vendors; father and son. The son's English was very good and so the group of us had a pleasant conversation whilst waiting, getting to know each other a little.
Eventually we were called into the main office. The lady notaire had excellent English and was very friendly. The process lasted around 90 minutes, with the notaire talking both parties through various aspects of the Acte and answering a number of questions. I had already run the Acte through Google Translate (it did an excellent job) and so had a good appreciation of what was going to be covered and had questions ready prepared.
Everything was to everyone's satisfaction and we finished with circulating documents around the table for initialling and signing and then finished with the handover of the keys. All in all the ceremony, whilst formal, was really friendly, enjoyable and informative - so much nicer than the anonymous UK equivalent.
The vendors then kindly offered to show us how the boiler worked and so we headed back to the house. The heating's operation was nice and simple. Whilst there the younger vendor also showed me the location of the water meter and explained how to turn the water off and to purge the system (something the insurance would require us to do when we left the property vacant for any length of time).
Once the vendors had left we moved our luggage into various rooms and assembled the bed/settee we had brought with us. Then it was off to the hotel for a well earned sleep.
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