Many of you asked questions via comment or email about the logistics behind buying and renovating a home in France. I thought I'd answer those questions in the form of a post as they formulate an important part of the process as a whole. If this kind of information bores you, I apologize...skip to the next post :)
Before I venture on to answer those questions, I want to highlight this image above. My father-in-law discovered some old photos taken on a family trip in 1989 to guess where...Beynac-et-Cazenac. The very village where La Maisonnette lies. It's interesting how life comes full circle in different ways.
Without further adieu, here are the answers to your many questions:
1. Is it difficult to buy a home in France?
If you speak French, buying a property in France isn't difficult per se, but it is a long, drawn-out process. Expect 4-6 months to close. It takes the same period of time to acquire a loan, which you have to do via a bank in France (we found BNP International Buyers Division most helpful). 2. Don't you have to apply for citizenship?
No. 3. Do you just go for three months at a time?
I wish we could head over that long but work situations don't allow for such luxuries so we typically head over for 2-3 weeks at a time on average. If you do go over for 3+ months you will need a visa. Keep in mind that ticket prices typically double when you stay more than 30 days. 4. How do you put your kids in school over there?
If you own a property, your kids are allowed to attend school whenever you are on-site. It's a sweet perk :)5. Do the teachers and children speak to her in English or always in French?
Classes are conducted in French so what your child gets out of the experience will be contingent on how much French he/she knows. 6. And where do you stay if your home is being sandblasted when you are in France?
The local campground, a farmhouse, the local hotel, or another rental in town. The choice is yours! This last time it was the campground, which is, for the record, a slight upgrade from your typical KOA here in the States. 7. Can you have dual citizenship?
From what I understand, you must be born in France or have a parent with French citizenship to acquire dual citizenship. Since it isn't anything we've ever considered though, I'm not very familiar with the process.
8. Do you have to be a citizen of France to buy property in a historical district?
No. But, if you want to remain here longer than 3 months to work on your home than you need to apply for a visa. We break up the trips out of necessity so we haven't had to deal with this specific issue firsthand.
9. Do you have internet access in Beynac?
We've actually always had internet access when in France. All of the above mentioned choices of lodging (including the campground) offer free WiFi making it possible to work from abroad and stay connected.
10. When you were looking for appliances, did they vary much, or were you able to find similar US companies?
Appliances are quite different in France actually. Most people do not have dishwashers or dryers...just a washer. Whether you live in a home or an apartment, this seems to be the case. Apparently a dryer, something we consider to be a necessity, is considered a luxury in France. For anyone interested in renting our property in the future, let it be known we are installing both a dishwasher (although it had to be small!) and a dryer. We've gone to great lengths to make sure both conveniences are available to our guests. Like most things in France, appliances are a little more expensive in France and yes, there are variations in quality. The brands are also different, although there might be one or two you recognize (Bosch, LG, etc.)
12. Are the workers reliable?
I'd love to say "yes", but a reliable worker can be hard-to-come-by (I wonder if it's different in an urban environment like Paris?) Locals even admit it! Our experience has been that if we aren't here, they don't show up to work despite instructions to continue with projects. This can be quite frustrating, especially when you reside overseas. Their mentality is that you have all the time in the world (one worker even suggested we just change our tickets to work around their 20-hour work week!--if it were so simple...). We've had excellent luck, however, with our mason. He is an outstanding worker and gets the job done right. He's the only one who shows up on Saturdays and stays past 5 p.m. We are very, very grateful.
13. Is a venture like this possible with children?
It's a lot of work, but yes, it's possible. We have three little kiddos ourselves.
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