France before Brexit

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France before Brexit
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Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 16 11:09 am Post subject: France before Brexit

Before the door slams shut we want our French adventure....

So from spring 2017, for a year at least, we are looking for the following...

A basic rental house.... we're pretty hardy so one big room with a fireplace would be a starting point.
A workspace.... barn/shed/leanto that I can put forge and other creative stuff in.
Veg garden.... not huge, just a plot.
Where... weirdly enough, one of our parameters is being within a reasonable drive of a good Roller Derby League! Proximity to Nantes is a possible, although western france overall appeals.

We're busy looking in all the usual places... Leboncoin etc, but just a thought... Does anyone on here have such a space that we could use? In exchange for Money or Work? (I'm an electrician, and reasonably capable with wood, masonry, plumbing, metal). I also work as an artist's model. So helping at some sort of art venue could work.

Or perhaps you know of a nearby empty property which might suit?

Suggestions, ideas, whatever please.

Thanks

Dee and Anita

Woo

Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 16 5:27 pm Post subject:

I hope the French don't have any plans to slam doors shut.

and I'm sure you would be allowed back into dear old Blighty before the port cullies is brought down.

lets hope you find somewhere you are happy with, before the media tells everyone you need injections and not to drink the tap water in foreign parts!!

We have always found it a great place to be.

sorry we don't have anything to offer you here. too many noisy children.

mousjoos

Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 1986
Location: VERY Sunny SW France

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 16 5:33 am Post subject:
I'm not sure, like Woo, that any doors will be slamming any time soon.....Bojo once remarked on tv that he didn't like things that affected the price of his tarteflette! I'm much too far south but wish you luck in your search....there's rakes of empty property in France so you're bound to find something.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 16 7:48 am Post subject:

Whilst I hope that doors won't actually totally shut, it's bound to get a whole lot more complicated. Before Brexit I was, in effect, a European citizen, no-one acted as gatekeeper, and there were reciprocal arrangements for heathcare, work, tax... whatever. If the majority will has its way then at some point uncontrolled freedom of movement will end. People already established in their adopted countries will, most likely, continue with those rights... but after some, as yet undefined point, there is a chance, maybe even a likelihood that future relocation for more than a holiday will require visas, proof of income, health insurance etc. Much in the same way as for example US citizens living in France.

As it happens, Anita is considering retirement in spring next year. So that sets a possible timescale. Even if article 50 is triggered soon, we would hopefully have 18 months of our European citizenship left by then.

Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but If we wait to see what happens first, it may be too late.

D.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 16 7:56 am Post subject:

mousjoos wrote:

....there's rakes of empty property in France so you're bound to find something.

I am aware that this is true. And if we bought somewhere that would be great. But buying, for what might turn out to be a temporary move, doesn't work out too well in France. I'm seeing property on a lot of estate agent sites that I recognise from several years ago - still unsold. Renting might be safer financially, but residential letting seems highly regulated - so maybe, with lower value property its just easier to leave it empty.

The search continues. We've got some holiday in France coming up soon - I forsee some exploring.
D.

Shane

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 4:52 am Post subject:

Dee J wrote:

mousjoos wrote:

....there's rakes of empty property in France so you're bound to find something.

I was in Alsace a couple of weeks back and the sheer number of empty farmsteads up for sale was incredible. And those Alsatian-style farms are rather pleasant (and dirt cheap) - I must admit to being very tempted.

You're right about the regulations - buy-to-let is heavily regulated in favour of the tenants, as it's almost considered immoral for landlords to make money out of somebody's basic requirement to house their family. I've considered picking up a small rental property a couple of times over there just to get a toe in the market, but both times I did the calcs and the rental income wouldn't cover a mortgage even with a decent-sized deposit.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 10:32 am Post subject:

we had been considering a rural/oceanic, large garden or small farm type property and france is quite good value for money,tt is fluent and i can get by at the market etc in the language.
as eu citizens there are few difficulties with that as refugees from the brexiteers there are extra layers of paperwork, possible resident/citizenship issues, health care arrangements etc etc that could become a serious issue if a50 and the resultant manure storm are triggered by a tory pm wanting their party to get relected here.

add to that how the rest of the european citizens might feel about brits in the eu even as fugees if the ethnic cleansing of engerlund (ironic that as the angles were rather continental) happens and the continent is less attractive than it was a month ago.

thinking global opens more possibilities however europe does have some big plus points ,well at least it did before this mess.
there are some very nice places where a quite modest investment can get residence/citizenship etc etc and some where residence is little more than turning up with a few � and a smile.
the main problem is finding one that has a climate to suit both of us and provide a good growing environment/affordable good food, that is unlikely to be of "international interest" or seriously unstable internally (although compared to here the list of relatively stable has got a lot longer) and the locals are nice folk.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 12:06 pm Post subject:

One of the advantages of rental is the ability to beat a hasty retreat if thing go pear shaped.

We'd like to stay European if we can, one granddaughter in NL and one in GB.

NL could be a choice for friendliness of the people, downsides being land prices, language, 'food' and lack of hills to satisfy Anita.

Always had a thing about France though, from primary school language lessons (experimental peripatetic teaching in rural primary schools) and kitch parental wallpaper featuring Parisian street scenes through to more recent camping holidays. It's not rational, it strikes at an emotional level: When I heard that the Brexiteers had stolen my France away I was shocked at my own emotional reaction......

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 12:32 pm Post subject:
nl ,friendliness depends on location some bits are rather stuck in the hardcore protestant culture of the mid 17th c with a hint of regret at the outcome of ww2, the language isnt that difficult and is remarkably like medieval english, tis rather flat and expensive though.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 9:35 pm Post subject:
I've not travelled extensively there, but I've not managed to find a single soul who didn't speak perfect English in the Netherlands.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 16 11:32 pm Post subject:

most of the folk in the nl do speak very good english but it is nice to surprise them with their own now and again and some things just sound better in hollandish, especially when one's dutch girlfriend is telling one off for giving her scabies

i learned some very colourful phrases that day as well as discovering that lindane is still in the dutch pharmacopoeia even if it is banned for most things

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15998

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 16 7:17 am Post subject:
The only person I ever found in the NL who didn't seem to speak English asked me a question about knitting wool, and then gave up when I replied in English. I can often just about read Dutch, but speaking it gave a lot of amusement to the person I was speaking to.

Dee J

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 342
Location: West Devon

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 16 8:21 am Post subject:
From time visiting our NL family I've found that I can decipher some written Dutch, and understand basic station announcements etc. But any attempt to pronounce anything in Dutch produces universal mirth. Its a completely different sound-set.... or as a NL native Dutch teacher said 'it's not a language, it's a throat infection'!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46249
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 16 1:12 pm Post subject:
this linky is the sort of thing that adds to knowledge about possible destinations.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 19 7:22 pm Post subject:
I may have just the place

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