Still hunting…

It has been well over a year since we started our house hunt, and we have looked at an awful lot of houses.  So what advice can we offer - perseverance is probably a key requirement that you will need.  The second thing that you will need to have is a clear idea of what it is you are looking for before you start, second try to restrict yourself to the smallest area that you can, and then hunt exhaustively in the area.

Things that we found were missing from our list of initial thoughts were:

The Beach - how close to the beach do you really need to be - more than 30 mins and it will not be something that you can get to after work for a walk each day - so if this is important to you then you need to remember this

Views - what sort of view do you want - rolling fields, a dramatic cityscape, or mountains?  All are views and all are what some people are looking for - and all have a price.  

Town, village, or countryside?  Remember that in a lot of places the country side is far from anywhere, whilst this has its charm, it also has its restrictions - in this day and age we all expect to have high speed internet - and whilst in places like France this may well be possible just about everywhere - this is not the case in other countries.  Village properties have there charms in that they offer more security and more options - especially if you are looking to rent gites or bed and breakfast rooms - a farm in the middle of nowhere is not in you potential guests sat nav, and offers little in walking distance for someone on a 2 week stay. Look into what is in the village as well - does it have a bar or small restaurant.  These are things that you need to look into - also it depends on if you are going to live in the village year round - or just in the summer as a vacation home.  Also look for things you may not be planning on using, schools indicate a reasonable year round population.  Towns offer more services - but these may well not be set up for tourists, most towns will have some summer extension of services, but if the main industry of a town is light industry or farming - expect this to be the focus of events - and not tourism - or holiday makers.

That said - do not over restrict your self - when we have looked for very generic things we have not been able to pin down exactly what it is that we are looking for - the result has being that we have  struggled.  If you have a small location - look at everything in that location, but don’t tie your self into too many specifics - and talk to the agents.  The agents will often have more to offer than is on the website - either because it is new to the market - or it is available via another agent - or not even on the market yet.  If you make it clear what you are looking for then the agents will help you - after all they get paid when they make a sale - so will be looking to get as many sales as possible.

The next thing to remember is that things change the more you look.  When we started we were looking for sun, believing that we could run a small bar or restaurant, and still have the good life.  The recession made us look at that again, and whilst it is still the dream, we have also had much more of a reality check.  Should we spend the money on something that is closer to the dream, or some where that has good work opportunities, just in case.  If we do cut loose and go for the dream, and it does not work, would we be able to sell it on - and for what price.  Too often when we look at the opportunities we see other people who have tried and fallen along the way - returning home, having lost almost everything.  Round the next corner though is an example of a success - the question is what will we be?

One thing I can tell you that we have defiantly learnt, without any doubt is that this is personal, and what one person loves - the other may well hate, areas that I like, my partner has said no.  Things I would have bought without a second thought - have been turned down.  After a while we have agreed and together we do act as a buffer, preventing each other form going into something we cannot finish, and yet whilst I cannot say that the discussions have all been calm and rational, or even quiet - I can say that I have been able to let go of the ones we have lost, and look towards the new ones.

As to the dream? Well the answer is I do not know - but one thing is clear, we need to decide what we want - and whilst we might not have the same views on everything - as long as there is enough common ground the dream is on - and that is what we all chase.

 

Until next time if you have any questions or comments, drop me a line: andrew@andrics.com