We got the house....now what!!!!!

Madame would have to fly to France to sign the final documents on the house, as we have a joint mortgage and both parties need to be there. Madame said Non,but would send through properly authenticated documents.

The documents Madame sent through were NOT OK. Madame would now have to fly to Sydney, or Canberra or wherever and get the embassy stamp on the b........g documents. Madame said Non, non, non (suprisingly). Instead Madame (thats me!) went to the Honory French Consul in Melbourne, who is only open a few hours a couple of days a week. and he said "non, non, non nip round the corner and get the Notaire to sign them, that will be OK" . Ok, he didnt say "nip".Poetic licence.

So I nipped and found Professor Peter Zablud - a whiz on Notaire-ism. Well that was the day his secretary was off. As I typed the documents in his office, I admired the opulent surroundings. He said the document was a disaster, hence the retyping and that there was no standard document. Armed later with a couple of documents with big red shiny seals on them, a bill for $150.00, I went to the car to find the parking fine. It seemed to sum up the day. So I said "F...it" and went for a coffee.

Later I sent the documents by international courier to France. Australia Post have the technology to track your documents. Yes they would get there in time (or at least only a day or so late). I have tracked the documents. They did get to France on time, and now they sit, singing quietly to themselves in some post office. I despair!

I scanned the documents and sent them off to the French Notaire in time for the official signing.

John is having a nervy turn by then. The day comes, the visit is had, each line of documentation is examined in minute details. Three mealtimes pass and they are almost there (poetic licence again).

THEN zoot alorrs.....Tres bien etc. WE discover the land, our old vegie patch can actually be BUILT on. The value of the house shoots up another 30,000 euros in our favour. So John makes a decision to increase the size of the fosse to include 2 houses and its on for young and old in discussion with the builders.

Later on he texts me, as I shiver in Melbourne. HE is out picking plums from OUR garden in France. How good is that. Pretty good I can tell you. C'est manifique, et je suis tres heureuse

The "Fosse Septique"

It was the "fosse septique" that did it, that caused the delay. After further talks with our estate agent, it appears there was a problem they did not want to bother us with. So a tip may be, if there are any problems, please let your estate agent be aware that you WANT to know, so that you dont feel like "nothing" is happening. As we are managing this from Australia where the distance both time wise and geographically adds certain other stresses, we like to be in the loop.

There is a new law in France, that any old house now sold must have a septic tank (fosse septique). As I said in my earlier blog, there was no toilet in the house, so presumably everyone 1'd & 2'd outside. A beaurocrat decided we did not have enough land on which the house stands, so we couldnt have a fosse septique, and therefore .... no house. Our argument being... we always knew that, hence put pipes under the pathway, through the barn and onto the land at away from the house, which has AMPLE room for a tank. Isnt that logical ??? Non, non, non, non.

We finally won that battle. We go from the house, under the pathway, through the barn and onto the piece of land which has ample room. We just had to sign a piece of paper that said that we would not sell the house and the land separately ( which we coudnt anyway).We got a good price on the fosse, and work can start once the papers are signed.

There may be many old houses in France now which will be allowed to rot away because of this law.

Next battle. John was going over to the UK and then going to France. The estate agent rang up and said if he was there on the 10th August, he could sign the papers and the house would be ours. Yippeee. France was where he was going to be anyway. Catch: As we have a mortgage in joint names, I would have to be there too for the signing. Non, non, non. FINALLY, the lawyers agreed that if I had a lawyer here witness the form and John brought it with him, he could act on my behalf. With only 2 days to go before his departure, that was a bit touch and go, but he is now on his way to the UK, with said papers in his bag.

The next installment might say something like. WE GOT THE HOUSE .... now what!!