Hello Mikey,

I own several properties in France and through experience would advise against anyone making a purchase for a property which needs to be renovated. What I have found as a general rule is that renovation costs are never full reflected in the final value of your property. So, if you must buy, I would say, buy something you can move into right away. Importantly, don't be seduced by the presence of a nice pool when the house doesn't have cental heating. Electrical heating is cheap to put in but costly to use. As a buyer prefer gas or fuel if possible.

Re. this point on buying unrenovated property, there is one notable exception, I think, and you might just fit into it... If you are a builder by trade then well, you know the renovation game pretty well, and your training could very well make such an investment cost effective.

The language - all legal documents are necessaily written in French. An official document in another language has no legal value.

As the buyer, YOU choose the "notaire" for the simple reason that you will be paying him. So choose an English speaking notary who is independant of the seller (ie impartial) and who can explain to you in detail what the conditions on the sale document are.

Often buyers will request that part of the price be paid in cash. This is commonplace and many notaries turn the other cheek, but doing so will increase your capital gain when you sell.

I hope that this helps.

Neustria