Château Shopping (no. 2)
We are learning beaucoup about the French real estate market. Although not very apparent from the surface, there are huge differences between real estate buying and selling in the states and real estate buying and selling in France. Granted there are fewer properties in our price range on the market in the midst of this pandemic winter, but we are having a really difficult time in seeing what is available. When you list your home for sale in France, very rarely is the listing with just one agency. You will see the same property listed with multiple real estate companies with a multitude of prices. Consequently when you have a buyers agent as we do now, other agencies do not want to return her calls as that would mean splitting the commission. Usually in the States it is assumed that the buyers will be represented by their own real estate agent (buyers agent) as well as the sellers being represented by their own agent (listing agent) who has the sole listing of the property.
In France all bets are off and it is a free for all! Inter-agency working (a sale being made with two separate agents from two separate agencies) is just simply not done here, or I should say is rather uncommon. Thus, finding and seeing properties can be difficult without stepping on someones toes. Fortunately our (Buyers) agent is very forward and does not like the bullshit. We have been working with her for five years and all she really wants is for us to find a home, working with her or not. I would prefer her to be with us as she will be on our side, as opposed to a single agent representing the seller and the buyer.
Making an offer is another reason we prefer a buyers agent. In France offers are first made (non-binding) verbally. We tell our agent we want to offer X, she/he then communicates this to the seller whom either bets, checks, or folds… (oops wrong game) whom either accepts the offer, rejects it, or counters. If there is a counter, our agent comes back to us and the circle continues. All of this is done in a conversation style over the phone, nothing legal or binding about it… sort of a ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’. Once a verbal agreement has been reached everything is turned over the infamous and mysterious Notaire! (the name makes me shudder!) I cannot speak about Notaires (shudder) as we have yet to be brought in front of one. The Notaire (shudder) is supposed to be impartial and treat each side equal. But for us, without a buyers agent who is fluent in French and our ever expanding but limited use of the French language, how will we know? This is a bridge we will cross at some point and for now… we are not worrying about it!
Now on with the show!
We finally have hit the road again – Château Shopping! On Friday last we went to see Château Saint Roch in the Aude. Although this property is not for us it had some really lovely features as well as a lot of ‘scratch your head wondering why’ features. Château St. Roch is a village château with one end of it sitting directly on a city road. It is actually surrounded by city streets and although it does have three acres of land, for a building of its size three acres is not very much.
Think of it as a very large, upside down ‘T’ shape. It is listed as a 19th century château, but parts of it look older, particularly the part at the bottom of the ‘T’ which seems like the oldest part. Sometime later another section was built behind the first.
Although in essence the original was added on to, it was basically built as a separate house, with a completely different staircase and kitchen. Even later, yet a third home was built behind the first two. This one larger and crossing the smaller two creating the upside down ‘T’ shape. This was an even fancier home that appears to be more connected to the section in the center. I suspect it shared the kitchen with the center house and had yet a third grand staircase that has since been removed. The exterior of all of it was redressed at this point making it difficult to see the separate building times.
In the 1980’s the current owners father decided to create a wedding venue out of the cross of the ‘T’, or the last and largest section of the house to be built. in doing so the entire ground floor was gutted open into a patched together event space and made “fancy” by hanging contemporary (for the time) chandeliers throughout the rooms. The upstairs was already in ruins at this point in time and massive beams and tie cables were inserted to support the openness below. It is frightening to say the least. The center section of the house is wrapped into the wedding venue as lounges, bedrooms (if you dare stay in them), and bathrooms (I am a gentleman so I will not comment!!!). It is true that Weddings will be one of our inclusions in our business, but this space would not be for large, grand, Château weddings. It is good for smaller, less expensive, local weddings, which is not something we are opposed to, just not really our thing.
The original house on the road is incredibly charming, warm and inviting. but on its own, rather small. Our search goes on…
Up next, Frants and Fraves 2…. All about plumbing in France!
As a teaser I will leave you with these two lovely photos taken on Friday at Château Saint Roch. Unlike the States, the ongoing history of poop is ever present!
A poop box, I am afraid I did not want to lift the cover to see where it went.
The infamous Squatty Potty, my mothers worst nightmare!