Why did you choose to buy in the South of France with Propriétés & Co?
The
project excited us right away when we looked at it. It seemed
special and well thought through. It paid tribute to the surrounding
landscape, to the village and the region but it also integrated our
expectations of have something for our own but still be part of a
community.
What do you like about the destination ?
The
Occitanie Region (former Languedoc) kept its authenticity in contrast
to some other tourist destinations like the Cote d’Azur or Palma de
Mallorca. Locals are down to earth, unpretentious, and in terms of
tourism it is not the typical party crowd that comes here. There
are excellent restaurants, beautiful beaches, nice historical
villages to visit - and not to forget, it is a great area for cycling.
The Languedoc area is less a place you read about in
magazines, but a region you need and want to discover
yourself.
What type of user of your second home in France are you ?
We
do not know yet because it is our “first" second home. Currently we
still have a child that has to attend school in Switzerland. So, we will
not be able to spend so much time in France as we would like to. But
kids grow older and our plan is to build this house steadily up to a
second home, not only for vacation, but in the original sense of the
word “home“.
How did you find the purchasing process of your villa off plan with Propriétés & Co?
Everything
went smoothly. It took a little bit longer as we Swiss (of German
decent) would things like to go but the administrative pace in France is
different.
What were your fears about buying a new residence off plan? What reassured you ?
There
are cultural differences in terms handling projects. So, there is
always a certain fear that things will not work out. What reassured us
is that Propriétes & Co had finished already most of the other
houses of the project and that we had the chance to speak to
the other owners. There are also important differences
with regard to the legal process of buying a house in France as compared
with Switzerland.
How
would you describe your experience having a bilingual notary explaining
the whole acquisition process ? Did you feel safe about the French
Notary handling all the financial transactions before signing the deed
of sales ?
Cécile
Sainte Cluque, the notary of the development, was excellent. It was a
great help not only that she speaks English/German but also
that she was able to explain the complex details of the sales
contract. It was also worthwhile to come in person to sign the deed. She
reserved quite a bit of time for us and we had the chance to ask
questions we were not 100% sure about and she, on the other hand,
addressed subjects we had not thought of yet. It was also
reassuring that the notary kept our payments in escrow (as French law
requires when buying a house within the chose legal framework called
VEFA) until the contract was ironed out.
