Discover Uzège

Your guide to buying property in the French Tuscany

www.discover-uzes.com

Uzès

Property Finder

2

Alès

Bagnols-sur-Cèze

Uzès

Pont du Gard

River Gard (or Gardon)

6

7

7

9

3

5

2

5

4

1

3

1

7

7 8

9

10 2

6

12 11 13

16

15 14

20

17

19

18

15

14

13

8

6

4

8 5 3

2

1

11

6 5

4

1

4

7

2

3

3

9 10

12

2

4

5

1

6

8 23 22

21

25

26

24

Uzè

ge

at

larg

e

10 km

6.2 miles

Around the Pont du Gard 1: Collias

2: Argilliers

3: Vers Pont du Gard

4: St Bonnet du Gard

Gardonnenque 1: Deaux

2: St Hippolyte de Caton

3: Euzet

4: St Jean de C.

5: Martignargues

6: St Cézaire de G.

7: St Maurice de C.

8: Cruviers-Lascours

9: Brignon

The Cevennes foothills 1: Lussan

2: Fons-sur-Lussan

3: Bouquet

4: Vallérargues

5: Seynes

6: St-Just-et-Vacquières

7: Monteils

Côtes-du-Rhône country 1: Verfeuil

2: St André d’Olérargues

3: St Marcel de Careiret

4: Cavillargues

4: Cavillargues

5: Pougnadoresse

6: Le Pin

7: St Pons-la-Calm

8: Gaujac

9: Pouzilhac

10: Castelnau-Valence

11: Moussac

12: St Dézéry

13: St Chaptes

14: Dions

15: Ste-Anastasie

5: Castillon du Gard

6: Remoulins

7: Valliguières

8: St Hilaire d’Ozilhan

Uzège 1: Uzès

2: St-Quentin-La-Poterie

3: Montaren-et-St-Médiers

4: Foissac

5: Belvezet

6: La Bruguières

7: Fontarèches

8 : St-Laurent La Vernède

9: La Bastide d’Engras

10: Vallabrix

11: St Victor des Oules

12: St Hippolyte de Montaigu

13: La Capelle et Masmolène

14: St Siffret

15: Flaux

16: St Maximin

17: Arpaillargues

18: Sanilhac et Sagriès

19: Blauzac

20: Bourdic

21: Garrigues Ste Eulalie

22: Aubussargues

23: Collorgues

24: Baron

25: Aigaliers

26: Serviers-et-Labaume

3

UzAbout this guide Welcome to Uzège! My name is Pierre Guillery and I am Uzès' only

property finder. I have written this guide to provide people looking to buy a

house in Uzège with basic information about our region and its real estate

market.

Content

Some people still do not know Uzès, and most

visitors to Uzès can not place the different villages

of Uzège on the local map. This guide has been

written to provide you with the basics: geography &

access, weather, culture, history, cuisine. For those

of you looking to buy a property in Uzège, we have

put together a “rough guide” on what you need to

know about French real estate: getting ready to buy,

house search, legal and money matters, and

renovation tips – and more. We also present a few

typical properties offered for sale – including shared

ownership opportunities.

Rationale

I have written this guide with you (my customers) in mind. I know the type

of questions you ask – about the area, about Uzès properties, about the

buying process. I also know that you may have a hard time understanding

the French real estate system. That's why my goal is to provide you with

as many answers as possible – in plain English.

How can I help you? Do not hesitate to get in touch directly to

ask any further question you may have –

about Uzège, the process or your

specific search.

Visit www.uzespropertyfinder.com, or

call +33 (0)4 1188 0017 or send an mail

to pierre@uzespropertyfinder.com.

Pierre Guillery Uzès Property Finder founder

In this guide

Discover Uzège 4

Prepare your purchase 9

Valuation & surveys 10

Real estate pros 12

The legal process 13

Money matters 17

Renovations 18

Uzès real estate outlook 20

Useful contacts 21

4

Discover Uzège

You have been considering buying a house in the South of France for a long

time. You love Provence, its olive oil, warm weather and culture, and the fact

that it is just a superfast train (TGV) ride away from Paris or London. On the

other side of the Rhône, discover another Provence, the “French Tuscany”.

O ften called "little (or French) Tuscany"

for its vineyards separated by dark

cypresses, village squares, country

mansions, culture, and its Renaissance

buildings, the Uzège (350 sq.miles/900 km²

around Uzès, just West of the Avignon and

the Rhône, and North of Nîmes) is a

preserved corner of western Europe that has

somehow escaped the notice of the world's

tourist hordes. Here, one can live in a

beautiful charming village with stone houses,

surrounded by vineyards and gentle hills,

and be an hour from the beaches of the

Mediterranean in the south, an hour from

skiing (in winter) or hill walking and canoeing

(in summer) in the north, and less than an hour from Nîmes, Avignon and

Montpellier theatre, cinema, restaurants and life.

At the same time in Provence and in Languedoc, the Uzège region has a

number of terroirs in which wonderful, distinctive goods such as olives,

apricots, wine, cherries, peaches and truffles are produced: gourmet treasures

that you can find in the fourteen surrounding villages, which in recent years

have been adopted by Parisians. Because it’s the done thing to be seen in

Uzès! In summer, this New Lubéron takes on a somewhat foreign accent: an

invigorating breath of fresh air that plays its part in the incomparable charm of

this city of the Dukes.

A jewel of a town Centuries old and completely restored, Uzès (pop. 8,500) has retained an

architectural heritage that spreads over a landscape dotted with villages and

planted with fruit trees, vines and truffle oaks. It is a jewel of a town with one

of the best open-air markets in all of Provence, a bit of a time capsule with

lofty towers and narrow streets.

There’s a touch of Saint-Rémy de Provence about Uzès, with Latin grace and

perhaps an extra touch of intimacy and authenticity: the same circular

5

boulevard, the same bubbling fountains, and the same unbridled heritage. A

walk round Uzès begins with a circuit of the old centre, with its pedestrian

streets, trendy shops and architectural treasures, such as the Château des

Ducs d’Uzès, a private property open to visitors (owned by De Crussol d’Uzès

family who have been living there for more than 1,000 years), the Saint-

Théodorit Cathedral and the Fenestrelle Tower, with its similarities to the Tower

of Pisa, the magnificent private mansions that were homes to the Baron de

Castille and Chambon de la Tour, and also the Place aux Herbes, the town’s

epicenter, with its lovely arcades and café terraces, where the weekly market

that takes place.

The city centre is listed as a protected historical sector (the largest in France).

The very powerful Ducs d’Uzès were the first dukes of France and the town was

the seat of a diocese until the Revolution and marked by the Wars of Religion,

but it was little affected (if at all) by the Industrial Revolution. It has since

preserved its glorious heritage.

Only to the order of precedence in the French nobility. The count of Crussol

was made duke in 1565, and raised peer of France in 1572. The privileges as

« first duke » went to the Family of Uzès in 1632 when the duke of

Montmorency was beheaded for taking up arms against the king. The duke of

Uzès spoke the ritual words « The King is dead. Long Live the King » on the

opened king’s tomb.

Where the mistral rules Most books on Provence include Uzès, at the Western edge of the first

‘province’ of the Roman Empire outside Italy, in an area where many remains of

the Empire can be found (including amphitheatres at Nîmes, the

Roman aqueduct known as the Pont du Gard, and numerous roads).

However since 1972 France has been divided in 22 regions, with the

Gard department (where Uzès can be found) now officially part of

Languedoc Roussillon – just outside of the “official" Provence-Alpes-

Cotes d’Azur, an administrative region comprising five départements

stretching from the Rhone River to the Alps and Italy.

In truth, Provence is largely an intellectual and emotional concept –

although it is often perceived as a “single and indivisible

phenomenon”, a bucolic land of lavender fields and fortified hilltop

villages. Its borders have long been disputed, not least by the

Provencaux themselves. Frédéric Mistral, 1904 Nobel Prize winner,

the poet who was instrumental in reviving the lost Provencal tongue

and who attracted international attention to his cause, said that:

“Wherever the mistral rules, you are in Provence” and “It was the

Rhone that made Provence in concert with the wind. Right bank, left

bank, kingdom, empire, all are Provence.” Because if its borders are

drawn by the language, they are also dictated by the prevailing wind:

Uzès

Property Finder

6

the mistral. The infamous wind, with which the poet shared his name, does not

blow on the Riviera (and so excludes this celebrated coastline from Mistral's

definition) but blows in the Roman towns of Nîmes and Uzès. What is more,

Nîmes was the birthplace of Mistral’s great friend, Alphonse Daudet, who could

not possibly be considered as anything less than a Provencal writer!

250 days of sun The Uzège (also called “Gard Provençal”) boasts a Mediterranean climate, with

typical south European vegetation with olive trees, vineyards, palm trees,

garrigue scrublands, fig trees, apricot and cherry trees. It gets

250 to 300 days of sun a year, and temperatures reach 40°C

(104°F) in the summer and average lows of 3-5°C (37.4 or 41°F)

during the winter. Winter is short, only lasting for a couple of

months before temperatures start to warm up again around

February. Summer starts around May with midday temperatures

in the mid twenties (25°C or 77°F). Warm weather extends

through much of October.

Provence cuisine Every Saturdays and Wednesdays in Uzès one can enjoy the

smell of Provence at the farmers market where local producers

offer stands of various products such as olive oil, local wines,

goat cheeses, fresh organic poultries, sausages and meats from

the Cévennes, herbs from Provence and lavender.

Each January, Uzès welcomes a truffle market where producers and chefs meet

to admire and buy the dark diamond. Uzès cuisine carries the flavor of its terroir

products, the colors of Languedoc and a distinct Provencal accent, with the

truffle as a base in winter, the asparagus in spring and the melon in summer.

The olive (and its oil) nevertheless remains one of the mainstays of the meal,

whether it's the picholine or the colliasse named after the village near Uzès. The

specialties: brouillade de truffes (truffle scramble), friand aux olives et pélardons

(pastry with olives and pélardons), numerous dishes with an asparagus base.

Nearby is the Côtes-du-Rhone wine region as well as the village of Tavel,

famous for its renowned rosé wine.

7

Villages of Uzège Of the approximately 70 villages of Uzège at large, some are amongst the

most beautiful in France. Many are fortified or “circulade”, and go back over a

thousand years. These villages offer an abundance of historical interest and

a fine interlude during a day’s hiking. Hilltop villages with their “castellas” or

castle remains, their outdoor washrooms, and all surrounded fields of vine

and lavender, make the Uzège area one of the finest to for all-year-round

walking and discovering.

A ro u nd Uz è s

In the area surrounding Uzès, different paths lead to some very pretty

villages, including Saint Quentin la Poterie, which gave new impetus to the

traditional pottery of Languedoc by welcoming a number of potters. Also:

Aigaliers, Arpaillargues et Aureillac, Aubussargues, Blauzac, Flaux, La

Capelle et Masmolène, Garrigues, Montaren et

Saint Médiers, Saint Hippolyte de Montaigu, Saint

Maximin, Saint Siffret, Saint Victor des Oules,

Sanilhac Sagries, Serviers et Labaume and

Vallabrix.

In the north east of Uzès, are the villages of the

Tave river valley: Belvezet, Cavillargues,

Fontarèches, Gaujac, La Bastide-d'Engras, La

Bruguière, Pougnadoresse and Saint-Laurent-la-

Vernède. There are no cities or small towns here,

only villages that have preserved an amazing

charm. They evoke images of fortified towns and

medieval fortifications, and they are surrounded by magnificent landscapes

that match the beauty of their architecture. You can explore castles and the

history of Roman occupation .

T he Cé v e nn e s f o ot h i l l s

In this region north of Uzès, the foothills of the Cévennes rise gently to

embrace the Mediterranean sun. Here, nature is still a beautiful wilderness.

Wonderful discoveries await you in the area surrounding the picturesque

villages. You can encounter the amazing "menhir de la pierre plantée" and

follow the perilous road to the Narrows of Lussan. All around the beautiful

village of Lussan, various paths thread their way towards small villages and

hamlets that have great character and beautiful traditional architecture.

Among the other villages: Saint-Marcel-de-Careiret, Saint-Andre-

d'Olérargues and Vallerargues.

Uzès

Property Finder

8

A ro u nd t he P o nt d u Ga rd

Known the world over, the Pont du Gard, dominates the south east of Uzès. It

is the most well-preserved section of the aqueduct that once carried water,

which was collected near Uzès, to Nîmes. Its ochre and gold-colored stones

tower over the Gardon river, which flows

underneath. Some villages with beautiful

beaches follow the curving banks of the river;

others, such as Castillon du Gard, are

situated high on the hills. Many have buildings

that are constructed with the chalky stone

called "Pont du Gard," drawn from nearby

quarries. Argilliers, Castillon du Gard, Collias,

Pouzilhac (with its 14th century fortified castle

and its ramparts built by the Duc de Rohan),

St-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan, Valliguières, Vers-Pont-

du-Gard.

Côt e s - du- r hô ne c o u nt ry

In this part of the Rhône Valley where vineyards predominate, the famous

wine of la Côte du Rhône was born. It was shipped from the Port of

Roquemaure to faraway destinations. Today it produces AOC wines: Côtes du

Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, and the crus of Lirac and Tavel. Nearby are

two of the Gard Provençal's most important towns: Bagnols sur Cèze and Pont

Saint Esprit, and the economic center of Laudun.

Wandering across the sun-drenched landscapes, from Poungnadoresse, only

15 minutes from Uzès, you will discover vineyard-covered plains, the oppidum

of Caesar's camp, as well as numerous Romanesque chapels, medieval sites,

and picturesque villages.

Ga rd o nne n que

From the village of Dions towards the

West, the Gard river takes on a new

presence. Stepping out of its gorges

(after Collias, Sanilhac, Dions), it

becomes the Gardonnenque, the

region between Provence and the

Cevennes hills. Agricultural plaines,

with nice villages up hill, like

Moussac and Vézénobres.

9

Prepare your purchase Spend time discovering Uzège

Use holiday breaks to explore our region and find out which village or area

suits you the most. Although Uzège is not huge, the scenery varies from

village to village; so try & experience some of it first hand to get a feel for

where you would like to buy. Also, view prospective properties in the winter:

this will give you an idea of what the property and the

district are like out of season.

Make a list of your criteria The list could relate to criteria such as: maximum traveling

time to the property, maximum price, preferred location,

minimum number of bedrooms, structural condition, services

connected, etc. Following a list of criteria is a good way of

remaining objective about your purchase. Use our

evaluation matrix to compare properties.

Pay particular attention when making your list to what sort of location you

require: a detached house surrounded by beautiful Uzège countryside (with a

garden and a pool) may be your ideal, but don't forget that you will have to use

your car to get everywhere. Living in Uzès or St-Quentin-La-Poterie will mean

you can walk to get your newspaper and fresh croissants every morning and

walk to the bar or restaurant and have a drink. However, remember you may

have to put up with traffic and other noise.

Search on the Internet The Web will enable you to begin to get a general feel for what sort of price

you should be paying relative to size, location, and condition of the property,

as well as learning more about how the house buying process works in France.

Contact local agents Select real estate agents you would like to work with - or even better, a

property finder as agents work primarily for property sellers, not for the buyers.

Call them and start interacting, so you feel comfortable. Make sure you give

him/her as much detail as possible. Many things can be “lost in

translation” (unless you happen to find a bilingual agent) so you need to make

it as clear as possible not only the type of property you want to see but also

Uzès

Property Finder

10

those things that are unacceptable. You need to be flexible, of course, but

you don’t want to be running around looking at places which are clearly not

what you want. Be as specific as you can, and be firm about it.

Plan your trip Contact estate agents well in advance of your discovery trip to get in their

diaries. If you just stroll into the estate agents offices, it is likely that they

won't be able to show you anything because

their appointment books are already full.

However, make sure you’re not going to spend

all of your time seeing the same property with

different agents!

Bear in mind that some of the houses you have

pre-selected on the Internet may have become

unavailable by the time you show up (because

they have been sold) so keep your choice open

– but don’t over-book yourself either. Your agent

will be a good guide as to how far apart the

properties are and how many you can see in a

day. Don’t over do it, you will just end up tired

and muddled.

Practice your French If you're thinking of spending a lot of time in France, or relocating, be aware

that learning French doesn’t just happen by osmosis – unless you happen to

be under 10 years old. Don’t underestimate the importance of being able to

communicate accurately as French life is riddled with bureaucracy. Plan on

taking some proper lessons from a qualified teacher if you want to master

the intricacies of la langue française. Being able to speak the language

properly will pay enormous dividends.

Valuation & surveys How much is a house worth? It is very difficult to value properties in France. There simply isn’t the huge

array of statistics and comparable evidence that is available in the United-

Kingdom, in the United-States or elsewhere – where most people know the

value of their home to within 5%. So home owners in France have to rely on

what they read in the press, or hear from their friends, to decide the value of

11

their property. This obviously leads to unrealistic prices more often than not.

And it is only after a few months (or even few years...) that home owners

understand that if they actually want to sell they need to lower their

expectations. This is why you may see the same property on the market for

years.

Same property, different prices?? Home owners in France usually ask local agents for appraisals, but in the end

they often decide on their own what price they want for their house—known as

the “prix net vendeur” (net price received by the seller) - and choose which

estate agents will represent them. Appointed agents then receive a written

mandate from the owner which describes the house, the “prix net vendeur” and

specifies the agency fees, which is usually 4%-8% of the property’s price. This

explains how you can find the same house offered at two different prices: if the

owner wants €400,000, then one agent charging 4% may have it in his window

for €420,000 while another agent next door will offer it for €429,000 because

he charges 6% (all prices include VAT at 19.6%).

Can I get surveys done? Surveys are not usually undertaken in France, because the profession of

surveyor does not exist as such. If you are concerned about certain aspects of

the structure of the property you could contact one of the growing number of

English-speaking surveyors working in France, or you could arrange to visit the

property with a local builder to get opinions and costings.

If you intend to do this, it is better to act before you agree a price and sign any

contract – especially if you anticipate doing a lot of renovation. If you need a

survey, but do not have time to carry it out before you sign a contract, you

should ask the notaire to include a “clause suspensive” in the compromis de

vente to ensure that your purchase is subject to a satisfactory survey.

What’s wrong with that system? French property law is strict: agents have to be licensed, and standards of

professionalism are normally high. The problem is not the agent, it’s the

system. There is no MLS (multiple listing system) in France. For that reason,

owners looking to sell their house in France will appoint four or five different

agents or more – which translates into lots of confusion between agents – and

prospective buyers. Different prices, or waste if time for all involved as when

one agent has sold a house, he will seldom go around and inform the others

agents. More often than that’s because the owner has not bothered to tell him

which other agents they have appointed in the first place.

Uzès

Property Finder

12

Real estate pros Should I use an estate agent? French estate agents have a duty to provide professional assistance and

guidance throughout the buying/selling process, including liaison with notaire.

Using a registered estate agent is your guaranty in France that you will have

legal recourse in case something goes wrong. The majority of overseas

buyers in France buy via estate agents, as they are more likely to encounter

someone who speaks English. Obviously, only if your French is good enough

should you attempt to handle your property search on your own.

But you need to know that most French estate agents work primarily for

house sellers—not buyers like you. So, because they are contractually

engaged by sellers, most of the time agents (however

nice they may be socially) will in the end take the side

of the ‘real’ customer—the seller. Only buyer’s agents

will represent you– the buyer.

Can I choose my agent? Absolutely. Remember that the same property is

usually handled by lots of different agents. If you like

one agent better than another (whatever the reason

maybe) you are free to choose which one you wish to

work with. You should know that you are not bound to

stick with the agent who has shown you a specific

property first. Also, some agents will ask you to sign a « bon de visite »: this

is for their own protection against indelicate buyers who may try to get in

touch directly with property owners.

Should I use a property finder? The reason you may should choose a property finder over a traditional agent

is that you need real hard advice to help you conduct your purchase—and you

should never forget that traditional agents don't work for you, they work for

the seller. With dozens of estate agents in Uzège, buyers don't need help

accessing properties - but whittling the numbers down takes time. A property

finder might go and see 10 houses then tell the buyer that 8 are rubbish, and

only two are worth viewing.

A property finder is the buyers’ agent; he has total liberty to search out

property from any source, and will take a totally independent view of all the

properties available: as you are paying him, he is in your corner as your

13

personal consultant. He will also offer access to the world of properties

marketed only informally, even approaching homeowners directly, encouraging

them to sell.

A property finder will also continue to earn their fee once he has found a

property—by doing the due diligence that will allow the buyer to know all the

facts before putting in an offer. He will list how much comparable properties

have fetched and look more broadly at the area,

researching information such as flooding risks, changes

to local planning legislation and future developments.

This will help you to be sure you want to buy and to

decide how much to bid.

A good buyer’s agent will also haggle over the price for

you - he can generate savings for his clients. He will be

thinking more with his head, whereas the client will

follow his heart. Most clients will recoup their finder's

fee and more.

Who pays the commission? When a seller’s agent is involved, French law states that the commission is

deducted from the sale’s price by the notaire at the time of the final agreement.

That’s why some people say that the buyer pays the agent’s fee. But in truth, it

is the owner who hires the estate agent – and who pays for his professional

services out of the sales proceeds for his property. Obviously, if you choose to

hire a buyer’s agent, you will have to pay their fee—albeit reduced as your

agent will receive part of the seller’s agent’s fee.

The legal process What’s the notaire’s role? The notaire is a public official of the French State. His role is not only to advise

clients on the transaction, but also to ensure the proper transfer of the property,

and to collect taxes on behalf of the State. The notaire is required by law to act

impartially, and acts for both buyer and seller. This may seem strange to foreign

buyers, but the vast majority of transactions in France are handled by a single

notaire.

The estate agent should be able to recommend a local notaire. If you feel

unsure about this, you are entitled to appoint your own notaire. This will not cost

you any more money, as the two notaires (yours and the seller’s) will split the

fee between them. Additionally, you can choose to get independent legal advice

Uzès

Property Finder

14

in France or in the UK to help you with the purchase (e.g. from a non-

French solicitor) – but you will be liable for their fees in addition to the

notaire’s fees.

Contracts Once you find a property and agree a price, the actual contract process is

handled by the notaire. There are two key documents you will need to sign

to buy a property in France: the compromis de vente (pre-sales

agreement) and the acte authentique (full contract).

Co mp ro mis de v e nt e

The compromis de vente is an important document as it sets out the main

terms of the agreement between the buyer and the seller. Normally the

buyer pays a 10% deposit on signing the agreement, which is held by the

notaire. The agreement has to be signed by both

parties and is a legally binding agreement – the only

“get out” is if one of the obligations in the conditional

clauses (“conditions suspensives”) is not met.

The compromis includes a date when the acte

authentique is expected to be signed. (Note that this

is not legally binding and is really used as a target

date which both parties aim for). For the notaire to

draw up the agreement, you need to provide your

passport, marriage papers and divorce papers. If

you are getting a mortgage, you also need

paperwork with details of the loan.

T i t le de e ds

To ensure that you have undisputed ownership of the property, it is

advisable to obtain a 30-year origin of title in your final conveyance deed.

As a precaution, a clause should be included in your contract stating that if

any inconvenient easements are discovered in these documents, you will

have the right to withdraw.

Co n di t io ns s us pe ns i v e s

A condition suspensive is one which, if not fulfilled, allows the purchaser to

withdraw from the contract. This type of condition is extremely useful in

protecting the interests of the buyer. For example if you wanted to have a

survey carried out on the property, you could have a “condition suspensive”

written into the contract so that if anything untoward was revealed by the

survey, you could withdraw from the contract. Some conditions

suspensives are absolutely essential. For example if the purchase of your

French property is dependent on the sale of another property, then you

15

must have a condition which allows you to withdraw if you are unable to sell

the first property. Another is where a loan or mortgage is necessary for the

purchase: you can stipulate the amount, duration and interest rate of the

loan you require. If you are unable to obtain the loan, with the appropriate

condition suspensive, you may then withdraw from the contract.

In theory there is no limit to the number of “conditions suspensives” that

could be inserted in a contract provided the vendor accepts them.

However, these have to be carefully drafted and they must concern

something that is beyond the will of the parties to be valid.

Re p ort s

All required by law, the lead, asbestos, termites (although there are no

termites in Uzège...), gas, electricity and energy reports are grouped

together in a single report known as the Technical Diagnostic File (“dossier

de Diagnostic Technique”). It is the obligation of the vendor to commission

and pay for up-to-date (less than a year old) reports, to be attached to the

compromis de vente. The notaire ensures that the law is complied with.

Property vendors with swimming pools are obliged to commission a report

on the safety features of the pool.

Loc a l a ut h o r i t y se a rc he s

Once the compromis is signed, the notaire begins the legal

process which includes the searches on the property: land

registry rights to ownership, boundaries and rights of way.

It is important to know that in France the searches do not

include looking at any private planning permissions that may

exist near your house. To ensure your neighbor is not about

to build a new house next to your boundary visit the local

Mairie and ask to see the “plan local d’urbanisme (PLU)” and

about any recent planning application – or ask the agent to

obtain this information for you.

Co ol i n g- of f pe r i od

Once you have both signed the compromis, you (the buyer)

have a 7-day cooling-off period. During this time, you can

withdraw from the sale with neither having to provide any

explanation, nor incurring a penalty – but the seller cannot. Once the

cooling-off period is over, the contract becomes binding on both parties.

Uzès

Property Finder

16

A c t e aut he nt i q ue

At some point your agent, or the notaire, will advise you of the proposed date

to sign the full contract – called the “acte authentique” or “acte de vente”. Try

to attend the signing of the completion document, or arrange a power of

attorney. If at all possible, view the property on the day of the signing. The final

contract has a clause saying “sold as seen on signing date”, so you need to

know that the property is exactly as you expect it to be, and not with floors,

walls or windows missing!

Logistics Ow ne rs h i p a n d t ax s t ruc t ure

Once you have decided to buy, you should consider, with your legal adviser,

which ownership structure is suitable for you. This can be decided on between

contract and completion but you will need a suitable clause in the contract in

case the names that eventually go on the final conveyance deed are different

to those on the contract.

Aside from the purchase contracts, you may have concerns about your

situation with regards to inheritance law, residency issues, income and capital

gains tax or other legal and tax issues, in which case you may wish to consult

an English-speaking legal adviser who specializes in French property law.

Wh at a bo ut t r an s l a t ion ?

All the documents you will be asked to sign will be in

French, and often contain legal terms that you may be

unfamiliar with. You may find a notaire who speaks

some English, and some agents offer translations of

the compromis de vente (although this is not their

primary role or responsibility). If you are uncertain

about any aspects of the contract, you can obtain a

professional translation either within France or in your

home country. Ask the agent if they can recommend

an independent translator (and remember to add the

translation fees on top).

Ho w l on g doe s i t t a ke ?

The whole process should take three or four months from making the offer to

signing the final contract.

17

Money matters Prices and other costs By law prices should include the selling agent's fees (anywhere between 4 and

10 per cent of the property price). The price should be followed by the letters

FAI (« frais d’agence inclus ») and note that it never includes the notaire's fee.

When you are considering a property, always ask what the price quoted

includes. Ask for an estimate of any additional fees and don’t forget to add on

19.6 per cent for VAT on any extra fees.

The agent’s commission Although agents’ fees (“commissions d’agence”) are not fixed by law, their

amounts must be included in the offered prices. Those fees are freely

negotiated between the estate agent and the

seller, and may go as high as 10% (subject to

VAT at 19.6%) of the “prix net vendeur” (net price

to the vendor).

The fee of a property buyer is freely negotiated

with the buyer—usually up to 3.5% of the price of

the property sought, often around 1% in case of

co-brokering agreements.

The notaire’s fees “Notaire’s fees” (“frais de notaire”) is a global term used to describe the legal

costs of the purchase, which include taxes to be paid on the purchase (stamp

duty), the notaire’s expenses and the notaire’s own remuneration. Unlike the

agent’s commission, those fees are paid by the buyer and are fixed by the

State—about 7% of the purchase price for an existing property. In addition, the

buyer also pays the costs of the Land Registry searches carried out by the

notaire. The purchase tax is levied on the purchase price itself – but excluding

any furniture and excluding estate agent’s commission. If you (the buyer) take

a mortgage out (which will be secured on the property in France) to finance the

purchase, the notaire also receives a fee for the formalities involved in

registering the mortgage as a charge on the property.

Uzès

Property Finder

18

Transfer of funds At the time of the compromis de vente, you need to arrange transfer of funds to

pay the deposit of (usually) 10 per cent of the net purchase price. From this

point on, if you withdraw from the sale, you could lose your deposit – unless it

is for one of the reasons listed in the “conditions suspensives”.

Plan ahead of the acte authentique to transfer the balance of your payment (in

Euros) to the notaire's account in time for the signing date. The house will not

become yours until all the funds required (including mortgage funds) for the

house purchase and all associated fees have been sent to the notaire’s bank

account.

Exchange rate risks If your funds originate from come from a non-euro country, beware that

exchange rates can put your purchase in real danger. We strongly advise you

to buy insurance against this risk from specialized currencies dealers. Use a

foreign exchange company to transfer the funds for your purchase. This will

normally give you a much better deal than using a high street bank.

Here’s an example. A few months back, each dollar bought 0.85€. So to buy

10,000€, you needed $11,800. Within two months, the rate had dropped to

0.80€ - so suddenly, the cost of buying the same 10,000€ had jumped to

$12,500. That’s a $700 hike. Apply that to the purchase of a 400,000€ home:

that’s a $28,000 price change.

Renovations After having visited dozens of properties, you may come to the conclusion that

the “dream house” you have been looking for doesn’t exist – well, at least not

one that fits all of your criteria. So now could be the time to consider buying for

less than you had in mind and undertaking a little

renovation.

Sensible alternative Like you, most buyers (including foreign buyers)

are afraid of renovation jobs. Everybody wants a

house where they can move in and start enjoying

the pool. However, given the increasingly limited

supply of quality properties, we find that a good

number of buyers choose to review their options.

19

For example, where they had initially allocated 600,000€ for their purchase

– without renovation costs – some buyers are now “reorganizing” their

budget: 400,000-500,000€ going towards the purchase of the property, and

100,000-200,000€ going towards renovation costs. Typical projects include:

creating new bathrooms, reorganizing

kitchens, combining existing rooms,

landscaping and swimming pools.

Such a choice may make a lot of financial

sense – as properties obviously gain value in

the renovation process. Mind you, few

renovation projects are real money makers –

but most ensure that buyers don’t lose

money at the time of resale.

Which type of renovation? Full blow renovation projects are still possible to find around Uzès, but you

should be careful about which project you choose if you want to make a

profit. The usual advice applies – choose your location carefully if you hope

to sell it on, be realistic about your budget, and don’t expect large capital

growth at the moment.

Renovating houses to supply the rental market may be a good option in

Uzès, as the local French residents are finding it increasingly difficult to buy

their own property, and long-term rentals are in high demand. Thanks to the

area’s excellent tourism credentials, there is a strong short-term holiday

rental market – which would definitely go some way towards paying for

second mortgages should you choose to rent your property out.

Avoid DIY projects DIY renovation is not for the faint hearted or anyone with a day job (unless

you’re in the construction industry, of course). Be realistic about what

you’re prepared to put up with in terms of discomfort - and financial strain -

while the work is being done. Do you really want to live on a building site

for a year or two?

Find qualified help Paying someone else to do the dirty work is an easier albeit more

expensive option, but remember to “count your pennies” carefully to avoid

going over budget. Err on the side of caution. When choosing builders,

plumbers or electricians, personal recommendation goes a long way; use

Uzès

Property Finder

20

bona fide French workers to ensure up-to-date knowledge of, and strict adherence

to, French regulations. An ability to speak fluent French is helpful, and appointing

someone to manage the project in your absence is wise. Look before you leap. Get

a reputable builder’s opinion before you buy, and ask for all estimates and plans in

writing before work starts.

Uzès real estate outlook

Price stabilization Prices had been rising steeply in Uzège in the five years up to 2008 – when the

high-speed-train (TGV) first put Uzès less than 3 hours from Paris. However, the

local property market bubble has not quite burst since the global downturn in 2008

– rather, it has “shrunk”. The financial crisis has not lead to a huge drop in prices

here, rather it has resulted in prices rising at a more sedate pace, with buyers

being more demanding and sellers a little more reasonable in their expectations.

Benchmarks As of June 2011, you can expect to pay about 2,200€-to- 2600€ per sq.m for old

stone farmhouses with character (“mas”), 1,800€-to-2,400€ per sq.m for village

houses (no gardens nor pool) and 1,600-to-2,900€ for apartments (with a limited

supply).

Realistically, you should come to Uzès with a minimum budget of

250,000€/280,000€ for a chance of finding a stone-built, 2 bedroom village house

with some (small) outside space. Gardens, land and swimming pools are at a

substantial premium. For those buyers with a larger budget, there are some truly

wonderful properties available: large country mas formerly occupied by the Uzège

gentry exchange hands for upwards of 500,000€. Because many larger properties

have been parceled off, you will pay a premium for fully detached property with

land and outbuildings.

Sources: Observatoire Immobilier du Gard, published in Le Républicain d’Uzès et

du Gard, n°3326

21

Useful contacts Find below a few contacts you may find useful:

Legals

Although you don’t necessarily have to use a local « notaire », most sellers

will want to rely on their own notaire (usually local...) to handle the

transaction. There are 4 notaires in Uzège:

• Isnard & Ozil in St-Quentin-La-Poterie, � +33 (0)4 6622 6940

• Sevcik & Molière-Sambron in Uzès � +33 (0)4 6622 1660

• Vidal, Bonnefond, Carré in Uzès � +33 (0)4 6622 1001

• Arnaud, Marcucci-Delaroque in St-Chaptes � +33 (0)4 6681 2046

However, don’t hesitate to use your own notaire—or to pick an English-

speaking one such as Simon Attey in Moutiers � + 33 (0)4 7924 6253

House concerns and renovation You should only use the services of reputable renovation project

managers—and it’s even better if they speak English:

• Francis Salle in Uzès � +33 (0)6 0930 5597

• Jérome Laithier in Uzès � +33 (0)4 6622 4614

• Karine and David Ménager in Uzès � +33 (0)4 6660 1558

• Malcolm Cox in Goudargues � +33 (0)4 6682 0403

Money matters Ask your high street bank about the money transfer rates—or call Archie

Robertson in from IFX (www.internationalfx.com) in St-Quentin-La-Poterie

� (06) 34 44 22 36

Uzès

Property Finder

22

23

24

Uzès

Property Finder

10 rue du Vieux Bassin, 30700 Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers

T: +33 (0)4 1188 0017 M: +33 (0)6 8434 8992

www.uzespropertyfinder.com

RCS Nîmes 533 018 321 � Carte professionnelle 1204T11

If you are looking to buy a property in Uzège, this is a “rough

guide” on what you need to know about French real estate: getting

ready to buy, house search, estate agents, legal and money

matters, and renovation tips – and more.

Also, if you are like most visitors, you may have difficulty placing

the different villages of Uzège on the local map. To help you, this

guide includes the basics: geography & access, weather, culture,

history, cuisine – as well as useful contact information to find out

more.