It seems hard to believe that another year has flown by and we are preparing for Christmas again. I am pleased to report that 2006 has been the best year to date for Allez-Français, indeed the last few months have seen sales at record levels as demand for French Homes in the Poitou Charentes remains high. 

This is probably down to 2 factors - firstly, the excellent quality of properties we have on our books and secondly, our promise of a quick and personal response to all enquiries. Personal care and individual attention is at the heart of the Allez Français service, and we will therefore do everything possible to find a buyer for your house if you are selling, or find you that dream home if you are searching. We do have a special Allez-Français ethos when dealing with clients.

A new report has been added to the ever growing list of requirements regarding a property before a sale can be agreed, this time regarding energy performance. As a consequence, houses will now come with a label rather like that we are used to seeing on a fridge or washing machine.

Needless to say, older style stone houses do not generally come out to well unless a lot of the features that appeal perhaps most to British buyers such as exposed stone walls have been covered up.

The requirements for drainage have also been more closely adhered to in recent months, and there is normally a control report carried out before a completion. Similarly, Notaires deal with the security aspect on swimming pools at this time.

Are you looking to run a large vacation based business in France? If so we have a selection of superb opportunities for you. The first is a superb Logis near Melle, ideal as a luxury B & B business, that also has 2 excellent outbuildings plus an Orangerie that would offer 2 or 3 gîtes for somebody looking to aim at the top of the market. Price 795,000 €.             http://www.allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=373

The second opportunity is to buy a small house that comes complete with its own island on the River Vienne upon which stands a part renovated farmhouse and the potential to run a camping business. Price 530,000 €. http://www.allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=369

If you are planning a viewing visit soon, please book your time with us as soon as possible. Our team will always try to accommodate viewings at short notice, but often our diaries are booked a full week in advance. We also feel that we can make a better selection for you if we are given adequate notice, so please help us to help you. Contact us for appointments as early as possible.

Something that we have previously mentioned and would recommend to our clients is a service called Skype. This is a simple programme to run on your PC (using a headset and microphone), enabling you to call anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world free of charge, whilst connected to the internet. There are some other useful things you can do on Skype that are not free (but they are pretty cheap, actually). This service is ideal for talking to Agents such as ourselves, enabling us to communicate between each other without watching costs, and of course your friends and family (whether here in France or in the UK). It really is a "win / win" deal for everyone concerned.