House swaps France to Ireland

General Discussion
21

Yes, Patience. All these things take time and I've learned ( i hope) not to count chickens before the hatch. Difficult but its never done until its done.

My house is a small cottage in a hamlet.Between Royan and Saintes Very pretty but needs some work doing. Which puts French people off i think. I get the impression that they would like to move in with everything in place. Yes, me too! Anyway It will sell at some point. But i would be up for a swop and am open to any offers.

Try not to think about it too much

22

Thanks for such a quick reply.

I'll check out those sites. And good luck with your property exchange. Buying, selling. Every thing to do with property always seems to be tricky>

Thanks again

23

Hello Debra,

Thanks for an interesting discussion. Could you let me know what property swap site you are using?

I have a small house in Charante that i would like to try to swap. Its been on the market for about 5 months with not much action so i thought a swop may solve my problems.

Thanks

24

Ooooh, bon appetit

My hubby is the cook around here (or wherever we are really) and it's Pork on the BBQ with beetroot salad, and potato salad (german style as he is german - none of that Irish crap with mayonnaise!!)

And Debra - promise my last word on Dingle - don't expect amazing mussels and fresh fish every day, blah blah blah - it's all a marketing ploy, that works well, but I have better access to fresh fish of the Atlantic in 09, than I ever did on the coast of Ireland. Funny, that.

25

You are correct Elaine, nowhere is free from corruption but our native land must win the prize for hypocrisy. “Ah, sure everything is grand”

BTW, all bills pertaining to the property must be paid before transfer. That’s how the Goverment catches you. The Solicitor will sort that out.

26

Just caught your last line there, Elaine. He certintly has, as Brendan Behan might have put it, did you ever read "The Thimble-Riggers" by that Kelly bloke from the IDF that got shafted by the assorted Big Fellas that time? Title sums it up quite nicely, that and John's "gombeens"....

Still as John says, with our apéritifs over here, what-we-worry? (Will have one soon as the sausisses de choux - local speciality - pommes de terre out of the garden - fromage blanc with herbs - wife's Lyonnaise addition - are on the go).

27

Woah, be careful there Debra. The NPPR (second home tax) is only valid for properties from 2009 to March 2013, but make sure you get either a declaration of payment, or cert of exemption because if he never paid (whether he knew about it or not) the full cost is now over 7000euros.

It's easy to say certain taxes are not more than taxe fonciere here - but you have to pay privately for things like tv licence and bin collection, and now of course property tax and water charges.

You will also need to research house insurance, as it could be high regarding location, and of course it being a holiday or rental - that changes everything for the insurance companies.

The bottom line is, along with everything that has been said on this thread (all true) you pay heavily for the privilege to live or holiday in Ireland - there is no cheap way to do it, unless you have a van you can put on someone's farm. It's also part of the reason I left last year - we have gone totally MENTAL!!! Not the Ireland I grew up in, and not the Ireland I want to live in right now.

Having said that, nowhere is free of corruption, charges, taxes etc etc, so you really need to go there and spend at least a few days to get the feel and weight it all up. I find as a foreigner here in France, I get special privileges, and never have to get deep and dirty about politics, or even the very local stuff - everyone gives out about where they live, or grow up, at some point.

You will buy easily in Ireland, but to sell on....good luck with that - I am just coming through that process - it is extremely painful, and will not improve in next 10 years minimum, possibly as someone else suggests, our lifetime. My generation caused it (the crash) and many families are suffering now because of it, only to pass it on to the next, to fix.

(And Ian, that fella there, had a lot to answer for, but now he doesn't need to)

28

Well to be honest I haven’t compared my water charges here to the (only recently declared) cost in Dublin. The important thing to understand is that water is already paid for from VAT. There was a VAT increase years ago to cover water. Now we will still pay the same VAT but water charges on top. That’s the issue. The gombeen (a technical term you need to learn before moving to the depths of Kerry) that introduced this stupid tax and the associated quango has buggered off to Brussels as EU Agriculture Commissioner. Which just proves that while Ireland is sh*t the EU is worse.

Anyway… as I sit in the evening sunshine sipping an aperitif do I care?

Pls excuse the typos, this iPad has a mind of it’s own.

29

I nearly got taken on to build the Big House over on Inishvickillaun when I was working in Dingle (ah back on topic), that would have been interesting (!), but they said they needed me more on the fish-filleting (same firm, lol).

Catch you later John, got to get the dinner started :)

30

I remember him well. I have a photo of my late Father shaking his hand (poor old Dad had no political sense). I was delighted with the march in Dublin. I would have turned out myself had I been in Dublin. Hopefully the worm has turned at last. Also very glad that an independent won the byelection nudging out the terrorist party and FG/FF/Labour.

31

They ARE going mad, John. Huge demo on Saturday in Dublin, over 100 000 out. November 1st they're calling to demo in every locality simultaneously. It does seem as if the plug might have finally been pulled on "dat crowd above"...

Remember the Big Fella?

http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/cf_images/20060624/2506OB.jpg

32

“colonial Irish” is a pretty cool (and I would think) rare classification. Good topic of conversation over dinner :slight_smile:

33

Exactly Ian, shiny suits with turnups (or should that be turnips?). My daughter is still studying in Dublin so I’ve still the “family” home there and resultantly the property tax with nothing to show for it except fat, dumb and lazy civil servents in Dun Laoghaire’s new Fuhrerbunker. Now having already paid for water through general taxation we get to pay for it again so that 500 lazy civil servents are fed and cosseted in Irish Water. It’s all a joke. If I was stuck there I’d go mad.

34

Especially Fianna Fail cute hoors in mohair suits, yerra? (Bet that takes you back).

Although, fair play, the local FF TD got my small farmers EU dole sorted when I lived in Ballydehob :)

Add water charges to the list, John...

35

I can’t understand anybody moving from France to Ireland. Go for a holiday but don’t move there. The tax is dreadful, the politicians are dreadful, the health service is dreadful, the weather is dreadful, the attitude to women’s rights is dreadful etc. etc. and you will be a newcomer in Kerry for at least three generations. When anybody sensible with a few bob is getting out why would you go there? BTW if anyone can rip you off it’s a cute Kerry man (closely followed by cute Cork men) :slight_smile:

36

I live in Ireland, we moved back here in 2011 after 14 yrs in France and if you are thinking of either swapping or buying here, you need to do your research very thoroughly, not just the market prices but everything else that is involved as well especially the healthcare system. After France, this will come as a big shock if you cannot afford full private insurance. Compare prices on sites like daft.ie but also look on the land registry site as this gives the actual selling prices area by area. That pretty seaside or country home is very different in the long winter months when the tourists have left.

If you have suffered at the hands of French bureaucracy and been swamped by paperwork you will have received good training for the Irish version, just as bad!! but at least we have the craic and we do speak the same language (when we want to), Oh and don't think about going out before 10pm at night, nothing happens before that hour.

37

We've also seriously considered an exchange when we come to market here, so to have the links mentioned is really useful. We realise we'll get nothing like what we offer here back in UK, but hope we can be flexible on type of property and location, within limits (we like Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick, Eyemouth,Tenby or Saundersfoot so far, having done homework and visits on all locations), but wouldn't consider a firm move without both parties viewing and agreeing terms, as there can be so many considerations. I'd be really interested to hear from any futher posters about this course of action, their pro's and cons, etc...and Katherine, are you the bull-terrier lady that was looking for a hunting lodge in Charente, as if so I'm really pleased to know you've made the leap?!

38

Could you link me to your swaps please?

39

EHE...Easy house exchange.....not as good as IPS

40

Hmm, Bacup versus Dingle....now there's a debate to be held :p