I think its only legally binding concerning the price (agreed between buyers and sellers)
We were told the offer letter is legally binding, but sellers almost never bother to go to court to force a sale. It costs them more in the long run and the house remains unsold while they fight. We do have an “out” clause in the offer letter, which states the offer is null and void if a Compromis is not signed within 30 days. I have to say, the buyer seems pretty well protected in France.
Oops, missed a post from Stella - you’re right on waffle, waffle. We were pleased to get the DDT quickly since there was a previous buyer. But since then it’s moving at a snail’s pace to get information from the seller’s notaire.
I’m a bit more aware now having been through the proceedure for the first time on my own and hopefully will learn from my mistakes if I can find a next time!!(One of the occasions that an estate agent would have come in useful)
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The point of visiting at bad times of the year isn’t just to see if you still like the house and its surroundings and see it in worse weather.
It’s to test things in the house work sufficiently in those conditions. What’s their story about why they won’t prove the gas stuff work? What did your surveyor informally say about this? In London I always asked a surveyor to give me an informal comment about anything they put in the report they’d not got access to, for instance. Saying something wasn’t accessible or couldn’t be tested on the day is a cover for the surveyor and I would expect the vendor to have a good excuse if something key can’t be accessed or tested.
Why do they say they’re selling? Have you visited the mairie to have a “general” chat? This was what started a chain that let us find out our seller had lied to us on a key point.
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We didn’t have our own surveyor, as that seems uncommon. It’s the DDT surveyor, who was hired by the seller. That person said they couldn’t check all the gas because it wasn’t turned on.
When we asked the agents (there are two listing the house and we visited with each), both said everything was winterized so we couldn’t check it thoroughly then, but could check before final signing. The seller said the gas was inspected last fall, but that the report is in the house. Nice to tell us after we’ve come and gone. 
Selling because they’re older, British, Brexit, etc. We haven’t been to the mairie in person because we visited the house on weekends. We did call and they gave a bit of info on the phone but seemed reluctant. We’re planning to go a day early for the signing (or maybe it’s the walk-away meeting) so we can chat at the mairie.
We have learned so much in this process and there’s more to learn. We feel lucky our first offer on a house was rejected. We had no clue what to look for or ask.
If these folk want to Sell, they should get their act together and organize the property so that it can be properly checked by DDT surveyor.
The DDT is something which is supposed to be supplied by the Seller to any would-be Buyer… frankly, this is beginning to sound very iffy.
How ridiculous that you have to wait until just before the final signing, to find out whether or not you are going to have to get stuff redone because it doesn’t work… and possibly needing to walk away and start House-Hunting all over again…!
(By the way, a personal visit to the Mairie is best, rather than a phone call…)
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Whatever they say about the report being in the house etc. it all seems too pat. Are they very old and doddery? Why is the house unoccupied? I can speculate but what did they say.
As Stella said where is the nice pack of all the reports since they went through this process with the buyer that dropped out.
The day before is too late to go to the mairie. This sort of visit or two, needs to be done face to face at a time when you’re able to pick up carefully what they say and not be caught up in the moment.
I wouldn’t touch this without some protection for what they may be hiding and that’s hard to secure legally. How full a price are you paying? You should only pay for what you know about and not have in the price things you’ve not been able to verify like a heating system that’s not on its last legs.
Can you insist on these things and come over much earlier to get them verified and make it clear upfront this is what it will take for you to sign otherwise you’ll save the money for the trip.
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Hi @Gabby We live close to Carcassonne. Can you tell me which agent you went through ? I have met quite a few around here and some of them are distinctly dodgy 
.
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Stella - You are so right. The more I read, the more I wonder what is truly going on. I didn’t read the DDT initially. My husband summarised it. But there are a few notes that seem rather important. The inspector noted that the furnace was turned off and they couldn’t inspect it. That the stove was not connected and also couldn’t be inspected. That the firm wants to come back and complete the inspection on the parts they could not inspect, and that the owner should arrange for this. The inspection was done last fall with the first buyer, so why hasn’t that been completed??
KarenLot - I don’t know whether mid-70s is old and doddery. 
The house is unoccupied because it’s a holiday home for them and always has been. We were told that they only used it a few months per year and never rented it out. You’d think that means it’s in good nick and it does look good, but who knows. We’re at about 95% of asking price with all furniture and appliances thrown in.
Nigel and Stella - Thanks for the meteo links, it sure looks nice there right now!
hairbear - I won’t name names or agency since they’re English speakers and might even read this forum, but you can probably guess. We weren’t specifically looking through that agency. We originally found the listing on leboncoin.
At this point, whom do we contact with our further questions and concerns? The notaire or the agent, or should certain things be directed to one or the other? We are a day’s drive away so we can’t easily hop over on any weekday. If the stars align, we’d sign in 2 weeks. Sadly, I think the stars are not going to be anywhere near aligned. 
Must say… you’re offering 95% of the price and yet all this waffle is going on…
You’d think they’d be bending over backwards to have everything to hand, to encourage you to sign…
Speak with your Notaire and tell him you’re not signing anything until all questions have been answered. Then it’s up to the Sellers to get their act together.
It’s a holiday home, so I doubt it has much insulation… folk don’t often bother… so be aware.
and, as they’re English… I’d particularly check the plumbing and electrics. Many Brits don’t use French stuff ( 'cos it’s cheaper in UK) … and this can cause a real headache for a new Owner in an emergency…
(It has been considered vice caché by French legals in the past. OK, the ex-Owner had to pay to have all the plumbing redone French-style, but the new-Owner had all the hassle in the meantime.)
and, yes, check the number of rooms/size of property and whether Permits have been sought… a bedroom in the basement… might be an addition/change of use…
With all the Seller’s lax attitude, I’d be questioning everything and certainly talk about reducing my Offer… mention that to the Agent and it might get the Sellers more alert to their responsibilities.
A good, honest chat with your Notaire… then let him do the work for you…
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@Gabby you can send a private message to @hairbear. It and his reply will show up on your screen but no one else will be able to see the messages.
Click on the symbol for your account top right when you are logged in and follow to Message then you can send a private message to hairbear and his reply to you will have the same protection.
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Fair enough. If it’s the very obvious though (for UK buyers) then I have no experience with them down here, but do have experience with them in another area.
I personally wouldn’t approach them again.
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Why do housebuyers let emotions overtake practical thinking?
There are so many alarm bells ringing here that the noise is deafening.
Walk away while you still can.
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Is there a definition of the above? One person’s “unfinished” may not be the same as another’s. I wonder what the threshold is? For example, would putting plasterboard up in a cave change it from one category to another (just asking for a friend 
)?
Stella - Thank you. If I’m reading you right, we should work only with the notaire and forget the agent for now. I guess since the notaire is an attorney that makes sense.
KarenLot - Thanks for the tip on private messaging.
hairbear - I sent you a message after following Karen’s tip. 
Hi JohnBoy, and thanks for your message. 
While I understand where you’re coming from, I do not think emotions are taking over in this case. We do like the house, but we’re also prepared to walk away. But we feel it’s important to learn as much as we can along the way. As the saying goes, we don’t know what we don’t know. How can we make a smart home purchase without asking questions? Apologies if they come across as stupid or obvious.
If every potential home buyer simply ran away without trying to learn more about the process, few homes would get sold. Or a lot more people would buy a lemon and be miserable. 
This forum is a goldmine of information and I’m glad to have found it. Hopefully one day I can return the favour and help a newbie with some useful nugget of wisdom.
Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I’ll update next week once I hear from the notaire regarding our latest questions. I’ll probably have more questions too, sorry!
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It’s not to do with one person’s view against another; if a space that would otherwise be void ( combles non aménagés) is developed then it could be counted as undeclared habitable space if there was no other reason that would exempt it.
In the case of a cave, they wouldn’t count, plasterboarded or not.
That’s my point, what’s the threshold for “habitable”. Bare block walls would’t qualify I’m sure, but plastered ones? Gabby has mentioned that one of the bedrooms is in the “cave”. What triggers the transition from cave to habitable?
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From what I gathered at an Insurance Inspection… if it’s being used as a bedroom, it should be declared as a bedroom (which it was not).
(Folk can and will argue the toss, but what counts is what the experts decide at that particular moment in time… our mumblings get us nowhere… sadly )
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