I’ve been through the diagnostics a couple of times while looking at other properties, and even in French, thanks to the use of pictures it’s not hard to figure out the bigger issues. But it does take time, you’re absolutely right.
The notaire will not draw up the Compromis de vente until he/she has 1. a copy of the diagnostics and CPE and 2. the latest SPANC report relative to the septic tank/mains drainage.
You could just go to the Notaire’s office and ask a secretary for a copy of these two documents … or tell the agent that you want them sent to you in PDF form asap … or you pull out of the deal.
Vendors who wait until the last minute before getting the diagnostics done (or revealing them) are often up to no good and intent on hiding something (usually dangerous electrics).
I see this often - especially when it’s vendors selling to a non-French buyer who they assume will not even bother reading the 84-page document!
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Diagnostic due to arrive tomorrow afternoon. 
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Does the property have a fosse or is it on mains drainage?
Mains - it was a strong preference for us.
Just to bring things up to date, we received the diagnostic and it was a bit of an anticlimax. Some of the electrics don’t conform including a consumer unit, some of the internal doors have lead paint and there’s asbestos drain pipes which have not deteriorated. The house is also in a higher Radon area, but there are ventilated cellars below the (solid) ground floor.
There was nothing in the documents about termites/pests. The house was also not given an energy rating (pre-1948 - does that make a difference?).
I understand that the compromis has been signed by proxy in our absence, and the docs are being couriered to us, along with the cadastral plans. I am expecting to sign the compromis & then return it.
Acte to be completed some time in the first 2 weeks of February according to present plans.
Not everywhere is at risk from termites. I saw a map somewhere showing the relevant areas.
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Hi Ancient_Mariner! Any news? Are you the proud owner of your new home yet? 
Hi Gabby, yes, we signed the Acte at the beginning of February.
We came over for a few days, did the signing and got the keys, then went in and did proper measuring up plus review of what needed changing. At the moment we’re waiting for devis from electricians to sort electrics. We also got our French bank account live at the end of last week, so we can get water & electric turned on, insurance in place etc.
It was a bit of an anti-climax, the signing being more stressful than it might have been due to our minimal French and a Notaire who wasn’t really interested in meeting part-way. The house also seemed less pleasing than when we first viewed it, feeling very cold indeed inside and discoverng that a couple of solid fuel stoves couldn’t be used. The vendor had also not removed all her effects, and asked for a little more time just a couple of days before - not a problem really since we weren’t moving in, but psychologically not great. We’re going back at end of April/early May to spend a week and live in the place and start re-dec/re-fitting.
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Then the fun begins 
do you have much garden and grass, if you have grass where abouts roughly are you in France.
From memory we have a few hundred M2 of grass in a field detached from the house that can be ignored (and will be). Cussy en Morvan in 71. I doubt many will care (hopefully).
That’s not so bad then, unlike the UK (and your on the same latitude as us here in 72) grass does not stop growing here, at all 
and we cut right through the winter.
I have had to cut grass on Boxing Day, so if you are not going to be here it can get to the point you spend the first couple of days of any visit just cutting grass, it won’t apply in your case though if you have none around the house.
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We were careful to avoid any place with >1000m2 attached. One of the other couples in our village have a place in Brittany with a lot of lawn, and he complains that he spends the first week there cutting the grass.
Congrats on your new place! Of course now you all tell me about buying a smaller plot. 
Does no one hire a gardener? We thought we could hire someone to putter around on the weeks we’re not there.
Grass cutting services in many are hard to comeny and expensive. Get to know your neighbours - and their teenage children 
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Thank you. 
Availability of hired help may depend on where you choose to live. While we were at the house in Feb someone walked past offering gardening services, and there’s a firm in the village (Tic & Tac) who also do gardening. Before buying, we talked with some friends who have an ancient pile in the Tarn, and they gave us the warning about a large garden - I had previously been looking for >1000m2 in my foolishness, thinking how lovely it would be to have a meadow.
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Think what it is like to have 23 acres , it maybe not have been the best idea I ever had , even though we rent back 20 acres to the farmer, 3 acres at times is a chore.
I do spend quite a lot of my time gardening and cutting grass, but with all our previous houses my idea of gardening was using 22 tones of gravel and slabs, so I wanted a change now we are both retired, maybe at our time of life it might not have been the best idea
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