Awaiting the Judgement of Paris

A week of banking - and not much accomplished. It is now a full three weeks since we first went to the bank to start the loan application process. Last week was full of fun and games because of it snowed and thus all work at the bank was brought to a halt. After much wailing and complaining on my part, the senior person at the bank managed to fax something acceptable to the notaire by the Friday deadline. (This the very short version of a very long and complicated story.) We are now waiting for news from the bean counters in Paris. They had sent papers for John's doctor to fill out, and we sent these to them yesterday by Chronopost (at great expense, but one must show due diligence, we supposed) They would have received them today, and will perhaps decide in a day or two what exhorbitant interest rate to tack onto the nominal 4%. We can't, of course, make an appointment at the bank before we get this letter. So now, once we receive the response from the bank's insurance company in Paris, we'll then be able to make an appointment and actually fill in the loan application! It is now 3 weeks since we first went to the bank to get things started. Nothing happens quickly in the South of France. So here we are, awaiting the Judgement of Paris. (Who could resist saying that, eh?)

OK, boring banking stuff dealt with for today, let's move on to something more interesting, some photos of the local town of Beaumont-du-Perigord, taken the day we signed the sales agreement.

A view of the town center, showing some of the arcades, and the small parking lot. There are a couple of bars, a couple of butcher shops, a couple of grocery stores. There's also a couple of restaurants in the town, and at least one art gallery. (!)
















Here's John, under the arcades. No takers for those outdoor tables on that day.















Another side of the town square.

Aujourd'hui c'est la panique totale!

La panique totale - that's what our banker said about today. Today was the day we went to the bank to beg them to give us a bridge loan so we can actually buy the house in Nojals, and it turned out to be a madhouse - quietly mad, but a madhouse. The poor fellow we saw, the only one who does anything as complex as take loan applications, had been out of work for lung cancer surgery for the past 4 months and today was his first day back on the job. (Spooky resonances here, eh?) And today, as luck would have it, was the first day of the bank's new computer system - and we all know what fun thatg is. Aiiieeeee!!!!! Everything this guy tried to look up ended up showing crazy numbers, not letting him enter the information he wanted, generally giving him a hard time, so he ended up calling the main office about every minute or so to get the actual figures he needed.

Interestingly, the first part of a loan application in France - at least from our sample of two - is an application for life insurance. You fill out medical statements, which are sent off to Paris, and then in a day or so the bean counters there send notice to the bank branch divulging what interest rate they are willing to give you. No one seems to worry about such things as your income, your credit rating, outstanding debts - all that boring stuff.

The long story is very long and, as with anything to do with banking, very boring (two hours worth of boring). The short story is that we have to now provide signed statements from two real estate agents indicating the value of the house in Ste. Colombe. The fellow at the bank said he hadn't thought of this sort of loan since it would entail the added difficulty of getting those papers. Huh. The first one took all of about 10 minutes and a trip to our local real estate agent. The second took a phone call to an agent in Mirepoix, with whom the house is also listed, and will be provided tomorrow morning. Yes - "also listed". Here in France, there's no such thing as multiple listings books. Each agent has their own listings, no one shares them, no one shows houses listed by other agents. This means, for one things, that when you're selling a house you have to go to several different agents to have any hope of reaching more than a few potential buyers. And it means that when you are looking to buy a house you have to go to many different agents to have any hope of seeing what's actually available.

So, a trip to Mirepoix tomorrow - hmmm, that's not all bad. Mirepoix is a lovely town with several good restaurants, and we're to see the agent in the morning. We could be there at lunch time.

Time to pack a few more boxes.

Signed, Sealed and Ready to be Delivered

It's official - Friday we received by registered mail the signed copies of the Compromis de Vente for the house in Nojals. Time to think seriously about packing. John ordered some book boxes last week and they are to be delivered tomorrow. "What time?" I asked, when speaking to the delivery company this afternoon. "During the day", came the answer. Oh good. I hate those midnight deliveries of a pallet load of cardboard. Well, it's to be cold tomorrow, and we won't want to be out running about anyway, so sitting around the house will be bearable. It will be interesting to see how the delivery is made: Will they put them in the courtyard? Will they drop them in the street? Will they show up at all?

But, back to thinking about the new house! Here's some photos of the general area.


This is a hotel and restaurant called The Gentillhommiere. It's located about 5 kilometers down the road from the Nojals house, in a village called St. Sabine-Born. This restaurant, although not actually starred, is mentioned in the Guide Michelin and is very well regarded locally, we're told. They are quite pricey, but they have a Monday lunch special where you can get a fixed menu with choice of three main courses, for 10 euros. We'll be trying it as soon as we can.

The building itself is a good example of the local Perigourdine style, with all 4 sides of the roof sloping steeply. Too bad it was a cloudy day when I took this photo, back in early December.

This little village has three restaurants in all. Another is called Chez Edith and is very good, in our one experience. Great soup! The third is called La Marmotte (the woodchuck. Hmmm??) It's a restaurant and pizzeria and we'll be trying that as well.