Relocation and real estate agencies: same type of beast?
We recently vacated our beautiful, pricy rental home just North of Aix ( in Puyricard) to move in to a home we bought nearby.
However, our departure from the rental was less than peaceful, thanks to a similar type of attitude from a local relocation and real estate agency. We had given our notice to leave the home too early. The renovation work on our newly purchased house did not finish as planned by Novembre 18, when we were to move in. We knew about this one month ahead of time and informed the rental agency that we would like to prolong our stay on the home if possible to the end of November so we could move in to a house with floors, painting and plumbing that was finished.
We’d been model tenants. The agency did not respond at first and started showing the home early november. prospective tenants were immediately pleased with it, given the very good condition and the intrisic value of the home. Instead of advising tenants the home was not available until the end of the month ( a 10 day difference that meant the world to us), the agency did not say anything and we were told around November 6th that one of the prospective tenants was interested in taking the home from November 20 onwards. I’d spoken to the other prospects who had indicated they were interested in moving in early December. Apparently they were not preferred by the agency.
I was truly discouraged by this news. By chance, I met in Puyricard the woman from the relocation agency who I’d seen show the house to New Zealanders due to arrive to the the area on a confortable expat package. I explained the situation to her, thinking as a woman and a mother she’d understand the difficulty of moving in to a house still under major renovation while the children were in school. She indicated she’d do her best to informthe agency’s manager, explaining she was actually working as a ‘ volunteer ‘ for the relocation agency… I later emailed all local relocation agencies and got a response from the manager of the relocation agency in question. I again pleaded with her to pospone her client’s move in date by one week, just so the work could proceed a bit more before we moved in.
She said she’s try but came back saying her clients were going to be staying at a hotel and wished to move in as quickly as possible.
So we vacated our rental home on a Thursday and a Friday and arrived in our own home, where the paint was still fresh from an hour past, the floor still full of dust and where a week’s worth of work was still required to make the home functional.
Later, we had problems with our request to La Poste to have our mail forwarded. Luckily, being close to our previous home, we dropped by during the next ten days to ask if we could pick up our mail. We discovered no none had moved in… The relocation agency was apparently taking its time redecorating the home until the future tenants arrived, with absolutely no regards for our situation.
The woman i’d spoken to has four children and has relocated to various cities worldwide. I must say I am flabergasted with the ease with which she overlooked the difficulties we would face as a family when we were obligated to leave our home one week before it would have been truly the time to do so. On the phone we’d had a discussion about how local real estate agencies were particularly ‘nasty’. I must say I’m wondering: ” Are relocation agencies in the Aix region the same type of beast as Aix real estate agencies? ”
Filed under Living abroad - Relocation, Moving to France, Real Estate in Aix-Marseille | Comment (0)Real estate in Aix, Puyricard, Célony, Venelles, Les PLatanes
Real estate in the Aix en Provence region does not come cheap and is not an easy game- as with many attractive markets!
Today, in September 2009, a large (200 square meter) house with 2500 square meters of terrain in a nice, quiet, yet convenient area just north of Aix will go between 600 K and 800K euros depending on how much renovation needs to be done and elements like a pool and the beauty of the yard.
If you’re looking to buy in the area and do not live here yet, I strongly advise renting before buying.
Prices are too high and the traps too numerous to buy quickly.
However, finding a nice home to rent is easier said than done as well! A relocation agency showed us scores of homes during the Spring all around Aix, none of which we could not envision ourselves living in. They each had a major flaw: either it was the general condition of the house, or the street noise, or the view, or the absence of a yard, or a depressing grass-less and tress-less yard, etc…
The agents were not in the least disturbed by these points.
We luckily found a dream home, at the last minute. I blog about it here.
Areas around Aix en Provence
I’ll focus on the areas north of Aix here, because those are the ones I know best but I’ll write a brief note on the southern areas.
South of Aix en provence
The south of Aix includes towns like Luynes, Bouc bel Air, Cabriès, Simiane, and further south west, towns like Fuveau and Rousset. The first four towns are convenient in terms of location because they are close to Marseille, where many work, and for deal hunters, close to large shopping strips like Plan de Campagne- open in Sundays!
Luynes is the top area in terms of attractiveness because it offers some nice countryside, a five minute proximity to Aix, and the presence of a number of international primary and secondary schools.
We found prices in Luynes were consequently totally disproportionate to the intrinsic quality of the homes. We saw a 160 square meter home lodged in a ravine, with neighbours overlooking on at least two sides, proximity to a noisy road AND a railway line, a limited garden space, priced above 900 K euros…
The towns of Fuveau and Rousset are a bit different. Being further out South East with respect to Aix, they are a good 20 minutes drive to the city. They do offer gorgeous views of the Montagne Sainte Victoire and proximity to a large golf course. Rousset has an industrial park where some large companies are based like Atmail and Thalès.
I personally very much like the north of Aix because it’s close to the medieval city, yet completely retains countryside charm.
Areas north of Aix: Puyricard, Célony, Eguilles, Venelles, les PLatanes
North West of Aix, after a 7 minute drive along the mythical Route Nationale 7, and easily accessible with city buses, you’ll stumble onto what is a village, even though it has lost its charm: Celony.
All around that ugly intersection, however, are beautiful homes hidden in the country side, along narrow roads. Near there you’ll find outdoor restaurants and a night club called the Hot Brass, sports clubs like to Set Club and, not far, in Puyricard, the Aix Country Club.
Further out and further west is beautiful Eguilles. Now that’s a village! Nestled on top of a hill, it has preserved its ‘provencal’ character while offering gourmet and high end shopping and services. There also, you’ll find beautiful properties. You’re about 12 minutes from Aix there, with limited bus service.
Straight north of Aix , after a 12 minute drive here again, you’ll find Puyricard. The village is hidden to the side of the main road here, preserving its charm. The surrounding country side offers large fields, planted with wheat, corn, and many vines, and isolated homes. Buses do run here to the center of Aix, but the frequency of morning buses for teeanagers needing to attend high school near Aix is insufficient. Puyricard has a private, catholic ‘college’, ie, high school and of course, public primary and secondary schools.
The big drawback to these areas: no international schools exist north of Aix, strange as it may seem. A primary school is in the works it seems in Venelles.
Venelles is the less picturesque town north East of Aix, about 15 minutes away. It offers a convenient yet unsightly commercial strip along with a cute village.
Les Platanes are also North East of Aix, about 5 minutes away. There is no village to speak of there, just a few isolated boulangeries and the like along the main road. It offers beautiful, isolated homes, not convenient for teenagers needing to get around but it is home to a horse riding center called Les Pinchinats.
There’s for a quick tour of the Aix area in terms of environment. Please use the comment section for more details.
Filed under Real Estate in Aix-Marseille | Comment (0)Beautiful home for rent in Puyricard , just north of Aix en provence
This is our home. Its now been rented. See here for HOW we had to vacate our home earlier than we’d have liked, thanks to wonderful relocation and real estate agencies.
As explained in another post, looking for a rental or a home to purchase is no walk on the park in the region. We feel extremely lucky to have found this home for rent, at the last minute. It had just been built when it came up for rent. The owner had intended to occupy it himself, hence the quality of the home and its environment.
This beautiful house will be for rent starting in November or December 2009 in Puyricard, 12 minutes north of Aix by car. Set on the Route du Puy Ste Réparade, but far from the road, this new, now two- year old home has four large bedrooms, a large, beautiful, 2500 square feet planted yard and a unique setting that makes it very safe.
It is set on a much larger terrain originally owned by a man who designed it so his three children could build their homes there. So on this terrain with a single, gated entrance, there are today three homes. One of them is occupied by the original owner, and older man, who in fact acts as the unofficial ‘ gardien’ for the property, being always on the premises and a very helpful person indeed.
It is very confortable, and so conveniently thought out. There is no lack of storage space, almost no hallways, and large, light-filled open spaces.
Villa on very large terrain for sale just north of Aix (13100), Les PLatanes
Modified Sept 09: SOLD – two years after being on the market due to inadequate pricing.
This is not a usual post but I thought I’d give a hand to some friends selling a large house set in the beautiful countryside, less than 10 minutes north of Aix, in Les Platanes.
The house is about 160 square meters, with 4 bedrooms and an office area, and the terrain is truly the attraction here: its 5 700 square meters, with a wide open view of the Ste Victoire mountain on the left hand side. It also has a pool, not new though.
Extremely quiet, its set just off a large but not major road, the Route de St Canadet, on a small road, serving only the homes there, the Chemin de la Buissone.
The home was built in the 70’s. It needs major renovation and can currently be extended by about 80 square meters (with a building permit).
This house is perfect for a couple with a love for the Provence countryside, the wish to be close to the restaurants, shopping and arts in Aix, and who has the time to manage a major renovation and maintain a large terrain. If you love gardening, this is paradise!
- > Contact Pascale by email at: padupey AT hotmail.com. AT replaces the @ symbol in the email. It was removed to prevent spam to this email.
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