Coup de coeur #12: Montastruc Ribereuille

(A series of "Pierre, what do they not have" posts)

As for the last house in this series in France: the moulin de Ribereuille-Montastruc. Nice looking rustic house. Big, too. Top end of budget, but you never know. I'd seen it for sale a while ago, and it's still there. Message to the estate agent: de silence. Using the Google method on phrases from the advert you can locate quite a few other advertisements.

And even a private-looking advert. That does not give me a reply either.

This is an example where the Street View shows that the house is for sale a long time. Isn't that an "a vendre" sign? Yes it is.

Usually my "tactic" contacting an estate agent is explain a bit what I am looking for, where we are, that we need more info before we come and visit, and please tell me where the house is? Here I had long found it, and all I asked the estate agent was: "this house located there-and-there, is that still available?".

And, to my surprise I got a reply! And that they even had a colleague who speaks Dutch, and he would contact me.

He did, but knew not much about the place, but he'd find out, even though he was at an hour's distance from the house. But, as I knew, such distances were nothing, in France, and remained silent. But I had his phone number and email address, so that wasn't the last he heard of me. After a week I politely poked him, if he knew more by now. That took a bit longer, but then the parcelles cadastrale and some more info emerged.

Oh, and the house was now rented out all of a sudden, since a few weeks, with a contract of a year. To a Dutch woman who was left by her partner... blabla, sad story. And that the owner (thus) did not take a fancy to Dutch people. ('Allo!)

Well, renting out a house is not necessarily bad for a place, if they keep it clean, heated, ventilated, and all that. This really is a big house. Billiard room, gym, huge living... And a separate apartment. Was the apartment rented out? No, the house itself.

Well. That is not a positive development. I could live with a temporarily rented out apartment, but not with me owning the house and the whole house being rented out, knowing how well-protected tenants are in France.

There are a few more buts. In the picture above you can see there's a small road directly along the property. Another bloody chemin communal that runs right along a house I like.

The estate agent promised to let me know if there are developments. Apparently there were none, as I haven't heard from him since.

The house still is for sale, here (and a few other places). Oops, €2000 taxe d'habitation + taxe foncière though, per year.