We are pleased to offer some basic tips to help with your visit and viewings and will welcome any further suggestions to pass on to your fellow house-hunters.

For your house hunting trip, if you can plan in some time in addition to your viewing appointments for revisits to houses, exploring areas of interest - and simply experiencing local life! Property viewing is demanding and tiring, so pace yourself and avoid cramming appointments into the shortest possible time!

You are likely to need a car to get around the rural areas, so pre-book a rental car to collect on arrival in the region.

If you are not certain that your mobile phone will work overseas you should check with your service provider before your trip to see if the international roaming service needs to be activated - and if there is any special procedure, or PIN, needed for accessing your messages while you are abroad.

Remember that not all agents here work on Saturdays, and hardly any on Sundays, so a weekend trip rarely does justice to house hunting - try to plan some weekdays into your visit.

Ensure that all those involved in the buying decision make the trip, as experience shows that house hunting overseas rarely works if not everyone is present.

An important aspect is to be sure of your finances before a house hunting visit, especially if you will need a mortgage; with most lenders you can pre-qualify for a mortgage before your house hunting trip and with this 'approval in principle' you can proceed confidently in making an offer when you find your property.

Prior to your visit, try to resist the temptation to short-list properties in advance. There are many property details to be seen on web sites, but remember that most houses are on the open market, often with more than one agent, and can sell at any time. Although we hope that properties of interest will remain available for you, we do advise using web sites purely for research and, to avoid a disappointing visit, to assume that any house could be sold by the time you visit.

Remember too that many people buy houses that have just come onto the market - a lot of the best properties don't actually make it onto the web sites!

Buying in France is quite straightforward but it is important to familiarise yourself with the process and costs from the outset. We will always provide basic information on what is involved (see the Buying Process link on this page) and, as your search progresses, we can also give you professional contacts to provide you with independent advice at each stage of your purchase.

You should equip yourself well for house hunting, to help you to keep track of the properties and for your own comfort...

* wear comfortable, practical clothes and shoes, and allow for weather changes;

* consider taking a phrase book or dictionary;

* a good road map of the area is probably a necessity;

* make notes to keep track of properties - and use a camera if possible (video or digital cameras are ideal for reviewing at the end of the day);

* take a tape measure if you might need to take measurements away with you.

...and do remember that house viewing days can be long, unpredictable and tiring - so think about taking some simple snacks to sustain your party!

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time, whether to contribute to these tips for fellow house hunters or to seek help with your own property search - we will be pleased to hear from you.

Just use the Email link on the left of this page - or complete and send the Questionnaire Form to brief us on your requirements and we will be delighted to see how we may assist.