So, in this sideways two-step, backwards cha-cha, there might actually be progress on the house project. The two recours against the project were rolled into one, and then adjudicated. The Tribunal de Premier Instance rejected all the concerns of the plaintiffs. That was November. In January, in a 14 degree (celsius) living room, I started… Continue reading Progress?
Category: House
And then God laughed and laughed…
Planning permission did not go according to plan
Latest news on the house
Happily, in April, on the recommendation of the excellent environmental engineer I was working with, I started working with an architect. It has been a very happy relationship so far. The dossier to ask for construction permits and authorization was submitted yesterday. Now we wait. It will take about 60 days for the dossier to… Continue reading Latest news on the house
Non-traditional house purchases
A suspensive sale is not uncommon, but nor is it the most straightforward. The family did find the one niece that the notaire couldn't. But, there was supposed to be a ninety day window in which the five nieces and nephews could contest the sale, but because math is hard, there was only a sixty… Continue reading Non-traditional house purchases
The bank
I was approved by the fellow on vacation, but it was a fairly tense few weeks waiting. I went in, signed some documents, and everything seemed to be going swimmingly. Then with less than two weeks to go, my banker sprung on me the cedule hypothecaire (which translates roughly to mortgage codicil). Real estate transactions… Continue reading The bank
The Notaire
I debated about whether I should write about the notaire or the architect first, but I'll go with the notaire as she was much more part of the process. First, how did I find the Notaire? I asked on a regional group on Facebook. This may not have been the best method in retrospect, but… Continue reading The Notaire
A word about my house purchase process
I'll step out of the linear story for a moment to explain a little more about my own process of buying a house, which I believe is by no means typical. But here's hoping I'm only doing it once... I found the properties I wanted to look at by sifting through dozens of websites where… Continue reading A word about my house purchase process
How did I find this precise house?
I had been searching, combing through the various website for months. My budget was on the bottom end of the range, so I knew I would have to be patient. Buying off-plan didn't really enter onto my radar. New builds tend to have very small rooms. I currently live in a beautiful two bedroom, one… Continue reading How did I find this precise house?
So how do the mortgages work?
Keep in mind, this is my understanding of it. Filtered through my non-fluent French. In most places: the US, the UK, Canada, France... your goal when you buy a house is to pay it off and own it. Switzerland is not like that. Because of its tax system. You can own your property completely here,… Continue reading So how do the mortgages work?
It’s been a year…
And I still own the house. I still have no clue what I'm doing, and it is abundantly clear that I have made some very poor life choices (I'm turning 44 in a couple of weeks, if I hadn't made some poor life choices at this point, I would be disappointed). I'm not sure the… Continue reading It’s been a year…
La Marmite de Chocolat 