Buying from abroad in the Dordogne valley
Buy your home in the Dordogne valley with a single trip.
I visit, film and cost the works on every property before you do. You only travel for the ones that deserve it.
Ask for my free buying assessmentFree, no commitment. Answer within 72 hours. I speak English.
The problem
You know that weekend.
An early start, a long drive or a flight to Brive, a hire car, a night in a hotel, two days off work.
And in front of the house, within ten seconds, you know. The "open view" looks onto the main road. The "3,000 m² garden" is a slope. Nobody has ever looked closely at the "sound roof timbers".
You go home with one simple conclusion: the photos don't tell you the truth, and you can't come over every weekend.
The worst part is not the wasted viewing. It is the house you never got to see.
While you wait for your next free weekend, the well-priced homes go. They often go to someone who lives twenty minutes away and could view on a Tuesday.
And when you finally find one, tiredness pushes you to sign quickly. That is when the mistakes no listing shows are made:
- A non-compliant septic tank. Common in the countryside, and the buyer has to bring it up to standard within a year of the purchase.
- Flood-risk areas near the Dordogne, discovered in the risk report when the preliminary contract is signed.
- The roof, the timbers, damp in stone walls. These are the works that change the real price of an old house.
- The asking price rather than the market price. Without the real local sale prices in front of you, you negotiate blind.
Buying from abroad is not harder. It is simply impossible to do well on your own.
Why this programme
Why I created the One Trip Programme
My name is Ronald Bellez. I live in Argentat-sur-Dordogne and I am an estate agent in this area.
Many of the buyers who call me about my listings live far away: in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium or Paris. They always ask me the same question: "Is it worth the trip?"
In the end I started answering differently than over the phone. I go and see, I film everything, I look at the roof and the meter, I cost the works, and then I tell them honestly: come, or don't come.
The One Trip Programme is that method, put in writing, with commitments.
How it works
Six steps, one single trip for you
The remote buying assessment
Free. You answer a few questions. Within 72 hours you receive a feasibility analysis of your project, and we talk it through for 30 minutes.
Your brief and the search mandate
Together we write down your criteria, your all-in budget and your non-negotiables. The mandate sets the duration and the fees.
The search
Private and agency listings, notaries, local network. Some owners sell without advertising: when that happens, you see those homes too.
I view on your behalf
Every shortlisted home is visited, filmed room by room and followed by a written report: strengths, defects, estimated cost of works, price compared with real sales, and my honest opinion.
Your one trip
When two or three homes are really worth it, you come and see them over one or two days that I organise.
The offer, the negotiation, the follow-up to completion
Surveys, notary, quotes from local tradespeople: I coordinate, you decide.
Picture the next trip
You set off on a Friday morning, without worrying. You have already seen every house in full, from the attic to the bottom of the garden. You know the cost of the works and the price the neighbouring houses really sold for.
Once there, nothing comes as a surprise. You check your impression, you get a feel for the place, and you decide. On Sunday evening you go home with an offer made, not with a lost weekend.
What is included
The 7 commitments of the One Trip Programme
They are written into your search mandate, in black and white.
- I only suggest homes I have seen myself.You never travel for a surprise.
- A full video and a written report within 24 hours of each viewing.You decide quickly, ahead of other buyers.
- An estimate of the works before any offer.You know the real price, not just the asking price.
- A comparison with real local sales.Your offer is based on figures, not on a feeling.
- An update every week, even when there is nothing new.You always know where your search stands.
- I tell you when a home is too expensive, even if you like it.My job is for you to buy well, not to buy fast.
- If a home comes from my own sellers, I tell you in writing before the viewing.You always know who I am working for.
Fees
What it costs, and what it saves you
4 % of the purchase price, VAT included
with a minimum of €3,000 incl. VAT, paid by the buyer on the day of completion (signature of the final deed).
As French law requires, you pay nothing before the final deed is signed at the notary's. No deposit, no administration fee.
Don't compare this amount with an agency's fee. Compare it with the cost of a bad purchase:
- Every pointless return trip: two days, flights or fuel and tolls, a hire car and a hotel.
- A septic tank upgrade or a roof discovered after signing: commonly several thousand euros.
- A few points less in the negotiation because you did not know the local sale prices.
What you should know, honestly: when the home is sold through an agency, my fees come on top of theirs. It is a real cost, and I give you the figure before every offer. If the total does not fit your budget, we see it together before, not after. On a private sale, only my fees apply.
The programme is for you if:
- you live more than 3 hours' drive away, or abroad;
- you want to buy within the next 12 months;
- your financing is approved, or about to be;
- you prefer an honest opinion to one more viewing.
It is not for you if:
- you are looking outside the Corrèze part of the Dordogne valley and its surroundings;
- you want to view everything yourself, whatever happens;
- you are looking for the cheapest first, rather than the right purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Your questions, my honest answers
I don't have time to follow a search.
That is exactly the point. You read a 5-minute report and watch a video. Your only big moment is the final trip.
Your fees plus the agency's fees is a lot.
It is true when the home is listed with an agency, and I give you the figure before every offer. Put against it the weekends, the travel and the risk of buying a house whose defects you never saw. On private sales, only my fees apply.
My budget is small. Is it worth it?
That is what the assessment is for. If your budget does not allow your project in this area, or if the €3,000 minimum weighs too much, I tell you before any mandate, free of charge.
How do I know you are telling the truth about a property?
You see everything on video, unedited, and the report quotes its sources: recorded sales, surveys, quotes. And you keep the final say, on site.
I can find a house on my own online.
You can find a listing, yes. What you cannot do on your own from home is view it the same day, look at the roof and cost the works.
How long do I commit for?
The duration and the terms are written in the search mandate, which you read before signing. We discuss them during the call that follows the assessment.
I have already spotted a property.
Mention it in your message, with the link to the listing. It will be viewed and analysed like the others.
Do I need to speak French?
No. I work with you in English, and I explain the French documents that matter before you sign them. The notary's deeds are in French: if needed, an interpreter or a translation can be arranged for the signing.
Free assessment
Start with the assessment. It tells you straight away whether your project holds up.
Tell me about your project in a few lines: where you live, the area you are looking at, your budget, when you would like to buy, and any property you have already spotted. Within 72 hours you know what your budget really buys here, what your purchase will cost all in, and what the next steps are.
Your answers are only used to prepare your assessment and to contact you about your project. They are never passed on to third parties. You can ask for them to be deleted at any time: [email protected].
P.S. If you remember only one thing: with the One Trip Programme, you only travel for homes that have already been visited, filmed and costed. The assessment is free and with no commitment.
Would you rather talk? Book a video call with Ronald or call +33 7 59 67 02 90.