So, you have decided where in France you want to buy a house, and considered all the pitfalls.

Heart in mouth you are poised to take the plunge into the French property market... so what forward planning can you do, what questions can you ask and what checks can you make to try to minimise the risk and ensure that your French adventure is as trouble free as possible?

• How much can you do yourself? Do you have the neccessary qualifications to enable you to do all the work you might need to do? e.g. can you certify electrical installations in France? However experienced you are you may not be able to do it yourself in all circumstances. Think also about the amount of time you can give on site both to renovation work and to project managing. If the reality is that you need to continue to work back at home to fund the project consider paying a professional project manager to do your nagging and chivvying for you. If you have an architect, they may be able to do this for you, but don't assume this is necessarily the ideal solution. An architect may be a creative visionary, but may not be a project manager of the first order. Ours was magnificent at focussing on the trivial and non-urgent. Thus we had some superb wood pannelling on the ceiling, and some 'industrial chic' light fittings long before we had hot water, or any heating. As with most things - you get what you pay for...

• Will you get Permission? Never assume you will be able to make the alterations you have envisaged - even if it would be standard practice at home, or if the next door property has already done the same. The French have a cheerful tendency to ignore the planning rules and face the consequences later. You may find that the local town hall are less 'laissez faire' about the approach of incomers to the planning rules. Estate agents may claim to have an insight into what is or is not acceptable, but of course they have a vested interest to tell you what you want to hear - their commission is riding on it! The best place to check is at the local mairie (villages) or hotel de ville (towns) as rules and regulations vary from place to place.
• Mortgages - Make sure you check the French mortgage position carefully. Many French lenders are reluctant to lend against a property which they consider uninhabitable. For example your rural idyll with no sanitation or access for cars or other vehicles, may have tremendous potential in your own imagination, but be a non-starter with the major lenders.

•  Grants - there any grants available for the type of work you want to do? Check this out NOW before you start the work, as you may find that it is impossible to apply retrospectively, or that had you done the work to a particular specification you would have qualified. Believe me, it is gutting to discover after the event that if only you had fitted mixer taps in the kitchen you could have got 20%+ off the total bill. Yes, it really can be that pedantic. For example - are you planning to let you home out for holiday accommodation? Grants are available from gites de france to set up holiday gites but you must apply before you start work, and you are then tied into letting the property through Gites de France for the next ten years. Other grants include Agence Nationale pour l'amelioration de l'habitat (ANAH) which is a grant to renovate older properties (over 20 years) and can be for up to 40% of the cost of the work. Again, apply before you start and brace yourself for French bureaucracy. Bon chance!

• Town Hall/Mairie - Whilst you are in there chatting about planning permission, you might just want to drop a few other things into conversation with your soon to be best friend Monsieur Le Maire... For example, no one else is going to check whether the property is subject to the 'loi de pre-emption' or the 'loi d'alignment'. These are a sort of compulsory purchase order which can lie dormant on properties for decades - worth knowing! Ask if your property is in a termite-contaminated zone too. If so, the vendor has to pay for a termite survey for you.

• Services - Check out what mains services currently exist at your property. Are there water, sewerage, electricity and/or gas and phone connections in place or available. If there is no mains sewerage, you will need to get yourself familiar with the joys of septic tanks! Some services are not available in rural areas, whilst others, if available may be costly to connect. Ask the neighbours what they do - you need to make friends anyway if you are buying the place, so start now with a cheerful introduction. You may be surprised how warm and welcoming they are. Many people would much rather an old wreck was redeveloped and loved, than live next to an empty property.

 Don't be put off.  We made a million mistakes so that you don't have to.

Bon chance et bon courage!