Full time through winter in search of new life

[dawsey]

I m just so hoping you take this project over in September when we are nearby.

Youve sold me on coming

Despite all I have relentlessly said about the negatives ? You’re not sone sort of masochist are you?.

Sorry but it’s unlikely, the site will be closed in September prior to transfer of ownership and we won’t be opening until April at the very earliest. I have this habit of overestimating what’s possible so we might not open until June especially if we have to rely on French labour. We have to find sone hard grafting Poles and Hungarians who would like to learn French….

 

[Nanniemate]

Can you not welcome free visitors in exchange for a few hours graft or is it in the licence that you have to close

 

[suavecarve]

Despite all I have relentlessly said about the negatives ? You’re not sone sort of masochist are you?.

Sorry but it’s unlikely, the site will be closed in September prior to transfer of ownership and we won’t be opening until April at the very earliest. I have this habit of overestimating what’s possible so we might not open until June especially if we have to rely on French labour. We have to find sone hard grafting Poles and Hungarians who would like to learn French….

I want to see the bad and in 5 years tell people "I was there"

Its been like supporting Newcastle for 50 years

 

[dawsey]

Can you not welcome free visitors in exchange for a few hours graft or is it in the licence that you have to close

Yes we can. But the site wont be ‘officially’ open, so no cafe, grocery (not that there’s much more than pizza anyway), no sanitary blocks/showers from November as we have to turn off water (but still electric and black disposal possible), and water at the main house. It can still function as an aire de camping car.

 

[Just smiffy]

Yes we can. But the site wont be ‘officially’ open, so no cafe, grocery (not that there’s much more than pizza anyway), no sanitary blocks/showers from November as we have to turn off water (but still electric and black disposal possible), and water at the main house. It can still function as an aire de camping car.

All I’ll need is probably water…

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[dawsey]

We were cutting some huge ivy that is slowly killing the walnut trees on the boundary this afternoon (wish I had my chainsaw). Some elderly local neighbours of the site came by and told us of the times when a priest from a neighbouring parish would come to the site to do a service for the villagers once a year. He could visit by the secret network of mediaeval escape tunnels (from the English…) that run for km’s and link key locations in the area. He could just appear in the site as if by magic. It’s one of the many super cool things about this place.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

I’ll need is probably water

And Beer

 

[Winger]

I’m not sold on France but I am intrigued!
You know what you’re doing so keep at it and I’m convinced it will be very successful.
I might even make an exception and go your way just to say well done

 

[corconx]

I’m trying to get my husband interested in your Hymer. You never know

 

[Figaro]

Despite all I have relentlessly said about the negatives ? You’re not sone sort of masochist are you?.

Sorry but it’s unlikely, the site will be closed in September prior to transfer of ownership and we won’t be opening until April at the very earliest. I have this habit of overestimating what’s possible so we might not open until June especially if we have to rely on French labour. We have to find sone hard grafting Poles and Hungarians who would like to learn French….

I hope you'll be able to start a new thread and document renovations of the site to share with us ?

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[corconx]

Isn’t it best to keep it together

 

[Minxy]

Despite all I have relentlessly said about the negatives ? You’re not sone sort of masochist are you?.

He's got a thing about hoses so it's the thought of being able to be let loose with one that's drawing him in!

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

All sounds like a good plan to me I have built new builds and taken on old houses to gut and refurbish and you also think why did I do it but once you get a plan in your head and crack on it normally comes good.

You have a bit of a task but unlike refurbishing houses you can still get an income from the pitches and then that will increase when the rentals vans are finished.

Sort of thing I would have loved to do 10-15 years ago and I hope it all goes well, obviously French labour and paperwork seem to be your biggest enemy everything else is pretty straightforward

 

[dawsey]

I’m not sold on France but I am intrigued!
You know what you’re doing so keep at it and I’m convinced it will be very successful.
I might even make an exception and go your way just to say well done

Thanks for that, as with everyone else, we hope to be able to welcome you one day

 

[corconx]

I like it when people who have done similar things give you support as I suspect many of us probably wouldn’t take it on. But boy I so wish you hope and a better exchange and bank rate coming forward. Just to give you those funds you need

carol

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[dawsey]

I’m trying to get my husband interested in your Hymer. You never know

Ha, Don’t worry, I know it will sell when I’m ready to put the world’s most detailed camper van advert on autotrader or Ebay. Worst case I will have to fetch it back to the UK for potential buyers to have a look.

There are many who will quickly see that theres probably more money in all the added stuff than the camper itself

 

[dawsey]

Isn’t it best to keep it together

I hope you'll be able to start a new thread and document renovations of the site to share with us ?

Isn’t it best to keep it together

We will likely have a facebook page and a website so that’s going to become the principal forums where progress would be charted. We will need to attract visitors from day one so a whole different side of the place will be presented. In this little blog I have focussed on the negatives of the selected purchase, all the myriad stuff that needs sorting out. We can’t do that if we want to attract visitors

 

[corconx]

I already realised that. Husbands want is automatic. We’ve had only autos for well over 25 years although both have normal licences but …. I’m certain you will sell it.
carol

 

[dawsey]

Sort of thing I would have loved to do 10-15 years ago and I hope it all goes well, obviously French labour and paperwork seem to be your biggest enemy everything else is pretty straightforward

Yeah, I did a small place, then a 4 bed house, then Bea and I did an 18th century coach house and stable (see earlier pic). We are well aware of the necessity of ‘double it, then double it again’ approach to budgeting for stuff. It’s why we are here on-site all through the summer, as it takes time to properly assess and work out where to focus effort and money to get maximum bang per buck in short, medium and long term and not waste money rushing to do stuff that is pointless and later regretted.

 

[dawsey]

I already realised that. Husbands want is automatic. We’ve had only autos for well over 25 years although both have normal licences but …. I’m certain you will sell it.
carol

Yeah, an auto box does make a lot of sense in a camper. It’s funny how for some stuff an auto box is perfect, while for other stuff you think “what were they thinking?”. The year before last I spent a fortune in time and money converting my classic car from an awful old 1970’s 3-speed auto to a modern manual - I’m now dreading trying to register it in France as they are sticklers for originality. More wonderful French beaurocracy to navigate..

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[Just smiffy]

It’s why we are here on-site all through the summer,

Are you getting a discount on your pitch….

 

[dawsey]

Are you getting a discount on your pitch….

Yes, 100% discount

 

[corconx]

Yes, 100% discount

Only for working though!!!

 

[dawsey]

Only for working though!!!
No work for the owners. We are only doing bits of stuff that will benefit us, like giving us a head start on some of the gardening. Worst case we can’t get cheap enough finance and the owner has a bit of free ivy clearance.

 

[Carpmart]

From your post above, it seems that you can then, despite having exchanged, under certain conditions, pull back, withdraw, not complete on this deal...? You cite, if the finance doesn't work out as one... I have to say, I am pleased to hear this...

You've built a significant empathy and engagement for your situation amongst the Fun community. I think a large proportion probably share my concern of the probability of turning this around, in a timeframe that is conducive to service the debt you're taking on, seems to us 'outsiders' (yet based on your posts) as unlikely.

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[dawsey]

From your post above, it seems that you can then, despite having exchanged, under certain conditions, pull back, withdraw, not complete on this deal...? You cite, if the finance doesn't work out as one... I have to say, I am pleased to hear this...

You've built a significant empathy and engagement for your situation amongst the Fun community. I think a large proportion probably share my concern of the probability of turning this around, in a timeframe that is conducive to service the debt you're taking on, seems to us 'outsiders' (yet based on your posts) as unlikely.

We can withdraw if the finance offers, assuming we get some, come in above 3.75% interest post ‘negotiation’ if any is possible. We are expecting the first formal written offers from two of the banks this week. We have been repeatedly warned that below 4%, easily achievable just 6 months ago, is looking less and less likely.

But we are not going to withdraw. We will get what we will get, and refinance later if ECB rates come back down.

We will try to adjust prices if possible, take some hit ourselves, and sell other assets to be able to invest, as already outlined.

Was anything worthwhile ever easy?

 

[chaser]

From your post above, it seems that you can then, despite having exchanged, under certain conditions, pull back, withdraw, not complete on this deal...? You cite, if the finance doesn't work out as one... I have to say, I am pleased to hear this...

You've built a significant empathy and engagement for your situation amongst the Fun community. I think a large proportion probably share my concern of the probability of turning this around, in a timeframe that is conducive to service the debt you're taking on, seems to us 'outsiders' (yet based on your posts) as unlikely.

Fully agree but have give up on it , fed up of getting taken the piss of for trying to help.

 

[dawsey]

Fully agree but have give up on it , fed up of getting taken the piss of for trying to help.

Hey Chaser, hope u don’t think I’ve taken the piss. If so, apologies, absolutely not the intent. If we go bankrupt you have 1st dibs on ‘told you so’

 

[chaser]

Hey Chaser, hope u don’t think I’ve taken the piss. If so, apologies, absolutely not the intent. If we go bankrupt you have 1st dibs on ‘told you so’

No intention of telling you I told you so , just trying to stop you in the first place.
If the whole venture relies on interest rates going down, I dread to think what happens when they go up.
There you have got me hooked again now when I had told myself to leave it alone.

 

[dawsey]

More face to face meetings with two of the banks have happened this week. We were expecting offers (as had been communicated) but they didn’t happen. They just asked more questions and told us the offer would be early next week. It’s likely because the European Central Bank base rate decision is this week (it is today), and they are going to raise the base rate again, this time from 4.25 to 4.5%. It will be the second raise since we signed the compromis de vent (exchanged) and the third since we finalised the financial planning and business cases.

We are now expecting the formal offers will be in the 4.5-4.8% range. A full 30% increase in the cost of debt servicing.

Also had an outline estimate of the cost to pay a contractor to fully eradicate the stink tree infestation over 2 years, €100,000. We hadn’t considered that…

While the camping pitches are typically 60-80% utilised this year, the rentals (static caravans etc) are not doing well at all this year, we estimate down 50% on last year, they seem to us to be running about 25-30% capacity - in late July, which should be the peak of the peak season. It certainly looks like the ‘covid campers’ have all gone back to where they used to holiday.

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