3rd to 6th May - Ceret

Today, Friday, we managed to get out on our first walk. The rain had stopped, and though it was still fairly cool and cloudy, it was really nice to walk an hour lap of one of our favourite routes. 

Canigou in the distance. There was no snow on it last week.

Spring irises

After a celebratory coffee at Le Comptoir we took ourselves off to the office of one of the notaires in town. A notaire is a neutral government-approved lawyer who sorts all the paperwork associated with buying and selling property. We had used this notaire's office before when buying and selling our first apartment in Place de l'Eglise and also buying in Place des Neuf Jets. They provided a great service then  so we are more than happy to use their services again. We now have an appointment to see Monsieur Frederic Llauze on Tuesday morning.

Most of the afternoon was given over to sorting through all of the paperwork we have accumulated during the last 10 years. Most of it, old invoices etc, could be heaved. The rest we should be able to dispose of once the apartment and car are both sold.

It was most welcome to receive an email this afternoon from the real estate agent we have chosen. She (Valerie) promptly came around at 4.30pm to have a look at the place and we had a good chat. We know her and she seems to know everyone in town, which is a good start. She also works with most other real estate agents in the Ceret and Perpignan and is happy to share fees if she finds a buyer through another agent. We hope to have a copy of her contract to sign soon, closely followed by a 'A Vendre' (For Sale) sign hanging off one of our balconies. 

Soon after Valerie left we trotted down one floor to the English couple who are currently in residence. They'd asked us for apero. It was pleasant to spend an hour chatting away over a bottle of bubbles.

Saturday dawned cloudy but a little warmer. We headed off on another our one hour walking routes, this time out into the countryside a little out of Ceret. 

Poppies in the fields

A few changes are apparent around town, but one of the big ones is that construction is underway on a very large 3-story retirement complex on the edge of town. We've since heard that the outgoing mayor bought the land near it before he left office and it has now been rezoned from agricultural to urban! He will be doing very well out of the changes.

The market was in full swing this morning. It was nice to check out some of our favourite stalls, e.g. for rocket, olives and apple strudel! We managed to find a spare seat at Le Comptoir to enjoy a coffee and watch the crowd. Ceret has won the vote for having the best market in the region and it is now competing for Best Market in France. 

Le Comptoir during the Saturday morning market

Diners are enjoying the intermittent sun in the square below us and the saxophonist is in full flow. It is very welcome to see the town brighter and more busy. Everyone is still dressed up in warm jackets and scarves but I did see someone wearing shorts today.

On Sunday morning we headed off on the Balcons de Ceret walk. It takes in the hills above Ceret, trails through forest, beside one of the water canals and returns to town. Giving us a good 1.5 hour workout, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Sunday afternoon, like Saturday, we opted to take it easy, though I'm enjoying some weights workouts.

View of Ceret from above

Canyoning in a narrow waterway above Ceret

We are keen to build up our fitness again so decided to ignore the threatening rain and do one of our 1 hour walks again this morning (Monday). The weather is proving so different from previous years. In the past it's typically been in the late 20s-mid 30s by now. Our highs have been around 16 degrees so far. The news shows the SE Asia and India currently have serious heatwaves, with temperatures in the mid-40s or higher. That definitely isn't the case here. However, the forecast for later this week is looking much warmer and sunnier, which is great.

At midday our real estate agent Valerie dropped by with our A Vendre sign. It is now soundly attached to one of our balcony railings. Surprisingly, it seems normal here that it you have signed a contract with a real estate agent, it is still an option to sell privately. If someone knocks on our door and wants to see that apartment we can show them through, and sell directly to them. We read this in our contract and our agent confirmed it. 

At 2pm a guy came around and spent the next 1.5 hours checking various things in our apartment, e.g. dimensions, checking all electrical points, paint samples for lead, our air conditioning units and so on. He was a lovely guy, very cheerful and friendly. He filled in all the appropriate papers to satisfy the requirements for a diagnostic report which is required to allow us to sell the property. He is emailing us an invoice for nearly 400Euros.

The rest of the afternoon was given over to finalising all the invoices we paid to the tradesmen who we employed on renovation work,  i.e. builder, plumber, electrician. These expenses, and only these, i.e. none of our own purchases or time spent on the apartment, can be written off against any profit we make selling the apartment. We will hand these documents to the notaire tomorrow morning.