If you are buying a second home in France, you will need to ensure that you have your finances sorted from many different aspects. You will usually be arranging the whole process from afar and in a different currency so you do not want to leave anything to chance.

Once you have your French mortgage in principle approved you can start hunting for a place, but make sure that you have calculated enough to cover all the expenses that you might need such as the notaires expenses.

You will also need to set up a French bank account and this you will need to do in person, so leave plenty of time in the process to get this all arranged. Make sure that you always leave enough Euros in the account for any unexpected bills or direct debits.

You will no doubt have a deposit towards the property and probably in sterling, so think ahead on the best time to convert it, as this can make a lot of difference to its value.

If the exchange rate is strong you may want to convert ahead and leave it in your French account, or you can pre-book the transaction at an agreed exchange rate. What you must do though is to shop around for the best exchange rate and be prepared to bargain in order to ensure that you get the best value for YOUR money.