It’s all about the Benjamins

(Or whoever is on the 100-euro bill…)

Today we mark two boring but necessary milestones:

• Our “courtier” (bank liaison/mortgage search man) is officially on the hunt for our mortgage loan; and
• The realtor has received our bank transfer of the deposit, to be held in escrow between now and the official purchase/”acte de vente” (which should take place mid-December).

Now, we sit over here and bite our nails hoping to get good* mortgage offers! Also part of the waiting game: a more precise “devis” (estimate) from our builder on what the renovations will cost. We’re hoping to do the following without hitting six figures:

• Create a music – office combo space in one portion of the barn, between the enormous old doors;
• Create a guest apartment in a second part of the barn;
• Move the electrical fuse box (not glamorous, but it needs to be done);
• Insulate the attic, both to make any further reno easier and to stop the heat from bleeding out the roof; and
• Redo floors in the bedrooms.

We’re hoping (even though we’re reno rookies) to take on the wall treatments, removal of a couple of non-load-bearing walls, and possibly half a bathroom update ourselves. What’s the French number for 911?

_{*They’re almost guaranteed to be good – the average interest rate today on a French home loan is well below 2%.}