The Creator of all things has a clear statement of his promises to us ,”Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my word will never go unfulfilled” and one of conditions under which we may benefit by these unchanging promise is to continually acknowledge and express our thanks to Him for those riches that He has bestowed upon us, those gifts that may look or appear inconsequential or trivial to us at time of receiving them simply because they are not of nature of riches that we had asked for from Him at that point of our need.

It is very impressive to recognize that such riches that He has bestowed on us at that point in time are most needed by us for attainment of our major purposes in life, riches that would act as stepping stone to other riches that we so much desire. It is also less impressive to observe that most of us are not conscious of presence of these riches in our lives after we have received them.

They constitute an inventory of riches that cannot be bought in open market because they are not for sale. Riches should not only be represented in our thoughts by bank balances and material things in our possession. We should also have in mind riches of Sound Physical Health, Protection, The Capacity for Faith, Harmony in Home Relationships and The Hope of Achievements etc.

These riches are from Creator of all things and are distributed to us by Him not because we are qualified to receive them, but because of His Amazing Grace which qualifies us to enjoy full benefit of having Him as an Almighty Father.

The attitude of thanksgiving is natural in it’s development. It is one attribute whose possession illuminates every page of human life.And It serves as highest form of our expression of desire to Creator of all things. It is one that we should ascribe great importance to because it helps us to think, move and live in an atmosphere of affirmative terms of riches mentioned above and it guides us unerringly to attainment of such riches. It is a real motivation.

The psalmist once said, “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart”. At this point in time he was aware of fact that his expression of thanks to Creator of all things for riches already bestowed on him would serve as starting point of his coming in contact with other riches that he would find in Creator’s court. Riches that abound so much.

Thanksgiving, should therefore be a responsibility we owe Creator in return for riches that he has given to us, taking into consideration fact that fulfillment of this act is an assured reliance on Creator’s Mercies and Grace, which gives our faith wings to fly and soar so high, aiming for miracle that is our desire. A miracle only Him would make possible.

Finding right property

You may have already decided on a specific area or you may have a French region in mind, having been there on holiday for example. Finding a property in France is a similar process to that in other countries. There are many estate agents in France (agents immobiliers) who will put you in touch with people selling property. Alternatively, there are estate agents in UK, for example, who have details on French properties. There are also many specialist magazines available for people interested in French way of life. These publications offer useful contacts and property advertisements.

Many home buyers are attracted by fact that property prices in France appear to be lower than abroad. There are reasons for this and before you start you should be aware of following points:

• French domestic property is not usually bought as an investment. Apart from some very fashionable or highly sought after areas, prices usually rise in line with inflation. Therefore, you would need to own a home for at least three years to recover high fees associated with buying, even before considering maintenance or improvement costs. • France has a similar population to UK but is three times size. There is therefore less pressure on land and hence lower prices. • That isolated farm cottage set between vineyards and a stream may require major renovation. It might not have same appeal to a French family, hence lower price and you should consider possible difficulties of resale in years to come.

Initial agreement to purchase a property

Having found a suitable property, you will negotiate and enter into an initial agreement with vendor. This agreement is called a ‘Compromis de Vente’ or ‘Contrat de réservation’ and is a binding contract between buyer and seller which sets out terms and price of sale.

For new properties being built most common contract is a ‘contract de reservation’ (a reservation contract). There are various other contracts such as a promise to purchase (promesse d’achat), an exchange of letters (l’échange de lettres) and an offer of sale (l’offre de vente), all of which offer little protection to buyer, and generally should be avoided. The preliminary contract will include a full description of property, latest date by which completion must take place, price, any escape clauses and identity of both vendor and purchaser. The preliminary contract can be signed either at notaire’s office or at estate agency.

If you are making a purchase with a mortgage, you should at least instruct notaire/estate agent to make your purchase conditional upon obtaining a mortgage: ‘conditions suspensives’. This will offer you further protection under French Consumer Law. Upon signing this preliminary agreement purchaser has to place a deposit with notaire, which is normally 10% of purchase price and will be deducted from sale price. The property is then taken off market. It is better to think of this deposit as a payment on account or a penalty for breaking contract. Having said this, a law passed on 1 June 2000 does grant you a seven-day cooling off period during which time you can withdraw from agreement. * Stamp Duty and registration fees will need to be paid at completion when agreement will be filed at notaire’s office. As a guideline, notaire’s fees, Stamp Duty and Registration fees will add up to around 6% to 8% of purchase price for existing properties. For new properties they will amount to around 2% to 4% of purchase price. As French tax and succession regimes are different from many other countries, to ensure tax efficiency and problem free transfers on death you may wish to consider instructing a solicitor based in your home country to advise you.

By law, purchaser can insert clauses into agreement. The seller, of course, has to agree to these.