Testimonials

Dear Annelise

Bonsoir Frédéric,

Très heureux de cette issue... Et merci de votre accompagnement sur ce chemin de Ruines Hautes, qui n’a pas été des plus facile...
L’histoire de Ruines Hautes pour nous ne fait que commencer... Nous nous souhaitons longue vie dans ce lieu magique qui nous plaît beaucoup !
Nous serons très heureux de vous recevoir bientôt ... Vous serez toujours les bienvenue !

Bien à vous
Pascal & Maryse Castelle

(Good evening Frédéric,

Delighted about the outcome … And many thanks for your guidance on the way to ‘Ruines Hautes’, which has not been the most straightforward …
Our story in Ruines Hautes is just beginning … We hope to have a long life in this magical place we like so much !
We would be very happy to see you here soon … you are always most welcome !)

We have used AB Real Estate for estate agency purposes and Liberte–France for property management services. We have been very happy on both counts.

In our experience AB Real Estate is the only agent in the overcrowded Languedoc estate agency market that takes the time to fully understand their clients’ requirements. Unlike most agents, Annelise only showed us properties that we were actually interested in. She has a tremendous knowledge of the area and was able to identify and make sense of inconsistent pricing and other market discrepancies. Annelise is particularly well versed in the higher end of the residential real estate market and has access to a plethora of both buyers and sellers. Should we ever decide to sell our current house, we will definitely engage Annelise to advise us on the sale.

Kind regards,
Bonnie & Robin

Dear Annelise,

Your eye for details, accuracy, devotion, knowledge and integrity; all this makes the difference.

With many thanks,

Martin Rudelsheim

Having recently purchased an 11th Century Chateau with the assistance of AB Real Estate, we would like to extend our appreciation with this testimonial to highlight their professionalism and commitment throughout the sale process.

From the onset we were dealt with as individuals and our brief was clearly understood and followed. All viewings and follow ups were accurately planned and the service after the sale of the property has been outstanding. AB Real Estate has gone beyond what we would have expected from a typical real estate agent and we appreciate all their dedication and precision throughout the process.

We would highly recommend Annelise and her team and would not hesitate to use them again in the future.

Selina Smyth & Billy Daly

Dear Annelise

I would like to thank you and all of your team for the excellent service we have received from AB Real Estate. You and your staff are most efficient, professional and able to deal with so many different languages.

As you are aware we have experience of other immobiliers and your company has impressed us in every aspect of our dealings. I have no hesitation in recommending you to other sellers and buyers.

Regards
Roger Billing

You really can't do this whole 'buying a house in the south of France' by yourself. Oh, you might think you can and you might even think your French is up to it but the realities are very different. From realising that the language you learnt bears no relationship to the language the locals speak to understanding the rules, regulations, niceties and nuances of house buying are not the same as in the UK. Thankfully we didn't have to learn all this the hard way because we understood how difficult it could potentialy be and instead managed to bypass all of those worries by getting Annelise to do the worrying for us!

From our first meeting and the unexpected surprise of visiting a house that had just come onto the market that day, she has held our hands and helped with everything. In particular she walked the tricky path between an increasingly disgruntled vendor and us, the increasingly disgruntled buyers, due to the delays by the French mortgage company. She managed this difficult balancing act superbly and I am please to say both sides have become friends - especially important as we now live in the same village!

I don't know how many phone-calls, texts and emails she has dealt with but it has all been done efficiently, rapidly and with a full explanation of the whys and wherefores of the French house buying system. From chatting up the mayor so that he would let us put in a pool, to sorting out the last minute need for house insurance, Annelise has dealt with it all.

And we are now the proud owners of the perfect house in the most perfect part of France.

Annelise - we couldn't have done it without you. Thanks.

Richard and Sarah

Dear Annelise,

Thank you for the email. I think the ad looks great.

I am very impressed at the quality of your service. Very professional - the best I have had from an agent.
Let's hope it gets results!

Penny Powell

To all sellers

Having decided to sell our prestigeous villa, I instructed several specialist estate agents including AB Real Estate. I found this agency to be the most proactive and professional, they were there throughout the entire selling process, and in spite of the current economic crisis, it was AB Real Estate who found a buyer thanks to their excellent client database.

We recommend the services of this agency to you.

Regards,

Mr and Mrs Carbonnelle

Aux vendeurs

En tant que vendeur d’une villa de grand standing, j’ai mandaté plusieurs agences spécialisées dont AB Real Estate. Il s’est trouvé que c’était cette agence qui s’est montrée la plus active et professionnelle, présente pendant tout le processus de la vente, malgré la crise immobilière qui sévit la société AB Réal Estate a pu me trouver un acheteur et cela grâce à son important fichier clients.

Nous vous recommandons les services de cette agence.

Nos salutations

Mr et Mme CARBONNELLE

Dear Annelise

We are now back home in Bermuda missing our home in France. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was having you as our real estate agent. You are amazing and took all of the hard out of buying our home. From the moment we talked to you on the telephone and then the care you took in showing us our house and organizing more properties for us to see just to make sure we were making the right choice.

We love the house so much. Thank you so much for directing us in purchasing furniture etc. The day we exchanged contracts could have been quite stressful but you made that so easy as well by providing us with a notaire who spoke English and had our interests at heart.

The plans for the kitchen were sent to us this morning and they are fantastic. Again a huge thank you for giving up your weekend to take us to Beziers but also for introducing us to a fabulous firm of professionals.

I cannot recommend AB Real Estate high enough and if anyone is looking to buy a house in France this is the agency they need to go to.

We have not only bought a house but have made a very good friend who is one of the most knowledgeable professional people I have ever met -Annelise.

Thank you so much for everything. It was such an absolute pleasure.

Debbie and Michael Jones

Dear Annelise,

We have had the Completion on the sale confirmed by Isabelle and have to tell you we are absolutely thrilled and not a bit relieved!

You did say you had a good feeling about it, and you were proved right, thank goodness.

I have just sent a mail to karl to thank him for all his efforts on our behalf and would of course like to extend the same to you and all the team for making this happen.

You have, I know, gone way above the usual demands to make sure we were successful and in turn this has delivered us from a very serious crisis and will allow us to move forward again with our new project.

We sincerely hope you realise how much we appreciate it.

I'm sorry we were not able to come down in person and meet you, but you never know if things improve we may yet own a house in France again one day, and yours would certainly be the only agency we would consider using!

Thankyou once more, to you and all the team, and we wish you every business success too.

With our very best wishes

Leye

Hi Annelise

We have nothing but praise for you and your staff as you all have made the whole buying process in France painless and trouble free. Throughout every step of the way we always knew that you had our best interest at heart. The fact that you speak fluent English helped us immensely and you went out of your way to request a Notaire who was also fluent in English making the process so straight forward and easy. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you and we would have no hesitation with recommending you to our friends and colleagues.

We have seen the information on the Chateau development which looks wonderful - very high spec which is what we expected from professionals such as yourselves. Once we have had a chance to read it properly we will come back with any questions. In the meantime Nigel will send you the details of our French bank account to arrange the water/electricity etc.

Once again many thanks

Kind regards

Jackie and Nigel

I bought a large property through AB real estate in 2008. As a development project, it was a complicated transaction, with lots of moving parts, but Annelise and her team were absolutely fantastic throughout - taking real care to ensure a smooth process from start to finish. The attention to detail, client care, and willingness to go the extra mile have made an enormous difference to the project.

Karl O'Hanlon
Managing Director
Domaine & Demeure

Dear Annelise

I just wanted to thank you for your invaluable help and support during our weekend in Beziers.

You were just fantastic in the way that you quickly understood what we were looking for and directed us to the right properties and unlike many estate agents in the UK you were forthright and honest about the properties we visited, listing their weaknesses and strengths.

Nothing was too much trouble, from driving all around the area just so we could get a feel of the different towns to going home and coming back to our hotel with an adapter when I managed to leave mine back at home.

As you are aware we are seriously considering purchasing one of the properties you presented to us and will be formally in touch in due course. But whatever decision we make I can honesty say that as a buyer who has purchased nine properties over the last ten years you were the most genuine and helpful agent I have had the pleasure in dealing with and I would and will unreservedly recommend you to any one looking to buy in this region.

Many thanks

Carl and Agnes

Hi Annelise

I'm sorry not to have replied sooner, but since we returned it has been a hectic time, particularly at work. We are still interested in continuing with our search, however I'm afraid that we may not be able to return for a couple more weeks at least. Only problem is that we have been awarded some large projects now and my time is again somewhat limited.

I meant to write to you to give you some feedback on the properties we saw with you.

May I also say that meeting you was a pleasure for both Michael and I and we thoroughly appreciated all the very kind assistance you offered. A massive thank you for taking us around and for giving us the insight into the area that was invaluable. Without your help we would not have been able to achieve so much in such a short time. We have also told everyone how helpful you were.

We'll be in touch as soon as I know what we are doing.

Best

David and Michael

Dear Annelise,

I can't thank you enough for all the help you have given. I must admit that I thought at the beginning that you were the least interested agent of all of them! You brought no one to visit the house! Suzanna said "Wait. You'll see. Annelise doesn't waste her time, or yours". I thought, "Rubbish!", if you had a real enthusiasm for the house, you would ignite them all. I was so wrong. Other agents brought people who wanted vines, or who wanted to live in the suburbs, or who wanted to keep horses. In the end you spotted the people who could, like me, fall in love with the wild beauty of the place, and through thick and thin, you pulled it off.

What an achievement! I realised that they had stuck with it partly because you were helping them so much. It wasn't Blarney when you said that you would see them in and fix them up with builders and insurance and all those awful things that make moving so stressful, and you are still there for them, long after the sale. I was envious, remembering how hard it had been for me, on my own in France with a house I was sure would burn down on the first day. It was upsetting in a way, because I realised that with your help, I would never have been in this absurd position. If you had been there at the start, we would never have had our terrible boundary problems, which you resolved in your determined way, within a few weeks, absolutely calm while I went up in flames about the outrageous demands and last minute volte faces. You must have been equally diplomatic with the buyers. I can't imagine how you held the line! Anyway, there they are now, having a lovely Summer, and I am wishing I was sitting on the terrace instead.

Thank you again. I hope we can keep in touch, because I have such a love for the place and because I think you will always have something interesting to say about what's going on there.

Yours,

Fiona Murphy

Dear Annelise

I just wanted to write a quick thank-you for your help in purchasing the house. You have made life very easy for me, even France Telecom had changed the telephone number when I arrived back on the Friday.

I managed to move a few things into the house and at least I could watch the television and drink a glass of wine to celebrate. I have sent M. and Mme. Ch... some flowers to thank them for their help.

I have driven over 2500km in 3 days so I am tired and I am sure will speak soon.

Thanks once again

Stephen

PS The restaurant was excellent

Good evening Sylvia

We had a good return journey although the temperature in the centre of France was very low! It was exceptionally cold - near to -10 degrees near Clermont Ferrand and by the time we reached the Pas de Calais on Sunday it was snowing.

We do like the house in Portiragnes very much but would like some further information if it is possible. Annelise said that she would provide us with room measurements if we wanted them. We would like this and would like a floor or ground plan too. The floor plan does not need to be drawn to scale but if it is possible to include the measurements and positions of cupboards , windows and doors then we can draw an accurate plan ourselves.

Also Annelise did say that she would let us have information about English speakers who could do a survey for us and an English speaking notaire. If you could let us have those details we would be pleased.

Finally I would like to thank you for your very swift and helpful responses to our e-mails and would ask that you thank Annelise for us. We enjoyed visiting the properties with her; she was friendly, informative and helpful.

We do hope that you can provide us with the information we need.

We hope to hear from you again soon.

With best wishes,

Gillian and James Platt