| |
|
|
|
|
|
How to Buy and Restore a House or
Riad in
Fez: Real Estate in the Medina
This page is to give advice to those considering the purchase and
restoration of a traditional medina house or riad, to encourage them to do so, and hopefully
to help them avoid some of the mistakes others have made. Please feel free
to contact me if you're in Fez and would like to discuss any of the
matters below. (N.B.: much of the info below is now out of date)
First of all, why buy a house in Fez? The Fez medina is the best
preserved medieval medina in the world, yet its architectural heritage is
in serious danger. Many of the people living in the 9,000 traditional
houses don't have the means to restore or maintain them. Our hope is that,
at least in the case of the more important houses, Moroccans and
foreigners with the means to restore these houses correctly would do so,
either to live in them, or as a holiday home or investment property. About
one-hundred houses have been restored in the past eight years, half by foreigners
and half by Moroccans. This is a much healthier situation than in some
other Moroccan cities, where most of the restoration has been done by
foreigners. Gentrification of the medina is not at all the goal, but
rather a healthy socio-economic mix as there was in Fez in the past. It
used to be that there were middle-class, working-class, poor, and rich
people all living together in the medina, but in the past forty years the
wealthier people of Fez have moved to the Ville Nouvelle or to Casablanca
and Rabat. If only two to five percent of the traditional houses in the
medina were restored by those with some political and financial influence,
it would make a huge difference and would contribute to the overall
preservation of the medina.
Another reason to buy a house in Fez is because it's one of the few
cities in the world where it's possible to own a magnificent traditional
house for the price of a modest (or not so modest!) car. Traditional courtyard houses start at
around $20,000, and most cost between $25,000 and $90,000. A riad, a house
with a garden and fruit trees in the center, costs between $80,000 and
$200,000. In this price range you can also buy a very grand "dar",
virtually a small palace, but without a garden. Generally a house without
a garden is a better value, since riads are rare and highly sought-after.
Fez is also one of the few places in the Islamic world where foreigners
can live comfortably and safely in the old quarter of the city. I've lived
in the medina for over nine years, and it has been a wonderful
experience. At no point have I felt threatened, and find the people here
friendly and hospitable, even at times when there have been good reasons
for hostility against foreigners. Moroccans are gifted with the ability to
distinguish between the individual and his or her government's acts or
policies. Recently my phone was stolen (during Ramadan!), right out
of my hand as I was talking, but I have to say the thief was quite gentle
and discreet.
Is a house in Fez a good investment? I think it is, but I would say you
should buy and restore a house primarily as a labor of love, with the
expectation that you will at least not lose money if you need to sell it.
Official estimates claim that the value of prices in the Fez medina are
going up 15% per year, but in some cases it's been much more. I'm aware of
four houses that were bought and sold in recent years: one was bought for
$9,000 and sold for $20,000, one for $10,000 and sold for $30,000 (and now
just sold again for $129,000!!), one for
$18,000 and sold for $45,000, and one
for $40,000 and sold for $220,000. It does seem that prices are
going up very quickly in the past year, as there have been many articles
and TV shows about Fez houses, as well as the creation of new foreign real
estate agencies. It's still possible to find a bargain, but it's not
as easy as it was two or three years ago. In the past few weeks (as
of September 2007) friends have found good small houses for $23,000-30,000. But to get such bargains you have to be willing to kiss--or
at least look at--lots of frogs!
It's good to note here that there's a
local market and an international market. The key is to buy well in the
local market from someone who intends to sell their house to a Moroccan
for a "normal" price, and not from someone who understands that
uninformed foreigners might pay significantly more. It's also prudent to
buy at the low end of the market, since there's far less risk. If you're
investing around $20,000, it is easy to find a Moroccan or foreigner who
would be able to buy your house if you needed to sell. If you buy a house
for $100,000 and wanted to resell it, there are far fewer potential
buyers, which could mean waiting a while to sell your house.
If you're bringing foreign currency into Morocco to buy a house, it is
possible for you to export the original funds plus any increase in value
upon reselling the house, but it is critical that you bring the funds into
the country legally through a convertible bank account and fill out the
appropriate documents within six months of purchase. It's also
possible that you could sell the house to someone who would be able to
give you a check in foreign currency, in which case the documentation
would be less critical. If you are buying a house to make a business, you
should visit the Regional Center for Investment, where you can get
excellent advice about how to set up a business in Fez. You should
be aware that there's a proposed new law for those who want to turn a traditional
house into a guest house or maison d'hotes. The law specifies that
there should be three rooms, as well as other requirements. It does
not seem necessary to meet all the requirements specified in the law
(mini-bar?!!),
but it's good to keep in mind while considering what kind of house to
buy. If you don't want to have such a large house, it may also be possible to get a license to rent rooms, or to rent the house as a whole,
which is what I do with Dar Bennis. Jenny Barnard and Jonathan Green
have kindly translated the new rules
for the different categories of maison d'hotes and guest houses in Fes.
Note that these new rules are not yet in effect (September, 2006).
The current rules require a minimum of five rooms, but hopefully that will
change very soon.
How can you find a house to buy? I would strongly advise going with an
agent, called a "simsaar", and ideally with one who is
recommended. And even then, you need to keep your wits about you and
not be too trusting. Caveat emptor!! A good agent knows which houses have clear ownership
and will be relatively easy to buy. Because many simsaars don't
speak English or French, you may want to hire someone to help translate.
Be very careful in choosing someone to help you, since
choosing the wrong "helper" can result in your paying a much higher price.
A simsaar charges 2.5% if you buy, and some ask for 20
dirhams per house you see as an advance/tip. Because a simsaar can
go months without a sale, I would advise giving an advance of about 50
dirhams per half day that will be subtracted from the 2.5% commission if
you find a house to buy; this will help keep the agent patient with those
of us who need days or weeks of looking before making a decision. A
new fashion is to ask foreign buyers to pay 5%, both the buyer and the
seller's share of the commission. This is totally
unacceptable. 2.5% is quite fair, as many Moroccans would pay
less. If the seller doesn't want to pay the simsaar, that's not your
problem. Under no circumstances should you give a deposit for a
house directly to the simsaar or owner without everything being properly
documented by an adoul or notaire.
It's also a good idea to ask
people you meet if they know of houses for sale, since some people sell
their house via word of mouth and not through a simsaar to avoid the
commission. When you go with a simsaar, it's a good idea to keep detailed
notes along the way, since things get very confusing after you've seen ten
houses. I prefer to know something about a house before I see it, and ask
the price beforehand. Beware of people who insist that you have to see a
house before you hear the price. You should also make it very clear to the
simsaar what your price range is and what kind of house you're looking
for. If the simsaar seems to be showing you houses quite different
from what you said you're looking for, best to look for another simsaar.
If your limit is $30,000, it's a good idea to tell the simsaar you
want to see houses between $15,000 and $25,000 and see what he comes up
with. If he knows you'll pay $30,000, you may not see a wonderful house
that's $24,000. Or else you might see that house but with an inflated
price. If you are told the "real" price in the beginning, you
should be aware that prices with houses are not like prices in a carpet
shop; the owners may be willing to accept less, but not much less. I've
bought four houses, and in only one case would they accept less than the
asking price, and then only 10% less. And in four cases I know of the
owners accepted to sell for one price, and then they changed their mind
and wanted more! There was a lovely little house I had decided to buy, for
which they were asking $18,000 and accepted to sell for $16,000, which was
my limit. Then they decided they wanted $17,000, so I looked around and
found a better house for $16,000, and five years later their house is
still on the market!!
In determining which kind of house to look for and purchase, there are
several matters to consider: location, age, size, architectural value,
condition, view from the terrace, riad versus dar, clear "title"
and ownership, and the cost of purchase and restoration.
Concerning location, one of the first questions is how close to parking
you want to be. If it's very close to parking, a house will be much more
expensive, newer, and usually less interesting architecturally. Many
people have the idea that it's necessary to be very close to parking, but
the better values and more interesting houses and neighborhoods are a five
or ten-minute walk into the medina. It is important, however, to make sure
the area feels safe in the evening. I make a point of asking as many
people as possible about the neighborhood and street in question, and go
there several times at night to see how it feels. It's important to ask
people who live in the medina, since Ville Nouvellians tend to think that
any place other than Batha is dangerous.
In terms of age, you need to decide whether you want a older house,
generally 17th to 19th century, or a "neotraditional" house from
the early 20th century. Older houses are more interesting, but generally
need more restoration and are deeper in the medina. Note too that the age
of a medina house is often hard to determine. There is often a date on the
plaster above one of the main salon doors, but this is the date in the
Islamic calendar of when that plaster was completed and generally has
nothing to do with when the house was built. It's also normal for doors,
beams, carved plaster, and zellij to be replaced every one to two hundred
years, which means that a seven-hundred-year-old house sometimes looks
like it's 19th century.
The size of the house really depends on your needs and taste. If you
plan to make a maison d'hotes or guest house, you probably need at least
five large salons. If you want it just for yourself, smaller may be
better. These days small houses are still a very good value, but larger
houses that are "maison-d'hotes-able" tend to be very expensive,
since the owners are hoping for a rich foreign investor. And of course the
restoration of a smaller house will be easier and less expensive. Also
consider a "massreiyya", which was originally the guest house
attached to a larger house. These are often perfect for a couple or small
family and cost between $10,000 and $25,000. But make sure the front door
and terrace are not shared, since negotiating with neighbors over common
space is no fun. It's also quite normal for parts of one house to be built
on top of another, but it's better to know that before you buy! In the
case of Dar Bennis, the neighbors' entrance goes under the bathroom of my
house. And with my new house the neighbors' main salon is above part of my
house, and my upstairs salon is above theirs, but I didn't realize this
until after I had bought it. The reason for this strange situation is that
originally several houses belonged to one family, but were later sold
separately.
The artistic and architectural value of a house is a strange factor
because there is often no connection between the price and artistic or
architectural interest of the house. Generally price is based on size and
location, which sometimes means you can get an amazing small or
medium-sized house for a very modest price. To get a sense of the range of
architectural merit, you need to spend some time and train your eye, since
in the beginning all handmade zellij and carved plaster looks wonderful,
but there are vast differences in quality. With zellij look for very small
joins between the pieces, and in general smaller pieces are better. If
some of the color is worn off the zellij, this is a sign of its age, and
is a good thing. With painted wood, look for subtle carving instead of
painting on flat surfaces, and for original painting rather than recent
modern colors. With carved plaster, look for small, intricate work, and
faded natural colors instead of modern pastels. Carefully examine doors
and windows to determine their age and the quality of the work. If you
find windows or balconies with masharabia, or wooden screens made of pegs
turned on a lathe, this is a sign of an older house and is rare and
desirable.
In terms of condition, you want to make sure there are no major
structural problems, and ideally you want a house where not too much has
been modernized, since it's expensive to replace the
"improvements" with traditional zellij, plaster, and cedar. And
when someone has spent a fortune to cover the walls with shiny new
bathroom tile, you end up paying more. "Benign neglect" is the
thing to hope for. Look carefully at the ceilings to see how much rotten
wood there is, since cedar is very expensive. Some cracks in the walls are
normal, but note that horizontal cracks are more serious. Also look for
water and moisture damage in the walls. This is sometimes difficult to
stop, especially if it's coming from a neighboring house. It's very common
for wood and carved plaster to have layers of new paint that will need to
be removed, but this is expensive and time-consuming, so try to find a
house with as little modern paint as possible. Let the agent know that you
want a house with zellij "beldi" (traditional handmade mosaic)
and not zellij "romi". Many houses have dark and dirty
corrugated plastic covering the skylight, which makes them look much
darker than they will be once this is removed. Don't eliminate a gloomy
house unless you're convinced the problem can't be fixed. You need to
train your eye to spot a house that's ugly now but has "inner
beauty" that needs to be uncovered. At least that's the way to get a
bargain.
Once you find a house you're seriously considering, it's a very
good idea to have an architect or structural engineer familiar with medina
houses take a careful look. An inspection and report normally costs
500 to 700 dirhams. I'm happy to recommend someone to do this.
Ideally try to find a house with a wonderful view from the terrace, but
note at the same time that this is a bit rare. In a riad there is often no
view because they are usually built on one level to allow more sun to
enter the courtyard. If you can't have an amazing view of the mountains,
at least try for a pleasant medina view, since this greatly affects resale
value and generally makes a house easier to sell. There's a beautiful
house that's been on the market for years, largely because the terrace
feels like a prison yard with high walls and no view at all. It's
sometimes possible to lower one or two walls, resulting in a great view,
which is the case with the house I'm currently restoring. But don't
assume that this will be possible, since sometimes you need the neighbors'
permission to lower a wall.
I've mentioned before that a "dar" without a garden is a
better value than a riad, but if you're set on a garden with fruit trees,
you can have one as long as you can afford it. It's also possible with a
dar to make a roof garden and put plants and trees in containers in the
courtyard. One downside of a riad you should be aware of is that they
usually have lots of mosquitoes. I like to visit riads, but have no desire
to live in one!! But this is very much a matter of taste.
Houses in Fez, at least in the medina, don't generally have a title per
se, but rather a scroll written by an "adoul", an official
scribe, documenting the ownership, sometimes going back several hundred
years. There have been cases of falsification, so it's very important to
be dealing with a reputable and knowledgeable agent. If possible, it's
better to buy from one or two owners, and the longer they've owned the
house, the better. It's very common for there to be a number of owners who
have inherited a house, but this means everyone needs to be in agreement
regarding selling and the price. My first house had sixteen owners, which
resulted in a long and difficult process, but it also meant that it was
very cheap because most people didn't want to deal with the ordeal.
It is possible to get an official title by paying about 2% after buying a
house, and some people do this via a "notaire" during the buying
process. The advantage of this is that banks are willing to give loan if
the title process has been begun and paid for. It's likely too that a
house with a title will bring a higher price in the future.
The cost of restoration is difficult to determine exactly, but normally
it will be between 50% to 200% of the purchase price. It
all depends on how much wood needs to be replaced, whether or not the
plumbing and electric needs to be redone, how fancy you want your kitchen
and bathrooms to be, how many times you need to redo things twice (or
thrice!!), and the quality of new zellij and carved plaster you want. My
approach has been to buy a house I can live in as is and then restore in
gradually as I have the funds, but you may want to restore the house
before moving in. If you have a very limited budget, I suggest getting a
house that needs a lot of work, but is inexpensive, and then restore it
gradually. If you have more money to spend, I would try to get a place
that's in better condition, since serious restoration is expensive,
time-consuming, and stressful. I would also try to find a place where the
artistic aspects of the house, such as zellij, carved plaster, and wood,
are more or less there and in good shape, since these things are very
expensive to redo, and it's virtually impossible to find someone to do
them as well as the original. Another factor that affects the cost
of restoration is whether you hire the craftsmen, supervise the work, and
buy the materials yourself, or hire a professional to do all the work for
you. The latter will of course be more expensive, but is the only
choice for many. If you want to do everything very formally with
invoices, this will be even more expensive, since the architect or
contractor will need to pay more taxes and TVA, and these expenses are
passed on to you.
It is important for you to prioritize these various considerations and
know what factors are most important to you. Every house will have
problems or shortcomings, and you need to figure out where you're willing
to compromise and where not. It's also good to be flexible and
open-minded. I know people who've started out thinking they want a riad on
the edge of the medina, and end up very happy with a large dar in the
heart of the medina for a quarter the price.
What expenses are there apart from the purchase price? If you buy
through an agent, or simsaar, you pay the agent 2.5% and approximately
another 4.5% to the adoul/scribe and for taxes to register the house. It's
best to budget about 7% total. If you want to begin the process of getting
a title, this is an additional 1% to 2%, and you need to see a "notaire".
If you buy through a notaire, you don't need to pay the adoul but will
still have taxes. Here's a very helpful article about
financial aspects of buying a house in Morocco. It's in French, but
may soon be available in English. There are also very helpful links
and information on the new site "Buying
Property in Morocco".
What do you do once you've decided on a house to buy? After you've
agreed on a price, you need to give a deposit or "arbon", and
agree on how much time the owners need to find another place and move.
Any deposit should be done with an adoul or notaire, not only with the
simsaar/agent. If you give a deposit to the simsaar or owner without
it being properly documented you may have a very difficult time getting
your deposit back if things fall through. It's normal for the seller
to ask for two
to three months (I once waited seven months!) to find a new house, but sometimes one month is possible. It is also
possible to actually close the deal and buy the house at this point,
paying 20-30% at first and the balance when the house is empty and you get
the key. The advantage here is that if you only give a deposit, the owners
can still sell to someone else who offers more and return your deposit. If
you buy the house now and pay the balance and taxes later, there is an extra fee/tax you have to pay. Your simsaar or adoul can tell you
exactly how much this will be. You can avoid paying this penalty by paying
the taxes within 30 days, even if you haven't yet paid the balance to the
owners. I would strongly advise you to pay the
balance only when the house is empty and you've inspected it. This may be
a problem because people often need your money to pay for their new house,
and the owner of the new house doesn't want them to move in until they've
paid. The legal problem, however, is that if you pay them and then they
decide not to move for some reason, it will take you five years to get
them out, rent or no rent. This happened to a Moroccan friend of mine who
bought a house, and he warned me to learn from his foolish kindness.
Finally, you should expect that things often don't go as planned, and
so you need to be patient, keep a sense of humor, and persevere. Sometimes
it's painfully difficult to buy a house; sometimes people find and buy a
house in a day! Note too that it's shamefully common for people to agree
to sell a house for a price, and then decide that they want a higher
price. Sadly, this phenomenon is becoming more and more of a
problem: you are shown a house for one price, you fall in love and
make a decision, and then the price is changed. If this happens, I
suggest looking for another house; then if after looking around, the price
for your beloved house still seems fair compared to other places you've
seen, I'd swallow my pride and buy it. For me, with the first four houses I wanted, things just didn't
work out, but then when I gave up, a wonderful house appeared.
The first thing to do after you've bought your house is to change the
lock, as it's likely that a number of people have the key. It's also
strongly recommended to have someone staying in the house at night. If you don't
want to sleep there, you can hire a guardian for about 1000 DH per month,
but be certain this is someone you can trust. Three people I know left
their house empty for a few days; two lost a wooden ceiling and one lost
four doors! Unfortunately there's a very active market in such things, so
it's better not to risk having bits of your house stolen. I must say that
I've never had a guardian at Dar Bennis, and haven't had a problem--knock
on zellij--but in the house I live in, where there's more stuff, I do have
someone there when I go away.
Restoration of a Fez Medina House
I should say, first of all, that I'm not at all an expert on
restoration, but am happy to share of the lessons I've learned from
restoring several houses in Fez over the past nine years.
The first matter to clarify is your approach to restoration, since this
will affect how you proceed and which people you choose to work with. The
traditional approach to restoration in Fez has generally been that if
something is old and worn it's better to remove it and replace it with
something new. Thus old doors and old zellij are often removed and
replaced. Another approach is that it's ok for an old house to look old,
and that generally original architectural elements should be kept if at
all possible. The latter approach is the one I try to follow, but it's not
easy to find craftsmen in Fez who understand this. Carpenters and zellijis
insist that they can do new work just as well as the old, but I'm sorry to
say that this has not been my experience. And even if they could, there's
a certain quality and beauty to old surfaces that can't be reproduced in
new work.
The next question to consider is who is going to be in charge of the
restoration and how involved you want to be. Generally there is a team,
consisting of the owner, the architect or "expert" in charge,
the foreman, and the craftsmen and their assistants. Sometimes the owner
is present during most of the restoration, but if this isn't possible then
the choice of architect becomes critical. The architect/expert/general
contractor is in charge of overseeing the restoration and deciding,
together with the owner, on how the restoration will proceed. The
architect meets with the owner, foreman, and craftsmen to discuss each
step, and checks on the work regularly to make sure it's being done
correctly. The job of the foreman is to be present all the time and to
make sure the craftsman do what the owner and architect have decided. He
also buys building supplies and pays the workers, so it's critical to have
someone you trust in this role. In choosing which architect and craftsman
to work with, it's imperative to see work they've done and for them to be
recommended by people you trust. Never hire someone to be in charge of the
restoration of your house based only on what they say they can do, or
because they have a charming personality. You
need to see examples of what they've actually done to know if they are able to do the
kind of restoration you're looking for. And you need to know from others
how easy or difficult the person is to work with. Ideally speak with
at least two references. You also want to choose
an architect and foreman who is reasonably fluent in a language you speak,
which is sometimes not all that easy. Depending on your experience,
linguistic skills, and courage, it may be possible to do part of the
restoration without the help of an architect. I am comfortable with zellij
and restoring and cleaning wood, so I supervise that on my own. But with
plumbing, electricity, replacing the roof, etc., I bring in an architect
to supervise.
I should also comment on how to choose the craftsman to do the
restoration of your house. When I started doing restoration, I wanted to
pay the "Moroccan" price and not the "foreigner" price
for work and materials, and I found that with some research I was able to
do so. But what I learned is that when I paid what seemed like a
reasonable price I often got results that were acceptable to many people,
but was not at all the quality I was looking for. This resulted in having
to do the work over, sometimes more than twice (and you have to pay again
each time you redo the work). I've learned the hard way that it's much
smarter to try to find the best craftsman available, based on
recommendations and seeing examples of their work. Of course the best
craftsman charge more and are usually very busy, which sometimes means
waiting for them to be free, but it's well worth the extra time and money.
In the courtyard of Dar Bennis I was applying my frugal method, and ended
up redoing the zellij four times! In the kitchen and terrace I used a
better and more expensive zelliji, but the work was great the first time.
You should also know that there are craftsman who charge by the day, and
those who charge by the meter or by project. There are problems with both
methods: those who work by the day tend to take forever to complete the
work; those who work by the meter or job tend to work very quickly and
less carefully. My current approach is that with new work, such as new
windows, doors, or zellij, I pay by the meter or job, and the quality is
usually good because I choose the craftsmen very carefully. With
restoration, however, such as removing paint from old wood, I want the
craftsmen to work slowly and carefully, so I pay by the day, and, indeed,
it sometimes takes forever.
Before you begin any work on your house, you need to get a building
permit, or "roksa" from the Baladia, or government office that
gives such permits. This costs 250 dirhams and usually takes a few days.
You first go to the office and fill out a form telling what you want to
do, and then a small team of engineers comes to see your house. You should
take a copy of the title for your house, and a letter from the architect
supervising the work, if you're doing major work, such as repairing walls,
ceilings, or beams. If you're making major modifications to the
house, it will also be necessary to have a plan made showing the proposed
changes. In recent days it's becoming harder and more expensive to
get a rokhsa, alas.
Here's a website that has good info about how to get a rokhsa: Getting
a building permit in Fes
Some
people work without a permit, but I wouldn't recommend this. When I began
work on my first house we started repairing the roof before the roksa was
given, and next thing I knew all my workers had been arrested! If
you want work to be done when you're not in Fes, make sure you've given
power of attorney, or "procuration", to the person who needs to
get a roksa on your behalf.
In restoring your house, it's important to plan the order of the work,
to avoid one craftsman damaging the work of another. Generally you should
deal with structural matters first, then plumbing and electricity, then
decoration and finishing. And generally you want to start at the top of
the house and work down. The first thing to do to protect the house is to
make sure the roof isn't leaking. It's quite normal that some of the beams
or planks of the roof are rotten and need to be replaced, so you want to
excavate in a few places to see if the wood is ok. If you don't have time
or funds to repair the roof, at least make sure the cracks are sealed to
prevent further damage.
There are many more specific details about restoring a house, but I'll
pause for now....hopefully I'll add more later. I'm happy to discuss any
specific questions you might have, either via email or here in Fes. I'll copy below my
current list of houses for sale and those that have sold recently to give
you an idea of what's possible. Note that prices are subject to
change!
There are two new websites that have great information and photos
about restoring houses: Fez
Restoration and Restoration
Blog
Also check out the new book by Abby Aron, Buying
a House in Morocco. Lots of very useful information...LOTS taken
from my site! :)
Useful
Contacts in Fez (all speak French & Arabic, * =
English-speaking):
Nota Bene: these are meant
as helpful contacts, not necessarily unqualified recommendations.
Please let me know if you have good or bad experience with these people...
Aziz Benkirane, real estate
agent: 035-63-71-09, 069-70-28-22; has English-speaking assistant.
Aziz is pleasant and has a good eye, but some have found that he can
inflate prices if you don't know the market well. 2.5% fee.
Aziz Soaff, real estate agent:
079-69-35-21, 19 Kattanine, good at finding nice small houses; doesn't
seem to have much French. 2.5% fee.
Mohamed Ezzaanta, real estate
agent, 062-05-81-87. 2.5% fee.
Fred Sola, real estate
agency with good photos and info about houses, Fez
Real Estate, 065-23-14-04 * fees start at 42,000 dh (incl. VAT)
David Kellar, Fes
Properties, real estate agency: 061-350-548, davidkellar@fesproperties.com
* fees ??
Carre
d'Azur, French-Moroccan agency with very good website and
photos of many houses * I've been told that they charge 8% for a
small house and that the percentage goes down for more expensive houses.
Mad
About Fes, British agency with lovely houses, many of which are
very reasonably priced. The two agents that went with us spoke only French and
Arabic, but Mark Willenbrock speaks English. * 10% fee.
Immobilier-Maroc,
a French agency with a superb selection of houses in Fes, about 20 in the
10,000 to 30,000 euro range. A very good site to get a sense of
what's out there. Here's their page of Fes
houses... take a look at 6205, 6246, 6239, 6218, 6118. Pretty
amazing!! Please note that most of the Fes houses on this site are
the same as on Carre d'Azure, and that the site doesn't seem to get
updated and that they don't answer their email.
Adil Ait Hamd, of Fez
Medina Consulting; someone who can help with the process of buying a house and
represent your interests when you're not in Fez: 075-36-40-04, medina@insidefezmedina.com
* 1.8% fee (incl. VAT). Adil has just added a new service for
restoring houses: "Tarmeemat Fez".
Jenny Barnard & Jon Green,
house restoration and house-hunting consultants, www.fesmorocco.com
or www.fesrestoration.com.
Also take a look at their blogs mentioned above: 067-35-55-39 *
Rachid Haloui, architect:
035-62-00-25, 061-13-56-70, rachid@haloui.com
*
Youssef Berrahou, architect:
063-08-08-32 *
Aycha Benmakhlouf,
architect: 061-13-48-17, infos@au20jasmins.com
*
Khalid Bennani, structural engineer:
035-62-53-73, 061-13-49-38*
Abdelali Qarqabi, structural
engineer: 060-37-53-74, qarqabiabdelali@yahoo.fr
*
Fouad Lajaj, contractor:
061-43-74-01
Hafid El Amrani and Abdelhaq
Figuigi, have started a new restoration company: hafid1900@yahoo.com,
064-48-64-41*
Mohamed El Karoti, contractor:
066-58-86-12; Nabil, Si Mohamed's son, speaks English: 068-07-27-75
Fouad Serghini, director of
ADER: 035-65-34-78*
Rajae Maghraoui, Inspectrice
des Monuments Historiques: 035-63-56-26*
Abdellatif El Quortobi,
accountant, business consultant: 022-26-36-70; 061-16-54-85; aquortobi@wanadoo.net.ma*
Fouad Bensouda, notaire:
035-64-33-75, Ave des FAR, Immeuble Ettajmouti
Fouad Ouzzine, director,
Regional Center for Investment in Fez: 035 65 20 57*
Abdelhay Bahhad, banker to see
about opening a convertible currency account, SGMB: Societe Generale
Marocaine de Banques, 1 Ave. Lalla Meriyeme, 035-94-94-50, abdelhay.bahhad@socgen.com
*
Houses
in the Medina as of March 13, 2007
- Dar Ben Zian, 13 Derb ben Zian, 180,000 dh, small house, 5 rooms,
original painted wood, zellij, fountain, nice view; go alone.
- Dar Oued Rchacha, 700,000 dh (was 450,000 dh), beautiful old house with much original zellij,
wood, and plaster; six rooms, four columns, balcony, fountain, date in
plaster 1228 (now it's 1427), great view from terrace, very good
location; see Aziz
- Dar Alaoui-Idrissi, 12 Derb M'Hirou, Talaa Sghira, 400,000 dh;
medium-large house with 6 salons and nice view, good condition.
- Fundoq Bou Inania, next to main entrance of Medersa, Talaa Kibeera,
500,000 dh; very old fundoq with great arches, amazing location, needs
lots of work; go directly to fundoq to see and get contact number
- Dar Serghini, L'Ayoun, 150,000 euros; beautiful restored 17th
century house with outstanding original features, published in vol. 2
of Palais et Demeures de Fes; 5 salons, 3 bathrooms; location a bit
"challenging"; contact Abdellatif Ait BenAbdallah, owner,
061-16-36-30 (speaks French and Arabic).
- Dar Al Ghazaoui, Oued Rchacha, 1,800,000 dh; large fantastic house
with amazing decoration in excellent condition; once the house of the
Pacha of Fes; structural work needed.
Sold
recently:
- Dar Idrissi, Batha, 1,500,000 dh? (was 750,000, then 900,000); beautiful large house in
great location, all original zellij and wood, simple decoration, good
view.
- Dar ibn Mokri, Derb Mokri, 400,000 dh (was
260,000); beautiful medium-sized house, 5 rooms, menzeh, all original
zellij and wood, nice fountain, good view
- Dar Cheraga, Zkak al Bghal, across from Zaouia, next to Dar Mentras,
200,000 dh; small 18th c. house, 3 salons, all original wood, zellij,
ironwork, nice view from terrace, published in Palais et Demeures de
Fes, by Revault
- Dar "Sidi Ahmed Shawi", next to Dar al Shabaab, 60,000
euros; amazing house with 5
large rooms, incl. menzeh w/ good view; very good original zellij and
painted wood.
- Riad Derb al Horra, 19 Derb al Horra, 540,000 dh! (was 340,000 dh), nice miniriad with two trees, 3 salons two
large ones, ok view, good location.
- Dar Nabih, Derb Kettana, beautiful medium-sized house, outstanding
wood and zellij, six big salons, great view, 500,000 dh (sold for
695,000 dh!)
- Dar Emmanuel, Derb Bennani, Talaa Kibeera, Cherablyeen, 450,000 dh
(sold for asking price); beautiful medium-sized house, mostly
restored, very good wood and plaster, great view
- Dar il Hajj, next to Dar Adiyel, 360,000 dh (was 300,000); 6 rooms,
zellij and wood in outstanding condition, redone 50-60 years ago,
wonderful view; will be an art center.
- Dar Hajja Neftaha, Talaa Sghira near Bank Populaire, 270,000 dh;
nice medium-sized house in good location, five big rooms, neo-traditional
- Dar Hel Tadla, at the end of Derb Hel Tadla, off Talaa Sghira;
amazing medium-sized house with beautiful wood and zellij; 600,000 dh
(sold for 550,000)
- Dar Kohen, 5 Derb Siour, near entrance to Rcif Mosque, asking
500,000 dh (sold for 400,000); superb large house, very good zellij
and plaster, fountain, wonderful view
- 16 Derb Moulay Ismail, off Talaa Sghira, 400,000 dh (sold for
350,000); beautiful medium-sized house in good condition, many rooms
- Dwira Sidi Ahmed Shawi, on a side street near the zaouia, 160,000 dh;
simple but beautiful small house with wonderful view from terrace, 4
salons, all original zellij and wood
top of page
©2010 David Amster
|
|
|
|