Coast and Country in France

A recent article in the Telegraph by Henry Samuel, announced Sarkozy’s ambition for a new Paris - President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has tasked a group of top architects, including Britain’s Richard Rogers, to dream up a Grand Paris to rival Greater London that could stretch as far as the Channel - Read the Full Article.

I find this very interesting and exciting - Paris is forced to be a small city, the peripherique is a beltway containing the posh and touristy bits inside and much of the real world outside. Public transport is absolutely brilliant inside the peripherique but poor to non-existent outside.

Over the next few months I am going to be spending a lot of time in Paris on some new projects, so the opportunities simply thinking and planning an initiative like this open up are perhaps those which come only rarely in a lifetime - watch this space.

I am looking at using solar energy for power and heating, although after three days of heavy rain and dark grey sky this seems a bit remote. But I have a large, south facing, roof which needs replacing so, with grants available this is something to consider.

What interests me is how the specialists I am talking to can quote me over 1,000 euro a square meter for panels which I see for sale in the supermarket for 100 euro a square meter. There is an exhibition of Renewable Energy in Paris on June 19-21 which I plan to visit and learn more, but with all the information that I find on the Internet it surprises me that the local specialists demand, and probably get, such a huge margin for what is a very simple job. I can have a complete roof supplied and fitted for under 300 euro a square meter, with a ten year guarantee.

I welcome comments from anyone with recent experience of any alternative energy installation in the South of France or a similar region with a sun factor of 3 to 3.5 (I understand the UK is around 1.0 so is not so relevant)

A borehole may also be interesting, but I am not thinking of putting up a wind generator, anyone with a percussion rig near Montpellier should write to me.

Tony,

OMG, as they say today, some 20 years ago I camethisclose to buying a house in the village of Puilacher, Languedoc. A friend in New York (I’m a Brit who went to NYC in 1970 and worked for The New York Times for 29 years) talked me out of it.

Well, you can imagine how I felt for many years. Until, that is, I went back about 8 or so years ago and saw that a vineyard company, I believe, had kind of taken the village over. However, my lifetime dream has been to live in Languedoc. Don’t know why, but it feels like home.

And you, you lucky *****, are living my dream!!

Is there any chance that a cheap, rundown kind of place might be available, do you know?
This shared ownership thing, which I read about in the NYT (as I’m sure thousands of others did), I’m not really sure about.

Does it really work?
Would love to hear about some place in those lovely hilly villages just west of Pezenas, a place I like a lot.
Oh my, of course I should have acted way back when. But it’s never too late, I guess, even if you are 69, as I am.
Best of everything to you and your family,
I hope to hear,
Terry

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Hi Terence

I have just been offered a property in St Nazaire - just west of Pezenas - it is a very interesting offer and has masses of potential at a low price 130,000 euro - the village is perfect.

I have not put it on a real estate site yet but you can see the photos at

http://flickr.com/photos/cathar/sets/72157603703148866/

and

http://flickr.com/photos/cathar/sets/72157603707582939/

and a video I use to make notes before writing the details at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo_0-C3zh-w

Let me know if this is interesting

Fractional Ownership does work very well and is well established

Hope to see you over here

Best wishes

Tony

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Hi Tony,

I guess at today’s prices, 130,000 is a low number, but when it comes to renovating the property then the numbers would of course climb substantially.

It is in fact everything I asked for, so no criticism on that score. But on second thoughts, maybe Fractional Ownership might fit my budget, not to mention my age, a bit better.

Oh, and when I said west of Pezenas, I should have said east! That’s the area I spent most of my time in over a number of years, and with which I am more familiar. (The first place I stayed in was Lacoste, up near Clermont-l’Herault).

Thank you for taking the time to bring the St. Nazaire property to my attention, but, as I say, perhaps I should be thinking Fractional Ownership.

Best,

Terence

==

Hi Terence

It will be hard to find anything reasonably comfortable for under 200,000 euro now - you are wise to avoid renovation - it will double the price.

Fractional Ownership is only working effectively in Paris - there may be some offers in Nice soon, but for village homes I do not advise it - prices start now at about 100,000 for one month in a good apartment.

The other option is to buy a place and then sell shares

Hope this helps

best wishes

Tony

Dear Tony

I have much enjoyed your newsletter since subscribing. I particularly enjoyed the article about French estate agents.

Isn’t it amazing how they don’t even try to make the properties look nice in the photos - they are so worried that you will recognise it and make a private deal with the owner.

The beautiful flat I bought recently in Pezenas (well, so far I’ve only paid the 10% and signed the compromis de vente) was advertised with an enticing close up of the rubbish bins on the terrace at the back.

When I was looking for the house where I now live I thought that one young estate agent had got lost on the way, perhaps due to his fashionable swept back sun glasses, but later I realised that he was, of course, trying to put me off the scent.
I have some questions that I would like to ask you, but this space seems a bit small!

Yours,
Kirsty

==

Hello Kirsty,

They are all so worried about looking at other people backs to stab and over their shoulder at their own back to remove the daggers, that they never know where they are. Sunglasses are usually to hide the demonic red eyes.

Delighted you are to be a neighbour - do write to me with any questions - the box on the site will take as many words as you wish, it is infinitely expansive (like me)

Best wishes

Tony

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Dear Tony

Thank you for replying so promptly. Much as I enjoy living here (like you, otherwise we wouldn’t be here) there are times when the voice of a compatriot is welcome. Like you I chose this area becauseI think the Languedoc is absolutely amazing - beats the Uzes/Saint Remy de Provence area, which is so fashionable just now, into a cocked hat.

I live in a truly beautiful place - Our hamlet is in a cirque, surrounded by mountains, and a rushing stream drops into a pool at the bottom of our garden. There are wild flowers everywhere, and I am in the process of making a garden, which gives me great pleasure.

Since my arrival I have struggled with rude representatives of France Telecom, le Sydndicat des Eaux, EDF. le Credit Agricole. Our telly, which we bought at great expense from Darty - they of the ‘contrat de confiance’ - doesn’t work when it’s raining, I changed from France Telecom becuse their service was so terrible (at one point, as we waited in their shop in Beziers for over 2 hours to be served, my son said ‘It’s just like Egypt here.’), but tele2 aren’t any better, and now it’s entirely my fault that the phone doesn’t work - my son, who works for the World Bank in Washington, complains that it’s like phoning Africa - it works one time in 5.

I have always thought that Pezenas was an entrancing place, architecturally so rich, not too big, but with a certain sophistication. The idea behind buying a flat there was partly that I could have a bit of an urban fix from time to time - go to the cinema or out for dinner without having to drive home in the dark afterwards etc, and also to let it out in the summer months to have a bit of an income. Since I signed the compromis de vente, of course, the euro has soared, and I will have to pay for it very soon with my saving which are, of course, in sterling - not clever. I seem to recall that in one of your articles you talked about currency dealers, but I have no idea how all that works. My money is at present in the Nationwide, from which I would like to remove it, but I’m not sure how to go about it. I also need to talk to someone who understands my tax situation - it’s not very complicated, but I seem to be being crushed between the 2 systems.

My partner owns some land not far from here, and the idea is to build a simple, modern, ecological house in timber, with solar panels, geothermic heating etc - he loves all the stuff, and to sell here. I foolishly asked the estate agent from whom I bought my Pezenas flat to come and have a look at this house re valuation, and also because we are in a bit of a quandary as to how much of the work that we intended doing - including building a swimming pool in the ruined bergerie - it would be worth doing. I don’t suppose you will be surprised to hear that he thought I would be very lucky to get back the money I paid for it, never mind the money we have spent, and that we shouldn’t do another thing, just put it on the market at once. Although we were both pretty depressed at first, I know in fact that he’s wrong. Apart from anything else my potential buyer is very unlikely to be French, and this is certainly not a good time to attract British buyers. We will enjoy being here for a while yet,and see what next year brings. I still can’t decide about the major works, but we are continuing with the multitude of small thing that need doing.

I hope you don’t mind me unburdening myself on you at such length. I would be very grateful for any advice you can give me.

Best wishes,
Kirsty

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Dear Kirsty,

Don’t believe a word that any estate agent ever tells you - they are all liars and are only interested in twisting the truth to their advantage - I know - I am one.

Here is a link to the best people I know for currency exchanges.

French services have no concept of customer service or customer relations - do not worry - they are as ignorant and rude to everyone - it helps to thump tables and shout at them, if you can cry at the same time it often gets results - I refuse to even go inside a French bank now and do not even have a French bank account, I use the post office which is just as bad but at least is dirt cheap.

I know nothing about finance, but I bet the pound rallies and by the end of the year will be back to where it was a year ago.

Generally, in my opinion, doing major construction just before selling is not a viable option, although it may get a client quicker - the other side of the coin is that it may put people off as they often want to do things their way and the work may have been better not done and the price reflect this.

Thank you for the invite for lunch, we are pretty boring people and rarely move far from home - but if you happen to be in Pezenas do phone me and we could meet for coffee perhaps.

Always happy to exchange emails and comment on things which may help others on a forum or blog.

Let me know if I have missed any points or you want comments on other stuff.

Best wishes

Tony

The New York Times quoted me today about Fractional Ownership - I like their use of the phrase “Group Properties” - The property the mention is one I have visited, if you would like to learn more, please Contact Me

I think the biggest pleasure in writing any blog like this , perhaps in writing anything, is getting feedback and comments from readers . A lot of my stuff is about our life and experiences in living in the South of France and the reasons why we moved from the UK nearly 20 years ago. Many of the things I say are replies to questions I get and I often publish these to help others.

When we moved to the Languedoc, we adapted a large rambling old ruin in the village of Nizas and to help pay some bills made two apartments for vacation rentals. Over the five years we did this we made a lot of new friends and we now plan do a similar thing with our home in Montblanc and expect this to be sorted out for next year, so book now.

Luckily a lot of readers do come to our area and some ask me for information, often about finding a home or starting a business - I am happy to do this, so if you are in Languedoc drop me a line.

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Dear Tony,

We were considering coming to your area this coming weekend…not quite decided yet, but if we do, would you be able to meet for a drink or something. Maybe we could pick your brain a bit, or just get to meet the person who has helped us a lot!
Also, if you can suggest a chambre d’hotes or a hotel in the area…
Best regards, Maryvonne

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Hello Maryvonne,

I would be delighted to meet when you are in the area - I suggest Pezenas on Saturday which is a big open market and if you have not been before you can discover the old medieval city.

Next year we plan to open our own guest house, but there are several excellent places near here to stay - in Pezenas there is..

Hotelde Vigniamont tell Rob and Tracy I recommended them (I may get a free drink)

or a smaller place is La Dordine both are in the old town and charming.

A bit further out, but very special is Le Couvent which is one of the best in France according to the Sunday Times.

My phone numbers are in my signature at the end of this mail - call me when you are nearby, I look forward to a coffee (or glass of wine at sundown) - what is left of my brain is happy to be picked.

Best wishes

Tony

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In my blog over at New Bricks and Pantiles - I am taking stock about the work I am doing in selling real-estate.

I mention some of the techniques on the Internet which a buyer can use to search for a home and I say this will be soon available online from websites offering these services. Well today it is happening in the USA and every day more cities are added to the system. This post by Trulia  shows one super tool agents are beginning to use.

This street mapping is not in France yet, but the writing is on the wall. Unless agents in France get real about their commissions and operate a Multi Listing System, then they will be out of business because no one in their sane mind is going to pay tens of thousands of euro for what can be a few pleasant afternoons on a laptop.

Finding the perfect house should be as easy as sitting in a pleasant cafe, searching through all the listings from compilation websites offering a mashup of agents, owners and mapping services - then with some deductive software and directories, finding the address of the owners, emailing, phoning or skyping the owner (or their keyholder) you select and calling round to look at a property.

You can sort through hundreds of offerings in an afternoon instead of the stressful and wasteful four or five you are offered, often blindfold, by agents in France.

All other “services” offered by agents, mortgages, selecting a Notaire etc, can be done online while you sit by the pool and you can get professional advice and comparisons of rates while your glass is refilled.

The many thousands of euro you save in commissions will more than pay for the five star treatment you are giving yourself and you may still have saved enough to buy a new car.

Tags: frenchproperty, real estate in france, estate agents,

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Perhaps I should title this “How To Find a House To Buy” as buying a house is easy - you simply pay for it and it is yours (more or less).

But finding a house means looking, researching, meeting - part of a whole lot of stressful factors and you will never know that what you are offering to buy is really the best one for you - the perfect house may be just round the next corner and at a better price than the one you decide on.

When I was a teenager and we had a lot of parties - this was an interesting  time, sex had just been invented just for our benefit and there was really only one purpose of going to a party (or going anywhere really).

My technique was to up to the first girl and ask a simple question - if the answer was no - I went to the next one - and so on. Usually within a couple of minutes of arriving I had a result (and I was still sober, usually) - however, this took some learning, at first I would look around the room and decide which was the “best” girl there, at the same time I would have a few drinks to relax - by the time I had started a “chat-up” line my choices were reduced and my judgment was getting cloudy, I often ended up in the hall at the bottom of the stairs, or in the kitchen, discussing metaphysical poets with weird people of indeterminate sex when what  I really wanted was to be at the top of the stairs with someone whose sexuality was in no doubt.

I remember one party where my “infallible” technique was too successful, I had several “yes” responses and, you guessed it, they all found out and the sum result of a lot of yeses is one no. Which may prove a new mathematical theorem that two or more pluses can equal a minus.

What has this to do with finding a house. Basically it is the same problem, set your objective and go directly to the source looking for a result, one result. Don’t mess around waiting for introductions, don’t waste time looking at impossible dreams, decide what you are looking for, look for it and when you find it make an offer and stick to it.

The trick is (and the subject of part 2 of this series) “How to Find A House To Buy” - I said that should have been the title.

Tags: buyingproperty, house for sale, french property, property in France

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It has been a frustrating month (year, life ?) - property prices seem to be all over the place but people are still coming on vacation and I am told bookings are good.

I am having a lot of delays in getting my new websites moving and creating more demand for bookings - this is all part of a much larger plan to create a strong community for everyone who wants to change their life, from a few days on vacation to aq lifetime - my aim is to offer many important things through a new website community - not just vacation rentals, but housing, employment, careers, friendship and other opportunities and services.

I have a lady looking for a long term rental in the southern “third” of France for up to a year or longer. Here is her request…

>>>
My requirements are:
Budget would be up to  850 euro a  month. For that I would expect the property to be furnished (Crockery, cutlery, glasswear and linen need not be included) All kitchen appliances and large furniture would be required.
 
House or apartment, but if it is an apartment I would want some outside area - small garden or at least a courtyard. It could be something attached to a larger house. Or in a group of houses.
Maison de Ville or out in the country if it has some close-ish neighbours. I don’t mind being on my own, but complete isolation might be a bit lonely.
 
Would want to be in the Southern third of the country, more East than West if I have a choice.
Bright, comfortable sejour (I’ve seen some dark, pokey places which would be miserable in the Winter months!)
Two bedrooms, minimum and two bathrooms would be nice, but probably not possible. Maybe an additional toilet.
 
Garage or parking area. Chauffage central, with a woodburner or fireplace.
 
I would like to be in an attractive area.  I don’t find this area particularly attractive - it is too flat. Hilly or rolling countryside is much more appealing to me.
 
ADSL or WI-FI would be super.
Would want a year long lease in the first instance with possibly an option to renew, but six months to start would be fine??
<<<

If you can help reply to me and I will pass on your contact details and also copy you.

Tags: france, accommodation, rental, french property

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Two things in life are unavoidable - and one of them is taxes. Avoiding paying tax is a national sport, but evading taxes is a criminal activity and in France can mean big fines and prison, luckily the guillotine is not used, often.

One of the reasons France has a strong property market, when prices in many other countries, including the US, the UK and Ireland are dropping, is that speculation in property is handicapped by taxation on transfers and on profits. Also loans are much more carefully arranged in France.

Evading taxation by dealing in cash was once a very common practice, I am not saying it does not still happen, but with modern communications and tracking systems is is far more dangerous.

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Hello,

Great Newsletters… Do you know if it’s still common practice to under declare the sale price of a flat in Paris…? I am looking to buy and have come across people asking me to pay in cash so they can avoid tax..

Also should I offer to do that anyway or will people think I’m a criminal… many thanks for your advice,

Marie

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Hello Marie,

The reason people ask for cash is to avoid paying Capital Gains Tax on the sale of their property - this is a criminal offense and the Notaire will ask if this has been done when you purchase.

The disadvantage for the buyer, apart from being a criminal offense that is, is that the price paid is lower than the value and when the property is resold again, the buyer has to pay a lot more tax (unless they keep if for 16 years or it is their main residence and they are French tax payers).

I know (so do the tax authorities) that this is still done - my advice is not to get involved in this in any way - the price is rarely reduced and only the seller gains, the buyer loses.

This used to be a common practice, Notaire were known for “leaving the room” for a discrete moment and envelopes were passed around, I have heard of buyers using forged notes to “pay” this cash sum - the seller cannot complain of course as they risk imprisonment anyway for tax evasion.

I hope you find your perfect apartment with all the right “feelings”

Best wishes

Tony

Tags: frenchproperty, france real estate,

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