Coast and Country in France

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…

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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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