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Everything you always wanted to know about France |
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Number 94 - January 7 2005
France Voila, the newsletter and weblog from Rentals France and the French Property Digest. You will only receive it if we have been given your email from one of our websites and asked for more information. In this issue... 1. Wheelchair-Friendly Home Wanted 2. Read the Small print - even if it is in French 3. The Secret of Life 4. Another ten, on stone tablets 5. Nizas to Montblac - why we left Paradise Again my mailbag is full of questions about buying property in France. This newsletter is mostly a cross section of these and my replies. A lot of this interest is from people who have been encouraged to look at France for a lifestyle or investment and have read on the Internet that properties can be bought in France for a few thousand euro and sold or rented for vast profits. Like mushrooms, paid subscription only sites and online publications which offer "expert" advice and opinions on property, are popping up all over the place. I could buy a villa here for the price of subscribing to them all for a month. Like most investments, property experts can only tell you what happened yesterday, no one in the world can tell you what is going to happen tomorrow. Yes it is true that if you bought property in some places in France five or six years ago you could sell them for ten times the price today - I know this is true - I did it, but at the time, although I thought property was undervalued, not one of the people I recommended to do the same took my advice, not one bank or investment company would lend me a brass farthing. Anyone can be a millionaire if they could go back in time. When I did buy the small portfolio we now have in France, we were often told we would never get our money back - now we are told "aren't you lucky". The point I am trying to make is that all these investment advisors and property experts are mostly frauds and opportunists inviting you to play "find the lady" or selling you a diamond ring for 5 euro. If they really knew what they were talking about, they certainly would not waste their time writing about it and selling subscriptions to their hyped newsletters for a living. I know there are bargains, opportunities and fantastic deals to be done - everywhere - but nothing beats hard work, dedicated research and a lot of luck. Another misconception is that the South of France is an all year round warm climate - it is not, the winter months are cold and central heating is an important feature of life. Orange trees are rare and palm trees in most places will have to be wrapped up in winter to survive. There are some micro-climates which are good for mimosa, palm, and peach trees, and overall the climate is pleasant and healthy, but fur coats, gloves and regular visits to the bar for a brandy are important. ======= 1. Wheelchair Friendly Home Wanted Dear Tony I would like to set up a dialogue with someone in the Real Estate Business in France. I know that there are significant differences in the way the process is conducted there as opposed to the process in the U.S. I have been examining the possibility of buying a small house in Languedoc or one of the departments as far south and east as possible, mainly for the warm weather. Based on my limited knowledge it appears that Languedoc and environs would be the place to achieve that end. Looking at web-sites can be helpful but they can also make you crazy, never enough information, just enough to get your interest and no easy vehicle to get more. Go to this page to read the whole story. Wheelchair Friendly ======= 2. Read the Small print - even if it is in French Hello Tony I thought I would let you know about this as it may well pay for gite owners who do not live on site to ensure they are covered. A friend recently had their kitchen flooded when a storm drain burst. It is a maison secondaire and used for occasional rental and friends and family. The insurance company have refused to pay out the £4000 for the repairs (the whole kitchen floor, cupboards, appliances were ruined). This is because Go to this page to read the whole story. Read the Small Print ======= 3. The Secret of Life An unpleasant aspect of property in France, probably everywhere, is the way builders and developers inflate prices for the building work. According to Marcia in the Snoopy cartoon strip, the secret of life is " Go to this page to read the whole story. The Secret of Life ======= 4. Another ten, on stone tablets I have had several long mail exchanges recently, Michael, a property developer from the US is evaluating investments in France and several other countries. From our mails I have summed up some of the points in a few maxims for property investors - here they are Go to this page to read the whole story. On Stone Tablets ======= 5. Nizas to Montblanc - why we left Paradise A lot of readers, especially those who have stayed with us when we were living in Nizas have asked why we moved from such a perfect and magical place. Go to this page to read the whole story. Nizas to Montblanc |
