Agentimmo Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 (edited) Well its just not surprising, the country is so depressing. We have been here 13 years and all we see is depression. It is so sad, but the country is to anti-business. Creativity is surpressed, dull is the word that comes to mind when I think of France. This year I have travelled extensively in Europe, many of the countries I have visited are finacially in a worse state, yet they are more dynamic, progressive and creative. I fear for the future, without a dramatic change France is going to crumble, well in fact it is crumbling. Each time we visit our local large town a new shop has closed or is closing. There is no-one or nothing that can/has the inspriation to shake the system and turn it around. France is being strangled by the Euro, I am sorry to say but Ms Le Pen's views on France and its place in Europe are in fact true. Its so difficult to say as her actual true politics are so offensive. We spent sometime looking at purchasing a second home in France, but no more, it just not worh it. In reality prices are in continous fall, why buy a house, when next month its going to be cheaper, in fact why buy anything of substance when we are in the mist of deflation. And of course if you own a home, then you have effectively an open wound, to be bled dry with higher taxes, with home ownership in France there is no escape. For many the dream of a home in the sun has become a nightmare, I suspect this is a long slow road, prices will not recover for a considerable time, if they ever do. The 30 glorious years are long gone, the unique French social system is a car crash, why on earth would someone buy a holiday home here? Sorry to be so negative, but its the reality of life and living in France in 2014. Where are you based , that is soooo depressing ? The hinterlands of France ? The ex-pat villages that the average "Location, Location, Location" watcher slabbers over ? I live on the Cote d'Azur. Weather was lovely and warm at the weekend. So was the sea. Beaches and promenades were busy and cheerful, with lots of French families out for the day. I've relations in Montpellier...sure they've had a bad 2-3 weeks with the heavy rains. But they are used to it. They are French, and optimistic by nature. Thet earn average wages. Sure, economically the country is on a downer at the moment. For various reasons. Le Pen picks up easy support....just like her father did. And like Mr. Farage is doing in the UK. Both tap into the fears of ordinary people. And they are 10 times more articulate than the average politico either side of the Channel, hence their appeal. If you want to see depression , go live in the north of the UK. Plenty of it around , and all in a so called "booming UK economy". Go figure. As for purchasing a home? Where's the problem? You buy in a falling market for a price you can afford. I'm assuming you'll stay in this home for 10+ years, maybe longer? What do you care that the price will fall ? My father-in-law bought a 3 bed villa in a small Normandy village (Bagnoles de l'Orme) in the mid 80s. Sold it 12+ years later for the same price. No capital gains. He wasn't looking for CG. Only the speculator will be worried about falling prices....everyone else loves them. Or you could always rent....cheap as chips outside of the main French towns. Edited October 14, 2014 by Agentimmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 http://www.nordeclair.fr/info-locale/hesdin-la-maison-natale-de-l-abbe-prevost-vendue-aux-jna60b0n494775 Nord Eclair 10/10/14 Hesdin la maison natale de l'abbé Prevost vendue aux encheres ce vendredi. Hesdin The natal home of the father Prevost is to be sold at the auctions this Friday. Quote The jewel of local partrimony in the town of Hesdin where author of the famous book 'Manon Lescaut' was born in this demeure in 1697. The property was built in 1660 and is today classed as an historical monument and has been since 1948. This imposing building has seven bedrooms and three bathrooms and also a lavish terrace with a beautiful view is to be sold at the auctions this Friday at 2pm. Three hundred and sixty square meters of history and the asking price is fixed at 145,000 euros its hardly more expensive than a flat. Why an auction sale ? The owners are English and can no longer afford to pay back there loan that they took out with Barclays the famous British bank. The bank wants to get its money back and the sale is inscribed within the context of seized property and will therefore be executed by the court of Boulogne. Can anybody bid ? To become Manon and a knight of the court of Grieux is not as simple as that. "Anyone can come but theres one condition and thats to be solvent ' explains a lawyer at the court of Boulogne. The buyer has an obligation to be represented by a lawyer to whom he has to give a bank cheque for at least 10% of the asking price. Just as the narrator of 'Manon Lescaut' said .."the interest of my life is now in your hands". Probably a B&B or a gite that didn't work where guests dress up as medieval knights of the round table . Again mega brit property that nobody wants or they might if its cheap but try to heat up seven bedrooms and all of the rest especially today with high heating bills and high local tax fonciere and habitation . http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/region/hesdin-la-maison-de-l-abbe-prevost-n-a-pas-trouve-ia36b49156n2435069 La voix du nord 14/10/14 The voice of the north. Hesdin la maison de l' abbé Prevost n'a pas trouve d'acheteur. Hesdin the house of father Prevost has not found a buyer. Quote Friday the house of father Prevost was put up for sale at the auctions in the Court of Justice in Boulogne-sur-mer a procedure for seized property. With a starting price of 145,000 euros the property was bought a few years ago by an English couple for 550,000 euros. Everybody thought that this would be a lively auction. Surprise nobody made a bid. The property was awarded to the creditor in this case Barclays bank. A higher bid is still possible within a delay of 10 days or until the 20th of October if this is the case a new auction has to be organised and the price will be increased by 10% or 159,000 euros; The council in Hesdin has a delay of two months to preempt and purchase the property. Whilst being questioned by France 3 tv news the mayor said..."The property could be turned into a tourist information office or a museum we will make a decision once the final price is fixed". Its not a surprise Hesdin is in the Pas de Calais a county of high unemployment and low wages. The population has been on the decline since the 1950s in 1954 it had a population of 3,355 in 2011 2,182. Hesdin has an over the average proportion of the 'over 60 year olds' 32,6% this is higher than the national average of 21,6% and for the Pas de Calais at 19,8% . Hesdin has a 187 empty properties and only 36% of the population own property. The dead property has been up for sale for an average of over 500 days and even property in the bargain basement is not selling there seems to an average of well over 50 houses for sale . I wonder what made the English couple pay over half a million euros for a house that today isn't even worth a 145K especially in such a poor place. Having said that when you look at prices on Rightmove for over a million euros the Downtown Abbey properties and country houses for sale in poor rural France the locals can't afford there prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/immobilier/logement/20141016.OBS2357/3-jours-pour-s-installer-dans-le-cantal.html Le Nouvel Observateur 16/10/14 3 jours pour s'installer dans le Cantal. 3 days to settle in the Cantal. Quote The local councils have established a list of 200 compnies to take over in the region they will also help the candidates to settle. After the Auvergne the Cantal...... The regions multiply there initiatives to try to seduce new settlers. Confronted with the depature due to the retirement of the owners of a small business and a lack of young people to take over the business. The county of the Cantal has launched a communication operation baptised '3 days to change your life'. Hairdressers bakeries and chambres d'hotes (B&Bs) some 200 companies are looking for someone to take them over. Confronted with an ageing population and a lack of young actives the future retired business owners also have to take part unless they want to see there business lost forever. Ah news from the hillbillies up in the Auvergne ! The Cantal is in the Auvergne so much for the geography of journalists in Paris. What this is really about and its not new is whats called 'New deal in Auvergne' meaning that the council will pay the first three months rent but you have to buy a business 500 euros a month for the first three months. We were shown the Cantal last week on the 8pm evening news. A young couple step off a bus in some deserted lost village in the Cantal. The husband is unemployed his wife holds a baby in her arms they want to start a new life in the green dream by taking over a business in there case a bakery....fair enough but then the hillbilly comes into the picture. He wants over 250K for the business and he will rent out the r flat above the bakers shop for 500 euros a month. (You buy the business not the property) The hillbilly was not that old or retired for that matter he said that he owned two bakers shops and that business was booming but he wanted to sell because he was too busy. I did not see any customers in his bakers shop and the young couple just vanish off screen once they were told the price ! The hillbillies are trying to sell a dead end business to outsiders for a very high price its got nothing to do with living the green dream in the middle of nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Loir-et-Cher/Actualite/Faits-divers-justice/n/Contenus/Articles/2014/10/27/Ils-veulent-vendre-mon-bien-aux-encheres-2096263 La nouvelle republique 27/10/14 Loir et Cher Justice Ils veulent vendre mon bien aux encheres. They want to sell my property at the auctions. Quote Elisa Deuxanges has a problem so she talks about it alot ! "I am living an injustice" says this 55 year old Franco- american "i should be annoyed but i would rather laugh in any case i have no more tears left to cry". Elisas problem is summarized in six figures 140,000 euros the sum that she owes for having bought in 2006 two flats (74m2 and 81m2 ) in Vendome. Elisa was born in France and spent her childhood in the Gironde and then she left for a long journey for the USA. A marriage ,children divorce and then 27 years later she comes back to France. Confident in her future she invests in property and she creates a micro business her speciality communication in english. At the beginning everything went really well 'i had contracts with Renault the chamber of trades and a university'. The good life. 'Then the economic crisis came and the contracts dried up'. The beginning of the problems the 500 euros a month loan is no longer paid back so Gerald Buisson her legal representative is ordered to find a solution. 'I advised Mrs Deuxanges to sell a flat but she refused'. Elisa says 'I agreed to sell but not at any price'. The 81m2 flat with two bedrooms a cellar and a parking space she had it valued at 197,000 euros i can go down to 165,000 euros but no less'. Put up for auction asking price 21,100 euros sold for 58,000 euros. 'at this price i might as well give it away' Elisa also owns land in the Gironde 2,900 m2. 'An estate agent has valued it at 370,00 euros but Mr Buisson wants to sell it for 162,000 euros. 'Who knows if one day a property developer might build a palace and then sell it for a million euros in ten years time'. Mr Buisson has another vision'its now been more than 3 years that she has not paid back her loan and the creditor has been very patient but today he wants his cash back if she had of sold her land in the Gironde today she would owe nothing but she refused'. She has a delay of 10 days to make a higher bid and the delay ends at 5pm today. The court clerk in Blois says that when it comes to auctions for seized properties 'today we see more and more and the low price is decided by the creditor theres hardly any buyers around so the prices tend not to go up' IMHO property is only worth the price that you are prepared to pay as for French EAs they will always give high figures because it comforts the vendor and they want there fees as far as i am concered evaluations don't exist in France consider the french property market as a car boot sale just make low offers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 http://www.liberation.fr/societe/2014/10/29/a-vierzon-le-blues-des-agents-immobiliers_1127808 Liberation 29/10/14 A Vierzon les blues des agents immobiliers In Vierzon the blues of the estate agents. Quote Vierzon in the county of the Cher population 27,000 and on the decline unemployment at 14,5% higher than the national average. Agence Central Property ..."A disaster stricken town". In Vierzon the town profited just like so many others due to the property boom that was feed by easy credit. "during the years 2000 we saw many new arrivals who thought that they had won the jackpot it was internet that brought them here they saw that property was cheap and they bought and restored (on the cheap) everybody wanted to become an estate agent but today the party is over". The golden years the famous 2000 years when the banks would lend to anybody. The local property situation prices have fallen by 30% and average buying power has gone from 110,000 euros to 80,000 euros. To explain the property illness the agent blames the crisis but also..."the new arrivals in the town are people in a very poor situation they have no spending power and they live off benefits.They have no future but they are parachuted into Vierzon so that the council can recieve financial aid". Its from 2010 that things started to become very difficult at that time there were three buyers for one property today its the opposite. "The agency brings in nothing i have only expenses to pay " says Rosa who remembers the better days. "My husband and i had six agencies with two in Vierzon and a total of 30 staff we were the first to advertise in 'Le Parisien' and we sold over 50 properties a year.Today there is only this agency that is left with two self employed staff and we sell nothing" She talks about the banks in the town... They explain that in the past they have had far too many problems and today they are very careful about lending. Disgusted with Vierzon her husband has left and moved to Bourges to run a shop selling tiles. Rosa also owns a hairdressers that doesn't bring in more than property. "I will wait a little longer before closing but in my mind its already done". Vierzon had its 'golden age in the 1960's to 1970's due to a factory that built farming machines tractors etc but it has since closed down. The town has been on a slow decline ever since its also ran by the french communist party and it always has been. The latest notarys report also confirms a 30% price fall in the county of the Cher. Theres a high amount of property for sale and there are 2,249 empty properties in the town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 http://www.lasemainedelallier.fr/article/30/10/2014/immobilier--faut-il-investir-dans-lallier-/7474 La semaine de l'Allier 30/10/14 A week in the Allier. Immobilier faut il investir dans l' Allier ? Property should you invest in the Allier ? Quote To take the temparature of the property market in the Allier we talked to the vice-chairman of the FNAIM Auvergne. Is it the moment to invest in property in the Allier ? Yes if you have the money or if you have a way of getting some the prices are low. We are clearly in a buyers market in the Allier and this trend has been confirmed "since 2008 prices have not stopped falling and they continue to do so". Even the vendors who are waiting for the prices to go back up are being slowly strangled and seeing as the market has not changed for them they are now obliged to make an effort on the prices so that they can make a quick sale. I don't know if we have touched the bottom we have been waiting for prices to stabilse for some time now but it still hasn't happened. Does this trend help the transactions ? No, not at all on the side of the vendors its blocked because nobody wants to sell off there property. On the side of the buyers even if theres lots of bargains around they don't dare or can't...everything is blocked ! If the locals are struggling to invest then maybe other investors French or foreign might profit from prices going down ? We used to have alot of foreign clients the Dutch and the English but they as well have been leaving our area for a while now. However we can't paint a totally black picture recently a number of retired Parisiens have come to live in the Allier. They come for the calm the green spaces and the security. Well looking down the page there was an armed robbery at the post office in Montlucon ! The Auvergne relies on outsiders to turn the market just like in the Cantal buy a businees from a hillbilly. Its the Auvergne way of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Vienne/Actualite/Economie-social/n/Contenus/Articles/2014/11/15/Immobilier-la-galere-des-vendeurs-2117547 La nouvelle republique 15/11/14 Vienne Montmorillon Immobilier la galere des vendors Property The vendors are having a hard time. Quote Hardly any buyers around with knockdown prices a high number of houses just can't find a buyer..putting there owners into a delicate situation. Its now been three years since she has been trying to sell her house Nadine has now finished by giving up ! She is retired and she wanted to move to Poitiers to be near her children but her plan is now on hold due to the 'property crisis' that has been particulary acute in Montmorillon and has been for the last five years. Yet her house is in a good condition it was built in 1988 and is on a nice estate not that far away from a supermarket. "there are four bedrooms with the possibility to have a fifth its well insulated the windows and shutters are made of PVC in the garden there is even an above ground swimming pool. I would rather stay here than give it away. It was first put up for sale with an asking price of 150,000 euros and nobody bought it. I had a few visits but there was always something wrong with it everytime such as its to close to a factory or to near electricity pylons. To sell i had no choice but to drop my price to a 140,000 euros and a buyer did make an offer of a 120,000 euros but i refused what could i buy next in Poitiers. I took a look at the prices of other houses for sale on the internet and its a catastrophe ! I would rather stay here than give it away. In the town center of Montmorillon Christian is confronted with the same situation but with an older house. His house also has four bedrooms a renovated house that has been restored with good taste it has a beautiful garden with a shaded back yard. "Our children have now grown up and with my wife we have bought a smaller house in a nearby village but we still have to sell the first one". It was valued at 200,000 euros and was without a doubt overvalued today we are asking for a 150,000 euros. Its been on sale for the last two years and we haven't had a single offer. The buyers have so much choice and the prices are so low next to our house there are four others that are up for sale. I have to pay for this one as well as the other one and its starting to become expensive but Christian does not want to drop his price. "All the same the house has some value and today we are thinking about renting it out". It always makes me laugh when then boomers say that they won't give it away or they won't drop there price it even sounds like a threat. So what theres so much property that is up sale in this big village and nobody is buying with lower prices. The boomers are renovating downsizing and are even expecting an idiot to pay the price of property in another town. A few facts about Montmorillon. Unemployment is on the increase and the population is on the decline. Pop in 2006.....6,584 Pop in 2011......6,319 The age groups from 60 to 75 years old and over in 2007 are 2,102 . In 2008 60 births and 115 deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Vienne/Actualite/Economie-social/n/Contenus/Articles/2014/11/15/Immobilier-la-galere-des-vendeurs-2117547 La nouvelle republique 15/11/14 Vienne Montmorillon I go to the Vienne a couple of times a year. The property market is pretty dead. Montmorillon is a superb little town, the kind of places boomers and pre-boomers moved to in droves in the early 2000s but those times are long gone. The boomers have got old and either live in the local funérarium or if English have moved back to the UK. Some places like l'Isle Jourdian to the south of Montmorillon seem to have kept a bit of life and look like an English town from the 1950s with iron mongers and such like. Others are so sad having a shop selling medical supplies... zimmers, adult size nappies etc and a funeral parlor and maybe, if they are on a main road, a cafe offering "steak-frites, 12 euros)" at lunchtime. There are some transactions though. Spoke to a developer in Civray and his daughter had just bought the fully restored Savigné mill from an English couple, I believe he said it was offered for 600ke and he paid 450ke but the number of properties in that bracket that sell is small. Still, hoping to sell a house in Montmorillon and move to the equivalent in Poitiers is wishful thinking; it is an hours drive from Poitiers; well beyond what people there will do as a commute. > "All the same the house has some value and today we are thinking about renting it out". it also has costs which can be significant. There are a lot of properties in the Vienne that have been on the market since the financial crisis in 2007 and I guess will only get sold when the owner dies or moves into an old people's home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venger Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 (edited) I can only take my bearings from those who contribute to this thread, for interesting reading and local insights. Blog entry from elsewhere, earlier this year... 10 March 2014[..]Others around me are looking somewhat less content. The estate agents in particular.For them, the last couple of years have been unusually lean.Monsieur Hollande and the Eurozone financial mess have combined to make a second home in Saint Tropez a luxury few can justify.Buying the house is one thing, owning it is another.There are myriad local and national taxes, astonishingly high building renovation costs, daft hourly rates for gardeners, cleaners and maintenance workers and frighteningly authoritarian government powers.(If you think I joke about French government powers, procure a copy of British Airways' High Life. In this month's issue John Simpson recounts how five police kitted out in riot gear took a battering ram to the front door to his Paris flat when he owed the local mairie €220.)Homes from €1m up to €10m where people need finance have been hardest hit. Getting a French mortgage was always incredibly difficult, now it's almost impossible. The amount of paperwork you need to supply beggars belief, and the hoops you need to jump through would test an Olympic athlete.As a result, I've never seen local agents with so many houses on their books (in stark contrast to those around me in Chelsea).in full: http://doerupperdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014_03_01_archive.html Went to Saint-Tropez as a kid. Just a day out. Recall going on large boat. Took some drinking water from one of the fountains. Had a drink whilst sat in one of the film-director style chairs in a cafe. We were on a 3 week camping trip (tents). Also reminds me of Linda B.... doesn't everyone own properties all over the world? Wonder how it's going for her Saint Tropez JV, Cyprus ones too etc. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1113047/Ill-ride-euro-nightmare-says-Linda-Barker-plans-let-French-villa-12-000-week.html Is Le Mistral really a big deal? I vaguely recall someone telling me about being cold in Saint Tropez over winter, for it often takes the full force of Mistral... or something about having to hammer the heating. Edited December 6, 2014 by Venger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Is Le Mistral really a big deal? I vaguely recall someone telling me about being cold in Saint Tropez over winter, for it often takes the full force of Mistral... or something about having to hammer the heating. You can suffer from the Mistral any time of year; its why the streets are built crooked in the south to slow it down. It is a continuous strong draining wind but I wouldn't have thought St Tropez' climate to be cold. I've lived in Cannes and there are quite a few storms but it is not too bad in the winter. The weather further along towards Marseille and Montpelier is not great with the winds blowing clouds inland all the time as well as the occassional mega strorm (épisode cévenol). It is all pretty dead in the winter though and a bit depressing unless you are in a proper town like Nice or erm... Marseille. There is a plan to level a super-council tax on second homes in tourist areas so buyer beware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 There are a lot of properties in the Vienne that have been on the market since the financial crisis in 2007 and I guess will only get sold when the owner dies or moves into an old people's home. http://www.leboncoin.fr/ventes_immobilieres/733022822.htm?ca=20_s Not forgetting 'en viager' take a look at this one and its in Civray a' belle maison de maitre occupe en viager' . An eight roomed house with a garage and a cellar and its in a perfect condition. The price or bouquet 59,500 euros and the rent 690 euros a month but you will have to pay 5,515 euros in notaries fees . Only one head a woman who is 85 years old. Total price 65,015 euros but you would have to wait until she died until you could live there. Imagine that i was going to buy it i would offer here 40,000 euros and i would pay the notaries fees if she lived for another 5 years it would cost me another 41,400 euros but if she lived for lets say 10 years it would cost me a further 82,800 euros. The final price depends upon the death of the vendor..... but i won't. Anyway back in Civary average price 125,500 euros down by -8.4% over a year. 1,311 main residences. 112 residences secondaires. 180 empty properties. There are 84 houses that are up for sale on le bon coin out of which 13 are dead they have been on sale for over 300 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venger Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 You can suffer from the Mistral any time of year; its why the streets are built crooked in the south to slow it down. It is a continuous strong draining wind but I wouldn't have thought St Tropez' climate to be cold. I've lived in Cannes and there are quite a few storms but it is not too bad in the winter. The weather further along towards Marseille and Montpelier is not great with the winds blowing clouds inland all the time as well as the occassional mega strorm (épisode cévenol). It is all pretty dead in the winter though and a bit depressing unless you are in a proper town like Nice or erm... Marseille. There is a plan to level a super-council tax on second homes in tourist areas so buyer beware. Thanks; good reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 http://www.lefigaro.fr/immobilier/2014/12/04/05002-20141204ARTFIG00251-immobilier-les-prix-resistent-dans-les-villes-devissent-dans-les-campagnes.php Le Figaro 5/12/2014 Immobilier Les prix resistent dans les villes devissent dans les campagnes. Property Prices are resisting in the towns unscrewing in the countryside. Quote A total of 725,000 properties have been sold between October 2013 to September 2014 in France A total of 589,000 in province and a 135,000 in Ile de France according to the notaries. An increase of 5,4% when compared to 2013 a morose year but down by 9,7% when compared to the good years of 1997/ 2007. The price of old property continues its slow fall "since 2011 the price of flats in France have fallen by an average of 7% and houses by 5%" said Mr Thomas head of the notaries and he adds "The fall in prices has been confirmed and will accelerate in 2015". A fall in prices of between 15% to 30% at 30 kilometers from the towns. Once you move away to 20 or 30 klometers from the towns pices fall by 15 to 20% on average. An example prices have fallen by 3% on average this year in Rouen but by 10% in Dieppe and 12% in Elbeuf. The fall is even higher in other regions. Prices have fallen by 31% in the Creuse and between 20 to 32% in the Gers and the Cantal. In the Cher numerous houses are being sold for 15,000 euros ! Lets face it who wants to live in the countryside ? The young want to near to shopping centers restaurants and night clubs and oldies want to be near to hospitals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I can only take my bearings from those who contribute to this thread, for interesting reading and local insights. Blog entry from elsewhere, earlier this year... Went to Saint-Tropez as a kid. Just a day out. Recall going on large boat. Took some drinking water from one of the fountains. Had a drink whilst sat in one of the film-director style chairs in a cafe. We were on a 3 week camping trip (tents). Also reminds me of Linda B.... doesn't everyone own properties all over the world? Wonder how it's going for her Saint Tropez JV, Cyprus ones too etc. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1113047/Ill-ride-euro-nightmare-says-Linda-Barker-plans-let-French-villa-12-000-week.html Is Le Mistral really a big deal? I vaguely recall someone telling me about being cold in Saint Tropez over winter, for it often takes the full force of Mistral... or something about having to hammer the heating. http://www.seloger.com/annonces/achat/appartement/saint-tropez-83/61508913.htm Saint-tropez is very swinging sixties it was Brigitte Bardot in the film 'Et Dieu...créa la femme' that was filmed in Saint -Tropez that put it on the map. Over 20 films were made in Saint-Tropez during the sixties. The gendarme films six in total 'The gendarme of Saint-Tropez' the first one followed by he gets married he goes for a walk he goes to New York etc. La piscine or the swimming pool. In the heat of Saint-Tropez. The postman of Saint-Tropez. Last year two films were made in Saint-Tropez. Music as well also put it on the map such as 'Twist in Saint-Tropez' by the chats sauvage in 1961and many others 'Paris-Saint-Tropez' comes to mind. If you want to keep an eye on the mistral you can just look up 'windfinder.com' it gives you daily wind speeds from all over the world. When it comes to property there are 270 houses / flats that are up for sale and they are not giving them away. The link is from Se.loger a flat that has been on sale for 1,211 days without a single reduction over the last three years ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 http://www.leboncoin.fr/ventes_immobilieres/733022822.htm?ca=20_s Not forgetting 'en viager' take a look at this one and its in Civray a' belle maison de maitre occupe en viager' . and Civray is still a metropolis compared to some of the outlying villages... the Chapelle Baton and places like that. Chapelle Baton is a case in point. A ghost estate with all services installed by the mayor in 2007 but with only 1 house built since then. There's also a cafe, used to be run by English but closed as the French landlord put up the rent to a level that didn't make it economic (so I was told). Up the road is Duvivier matresses, the main employer in the area. The place you found is not bad, I think it is down by the river as you come out of town. It is an area with flooding potential which would put me off a bit. The old dear could live to be 120 years old. Civray is built on marshland in a river basin, the 12th century church is interesting historically, it rests on wooden piles sunk into the mud. There are 4 or 5 estate agents in the central square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 and Civray is still a metropolis compared to some of the outlying villages... the Chapelle Baton and places like that. Chapelle Baton is a case in point. A ghost estate with all services installed by the mayor in 2007 but with only 1 house built since then. There's also a cafe, used to be run by English but closed as the French landlord put up the rent to a level that didn't make it economic (so I was told). Up the road is Duvivier matresses, the main employer in the area. The place you found is not bad, I think it is down by the river as you come out of town. It is an area with flooding potential which would put me off a bit. The old dear could live to be 120 years old. Civray is built on marshland in a river basin, the 12th century church is interesting historically, it rests on wooden piles sunk into the mud. There are 4 or 5 estate agents in the central square. I had a quick look at Chapelle Baton and i found four houses that are up for sale and some land. I was also surprised by the decline of the population that has been on a slow but steady decline since 1906. 1906 pop 928 2006 pop 376 2011 pop 346. I would never buy anything' en viager' as you say she could live to be a 120 years old also the rent is indexed to the price of tobacco not inflation although i may be wrong. Having said that its back in fashion there are advantages for the vendor they recieve a lump sum and a rent every month also if you miss one or two months payments then the contract is terminated and the buyer has lost all his cash that he has paid. Along with there pensions it brings in extra income and they stay in there homes but its far to one sided and besides its said to be only worth the risk for expensive property in big cities and only if the property market is on the rise. Other news guess who in France is the number one and two estate agents its le bon coin and pap between them they have a total of 2,350,000 property adverts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 France 2 8pm national news 12/12/14. Property a house for sale for only 50,000 euros ! This 3 minute report shows the property crash in the countryside. It starts off with a visit to a village in Franche Comte with a population of 300. A big family house thats been up for sale for a year price 50,000 euros the estate agent says that it will cost a further 25K to 30K in work this seems to be insulation work as the walls are built of stone . We then go to a village in the Mayenne in the region Pays de la Loire you can see rural life the cows. A longere or a long house the vendor wanted a 120,000 euros but today he is asking for 80,000 euros. The estate agent says" that five years ago this sort of property would of sold in a few weeks but today the countryside is no longer attractive and people want to move back to the towns". Even in the small towns prices are falling a house for sale original price a 120,000 euros and today 79,000 and the estate agent says that there is still a margin for negociating. There are adverts from the bon coin Rouffec 30,000 and Thiers 25,000 euros and newpaper adverts for low priced property but at one condition and that is to go and live in the countryside ..... but nobody wants to live in the countryside. IMO The last two houses were not wrecks the first one was big and it looked cold inside.I am surprised that they showed this especially with an average of 5 million viewers. Where have the rich foreign buyers gone ?The media have been telling us for years that the countryside is crawling with expats the Brits and the Dutch who came to France to live in a dream and to live there french way of life in the far away isolated villages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 (edited) Other news guess who in France is the number one and two estate agents its le bon coin and pap between them they have a total of 2,350,000 property adverts. There is a campaign supported by two socialists MPs to outlaw or tax selling houses on Le Bon Coin and PaP http://www.liberation.fr/societe/2014/12/16/le-lobby-de-l-immobilier-ne-manque-pas-d-air_1165157 Edited December 17, 2014 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 http://www.lepopulaire.fr/limousin/actualite/departement/creuse/2014/12/02/des-riverains-punis-par-dix-mois-de-trou_11242715.html Le populaire Limousin La Creuse 2/12/14 Des riverains punis par dix mois des trous. The local habitants are punished by a ten month old hole. Quote The habitants of the small valley of Boussac have to drive through the peat bogs if they want to move around because there road has collapsed. The case is now in the hands of the justice. This is the story of an englishman who wanted to equip his house with a septic tank. Unfortunately the septic tank ran away it was propulsed by a wave of mud 30 meters below the house taking with it trees and a caravan to the bottom of the peat bog. The road also collapsed along the right hand side of the englishmans house that was being renovated on the second of March. Mr Watson no longer has to put up with this vision of a nightmare since he has returned to the UK. The local council have forbidden him from entering his house. The neighbours at first though that this was funny and would say with a mocking tone in there voices....."when the english touch a building everything goes wrong". This disastrous work was given to a small British company in the Creuse. Today the two villages of Boussac and Bost-Boussac are still seperated by the ravine. The summer came and went autumn has come to an end and nobody wants to laugh. "We feel that we have been abandonned " says Mr Poncin a doctor his patients who live on the 'plateau of a thousand cows' now have to drive an extra 8 to 10 kms. The postman and the binmen also have to take a far longer deviation. Its going to cost an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 euros to repair and the mayor says that they don't have the funds to remove the 2,500 cubic meters of earth that was pulled away from the side of the valley. Mr Watson had a problem with dampness in his house so the english builders blocked the spring and drained the water onto the side of the road it then filted below it creating a pocket. The owner and the builders insurance companies both have rejected the councils claim so we will take them to court but the case could take up to 18 months. In the mean time we have asked for emergency help from the regional council they propose 85,000 euros but only after a court has agreed. You have to look at the photo on the link to understand the extent of the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 http://www.lepublicateurlibre.fr/2014/11/24/la-mayenne-terre-promise-des-anglais/ Le publicateur libre 25/11/14 Gorron / Domford La Mayenne terre promise des anglais. The Mayenne the English promised land. quote In the North Mayenne the English are numerous but for what reasons ? what makes our region so attractive to them ? The answers according to the estate agents in the area. "Two thirds of our transactions are for British households" says Barbara manager of Gorron property. Its the same for North West Property who cover a large area from the North of the Mayenne to Domfront and up to the Channel. Five Reasons. There are five main reasons the first one. "They tell us that they want to rediscover the England of there youth with its green and rolling hills". They often say that the Mayenne looks like Devon and many of them also come from Liverpool and Nottingham. The second reason concerns the price of property its very expensive from where they come from. The third reason is the climate a little like there weather but warmer. "Although these last few years due to climate changes its warmer in the UK" says Marc manager of tower estate agents. The fourth reason. They wish to live just like the french the british buyers ask us lots of questions such as ... "will they be near to a farm and can they buy croissants bread and farm milk". The english are very attached to the idea of living just like we do with all of the cliches that make you smile but its a reference for them. The young alcoholics. Some of the british come to France for a better education for there children a number of them are unhappy with the education system in the UK. The young are looking for values and are often faced with alcoholism. The fifth reason. The Mayenne isn't too far away for our English neighbours and the ferry in Ouistreham is the nearest. "I have known a few British who left and went to live in the South but they came back here because the Perigord was too far away for them". You can see the Mayenne on the news link its the longhouse that is still not sold original price a 120,000 euros now 80,000 euros after having dropped his price four times. I would not get romantic about rural french farms when a farmer wants some pork chops they just go to the pig sty and they catch a pig by using a rope they drag it outside by its hind legs and using a fork lift its raised into the air and they shoot it in the head with a hand gun and they collect the blood in a bucket. French farmers are not your emmerdale farm types in tweed jackets wearing ties and driving round in landrovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shindigger Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 (edited) Thought i'd just come back in here and poke about with a stick for five minutes seeing as houses just got cheaper in Euroland. **MUST NOT LOOK AT HOUSES IN HERAULT** Edited January 16, 2015 by shindigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Toute-zone/Actualite/Economie-social/n/Contenus/Articles/2014/12/13/La-fin-des-residences-secondaires-2152266 La Nouvelle Republique 13/12/14 La fin des residences secondaires ? The end of holiday homes ? Quote Flowering during the 1990's due to the British buyers the holiday home market was destroyed by the financial crisis and the fall of the pound. A world leader in tourism France is also the champion of holiday homes with more than 3 million or 10% of the property park but since the beginning of the crisis nothing works anymore in this market. Sales have fallen by 50% on average and as for the prices they have gone down by 10 to 30% and even 50%. Away from the beaches and the coast far from Paris and lacking in any important tourist areas. The green countryside of the Deux-Sevres has never been a leader in the holiday home market until the arrival of the British at the end of the 1990's. From now on this melting away market is there market and its nearly exclusive. "The Poitou-Charentes is the region the most sought after by the english even more than the Perigord" says Fabrice manager of Century 21 in Chef-Boutonne. In 2014 the market had improved a little at least better than the previous years that was badly hit by the the subprime crisis and the fall in the pound with a 25% to 30% fall in spending power and we no longer saw the english and those who bought at the end of the 1990's left but if the pound goes up to 1.40 i know that the telephone will ring. According to him the typical buyer is aged between 45 to 70 years old and is looking for a house with some renovation work in the price range of between 50,000 to 120,000 euros. In the Thouarsais another British resort. The ray of sunshine that has been seen in the South remains invisible. "From the 1990 to 2,000 years we had lots of english but since then they have sold up and left many of those who remain are trying to sell but its very difficult for them because of the important fall in prices this market has now been reduced to one or two sales a year" says Maxence manager of the Thouarsise agency. So what about the buyers from Paris who want to live in the countryside ? "It was finished a long time ago". I can't imagine why anybody would want to go and live in the Deux-Sevres its really rural i mean what do you do all day in the dying deserted villages. Theres a place called 'Les Forges' it has a population of a 124 and a total of 201 houses out of which a 142 are holiday homes. Taking part in village life and events ? No nothing happens its deserted 10 months a year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I can't imagine why anybody would want to go and live in the Deux-Sevres its really rural i mean what do you do all day in the dying deserted villages. Theres a place called 'Les Forges' it has a population of a 124 and a total of 201 houses out of which a 142 are holiday homes. Taking part in village life and events ? No nothing happens its deserted 10 months a year . there is a nice chateau in Chef-Boutonne and there is Monkey Valley http://www.la-vallee-des-singes.fr/ which is quite good. So that's two days of your 365 in the Deux-Sevres sorted. Erm, apart from that I'm at a loss to think of anything to do; but I'm not sure the old folk who move there are looking for stuff to do, are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felix Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Sales have fallen by 50% on average and as for the prices they have gone down by 10 to 30% and even 50%.When shall we see these kind of price drops in the Côte d'Azur? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 When shall we see these kind of price drops in the Côte d'Azur? Its strange that you should mention a 50% price fall on the Cote d'Azur because there was an article that was published on the 13/1/15 about the Var and the effect that it would have on the vendors if they dropped there prices by 10 or even 50%. I read the article a few times but its long and i will try to make a summary of it and i will if i have the time post it soon . A good article that gives you so many links to other sites and you read and read and learn so much and everything unfolds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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