View from the Foothills of France
Some personal views on living, working, bringing up family and making the dream happen in the most beautiful region of France. View from the Foothills of France also includes some personal and professional thoughts and tips on finding and buying the perfect property in the Ariège and Haute Garonne regions. For more information on what I do, take a look at my website by clicking on the link below.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
La Fête de la Musique
Summer
here in France begins with the sound of music. The 21st June marks
the date not only of the first day of summer but, more importantly, of the public
celebration of music and arts that is the Fête de la Musique. Launched in 1982
by the then Minister for Culture in order to promote music for everyone, it has
become a much loved and celebrated festival all over France and has also spread
to hundreds of other countries around the world.
On the
21st June from midday to midnight, just about every town in France
will have some sort of event or concert taking place and all genres of music on
the streets, in the squares, in public buildings, parks, stations and castles
along with, of course, plenty of good food, wine and merrymaking. The
department of the Ministry of Culture in charge of promoting the Fête de la Musique requires that
all concerts must be free to the public, that all performers donate their time
for free and that it be open to any musician, amateur
or professional, who want to perform in it (hence the quality of the music on
offer can vary hugely!) The aim of the Fête
is to attract as large an audience as possible and to popularise every kind of
music from classical to rock, jazz to fusion, latino to choral, for everyone of
all ages and from all backgrounds.
Furthermore, the Fête de la Musique is a way to encourage
the major music institutions (orchestras, operas, choirs, music schools) to
perform outside their usual location and to develop exchanges between city
centres and their outlying areas, to offer concerts in hospitals or in prisons,
to promote encounters and exchanges between young musicians and well-known
talents and to encourage a love of music of every and any kind.
Celebrated in over 110
countries around the world, it is now the world’s largest music
event and if you are in France on 21st June, it is guaranteed to be
happening where you are. Bonne fête.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Is this a good time to buy French property?
House prices in France have been slowly falling for the last
two years but 2013 has seen the market stabilise and prices and property
transactions now appear to be on the increase in this region. This could be
down to French mortgage rates which are at an all time low or because, thanks
to the financial crisis, there are some stunning houses on the market right now,
many for sale at less than their true market value and hence investors are
moving in. If you have been waiting for the best time to buy a property in
France, I would suggest that this might be it.
Belts are being tightened here as everywhere but quality of
life remains high. What’s more, the Midi-Pyrenees region has an unusually high
stock of beautifully and solidly built stone houses in beautiful locations and
this, combined with record low mortgage rates means that it is a buyer’s market
here right now. Borrowers can access stable, long-term low rates from 3.35% for
a 20 year fixed rate and 20 year tracker mortgages from just 2%. These are the
best rates investors have seen for over 65 years and the best in Europe so it’s
no surprise that I am getting lots of interest from investors choosing to lock
in some long-term capital in consistently high value and stable French bricks
and mortar.
Perhaps that’s why this region is the only one in France
showing positive growth in house prices in the first three months of 2013
according to first quarter statistics from National Federation for Estate
Agents (FNAIM) in France:
This map shows a regional breakdown of values in the first
quarter of 2013, compared to 2012.
The FNAIM also saw transactions towards the end of 2012
plummet 25 per cent due to the change in government with socialist leader
Francois Hollande coming to power. Buyers and sellers were holding tight to see
what happened to the market but the market in this region at least seems to be
on the move again perhaps because buying a house in this part of France is seen
as both a lifestyle choice as well as a sound financial investment.
Friday, May 10, 2013
‘Communism’, ‘community’, the ‘commune’ – living in France illuminates the real meaning and the importance of ‘local’ government
The Marie in the village of Arbas
As a foreigner, it has taken me a good ten years to really
understand the importance of the local mayor and Mairie in France because we
just do not have the equivalent in the UK. We knew that when we moved in to our
village that we were supposed to introduce ourselves to our local mayor, which
we duly did. When we were converting our barn, I became on first-name terms
with him and he was so pro our renovation that he managed to fast-track our
planning application through the official procedure. When all the parents in
our small hamlet (14 houses) got together to sign a petition for the provision
of some kind of lighting at the bottom of the hill for the children waiting in
the dark for the school bus at 7am every morning, just three months later, a solar-powered
light was duly installed.
But it is the smaller, every day things that go unnoticed by
the locals (who take such a service for granted) but which always amaze me,
coming from a country where there is not much in the way of local
decision-making anymore. Hence, our Mairie employs two full-time people just to
look after the commune. By that I mean, sweeping the roads, clipping the hedges
and verges, clearing out the ditches and maintaining the lights, school flower
boxes etc. Oh and clearing the roads of snow and ice in the winter – and this
is a very rural community where houses are scattered up hills and along gravel
track roads but this service happens without fail.
The efficiency of this ground-level
service was brought home to me again this week. We have had a stray dog in the
garden for about four days, a lost hunting dog but this time with no collar so
I have no way of returning it to its owners. But I also didn’t want to start
feeding it as we already have two dogs and two cats who were understandably
upset by a stranger in their midst. So finally I asked my neighbour what I
should do and he immediately called the mayor who organized for the dog to be
collected, taken to the vet to be checked for a chip or tattoo and then either to
be restored it to its owner or try to get him re-homed by the SPA (the animal
centres in France who care for and re-home stray animals.)
It’s apparently the same for any problem in the commune – M.
le Mayor is the first point of call and, if he can’t fix it, he will know
somebody who can. France is hugely criticised on the world stage for its number
of state employees and I think we all know that the costs of these have become
untenable but I hope that it will be the legions of pen-pushers and paper
shifters who go before these hard-working locals who really care about and have
a reason to ensure that their communities are well looked after and just make
life that bit nicer for everyone.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Important things to look for and questions to ask when house hunting
Spring in the foothills of the Pyrénées
For most people, buying a house is not
something they do regularly and it is easy to miss important details or forget
to ask the right questions in the excitement, emotion and stress of the moment.
So here are some things I look for and questions I ask when viewing properties
or deciding on the right offer to make for clients:
·
I
always ask the seller why they are selling – not that you will always get the
real answer but many are sellers are surprisingly honest!
·
Look up
and check the roof, are there any missing tiles or slates? Does it look in good
condition or is it starting to sag? Does the guttering leak or can you see any
gaps? The French are generally excellent at maintaining their roofs but a new
roof can be a big and expensive job so, if it does need re-doing, it is worth
being aware of this fact so that it can be used in negotiations.
·
Check that
the windows are in good order; whether there is any flaking timber or glass
which is misting up if double glazed?
·
Turn on
taps and showers; is there good water pressure? Does hot water come through
quickly? Are there any leaks?
·
Do you
have mobile phone reception? Can you get the other communications you need,
such as satellite or cable TV and broadband?
·
Do
rooms catch the sun, or need extra light? Can you see condensation on the
windows?
·
Can you
hear people around the house? Try walking upstairs and in a room when one of
you stays below, is it really noisy?
·
Make
sure to take a look in the attic and especially at the beams to check for live
beetle. The attic is also a good place to check if there is any insulation and
in what state.
·
Check what
is included in the sale; often the French will expect to take everything when
they go including light fittings and most of the kitchen so it is worth being
sure on this point.
·
Is the
house private or overlooked by neighbours and, if overlooked, is there a way of
securing privacy? If there are neighbours, I always take a sneaky peak
into their garden to see what sort of state it is in and whether they have
animals such as geese which can be smelly and also very noisy.
·
I also
ask whether surrounding fields are ‘constructible’
or whether the land is ‘agricole’
because, if constructible, you are likely to have new houses appearing next
door.
·
Check
for damp - can you see or smell any? This can be dealt with but it is worth
knowing about in advance and before moving in.
·
Does
the property have the space you need? If not, in theory, is there room to extend
the property, either into the attic or into an adjoining barn and would it be
possible to add an extra room or two to the house? For example, if the house is
in the Parc National de l’Ariège or
in a ‘Batiments de France’ area, any additional
building is unlikely to get permission.
·
Which
way does the property face? South and east facing are the ideal but in this
region, which gets very hot in summer, it is also important to make sure that
you can use the north side or at least have a shady terrace in the summer
months.
·
Is
there a fosse septique (septic tank)
and, if so, is it aux normes (the
requirements for septic tanks have recently changed in France and the majority
of properties will need a new one or some work done to bring it in line with
regulations.) Budget 3-5000 Euros for this.
·
How is
the house heated? This is becoming an ever more important question with the high
price of gas and oil. I am increasingly looking for houses where some of the
energy is provided by alternative means such as wood, solar or geo-thermal.
·
How
much are the Taxes Foncieres and Taxe d’Habitation – these are the
property taxes and generally are much lower in France than in the UK and many
other countries.
·
If the
house is near a road, how busy is it? I usually go back to a property on several
occasions at different times of day to check on this if it might be an issue
although, in this part of the world, the most usual noises are generally cow
bells or logs being cut. I have, however, viewed a house which was in a lovely
peaceful spot with only one close neighbour but I noticed that, hidden behind
this neighbouring house, were what look liked kennels, albeit empty and sure enough,
when I returned the following week, in the evening this time, the howling of
hunting dogs from next door was unbearable.
·
How
close are the nearest shops? In France it is also worth asking whether there is
a baker’s van or butcher’s van that passes through because most hamlets are
served by these at least once a week and often three or four times a week.
·
In the
South West of France, it is also vital to find out if the road to the property
is cleared of snow by the town or village services in the winter. If the
property is in a hamlet and has village electricity and water and families
living there, they almost certainly will be on the ‘deneigement’ route but I have found houses or barns in the
mountains that are hidden up tracks which are definitely not cleared of snow
automatically and so you run the risk of being cut off for the odd week in the
winter which many people here do not mind but it is worth being aware that this
might be a possibility before it actually happens.
·
Most
buyers tend not to have surveys in France but, if the house needs work, I often
ask a builder to take a look at the general state of the house to ensure that
there are not likely to be any nasty surprises after the sale.
·
Finally
I always have my camera and my notebook on every viewing as the camera often
sees details that the eye misses at the time and I write copious notes to jog
my memory about every detail or issue that I want to check further.
Viewing houses can
be really enjoyable and exciting or equally can be (and often is ) very
disappointing but, if you feel that you have seen the house for you, just take
a bit of time to ensure that you know exactly what you are taking on and that
you will be able to deal with it. A house is for life, not just for a sunny day
after a glass or two of rosé at lunchtime. My main aim is to ensure that my
clients get the best possible house at the best possible price and have thought
through all the pros and cons and this should go for everyone thinking of
buying a house in France.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Does it make financial sense to buy a property in France?
Nothing
illustrates more clearly the rise and fall of foreign home ownership in France
than the currency exchange transactions and mortgage applications from
foreigners looking to buy a home a France. And, although the property market in
France has slowed during the economic crisis, France is still the top foreign
buyer’s property hotspot according to all of the main financial organizations.
For
example, HIFEX, the currency exchange specialist has recently published its Property Hotspots Report which puts
France at the top of the list of overseas markets with 23% of potential buyers
looking for a property to purchase in France with many believing that now is a good
time to pick up a bargain.
The
report, which reveals the top destinations for property ownership abroad,
showed that buyers remain undeterred by the economic uncertainty in the
Euro-zone. It also revealed that they have not been discouraged from buying
property in France by the tax hikes that were introduced by the French
government following the election of President Hollande. “With an abundance of
low-cost airline routes, more tourists than any other country in the world,
easy access and the great choice France offers for both snow and sun lovers,
it’s easy to see why France remains a favourite with British buyers and
regularly tops quality of life polls,” comments HIFEX director Mark Bodega. “In
troubled times owners and investors seek safe havens, and they simply don’t
come more secure or enjoyable than France.”
The Overseas Guides Company (OGC) saw an increase of over 40% in
overseas property enquiries in 2012 with France continuing to be the most
popular destination. France firmly secured its position as the UK's favourite
place to purchase a home overseas, attracting the largest share of enquiries
for each quarter last year, according to the data provided by OGC. The country
ended the year strongly by recording a higher level of interest during October,
November and December - traditionally a quieter period - than in both the first
and second quarters of 2012.
Richard Way, editor of OGC commented: "Interest in France surged in
the summer months and then never really fizzled out....Prices are deflated in
most popular European destinations, but France appears particularly good value
for money at the moment, given the numerous pretty character homes available
there for very attractive prices. Village homes are particularly affordable and
sought after."
Research by overseas mortgage specialist, Conti, shows that the stable
nature of the French property market and a good quality of life are the main
reasons why buyers are attracted to French property. Clare Nessling of Conti
comments: "Buyers have increasingly been sticking to locations they know
and trust."
Most Francophiles know only too well that France offers all sorts of
lifestyle advantages but it is reassuring to know that the financial experts
also believe that France is a good bet.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
‘The origin of species’ and local markets (horse-meat optional)
Pick and mix cepes - the king of the mushroom
The whole horse-meat farce has highlighted once again a
subject close to my heart – the importance of buying and eating locally sourced,
fresh and seasonal produce. In many countries we have become far too far
removed from the source of our food and far too disinterested in how this food
is produced. Thank goodness this is not the case here in the Ariège (one of the
many reasons we are here) where there is a very strong tradition of producing
one’s own food (fruit, vegetables, eggs, rabbits and pigs) and of buying from
local producers so that you know exactly where your food is coming from and
what it contains (or hopefully doesn’t contain).
This is the right part of the world for me because I
actually have a pathological hatred of shopping (in shops) which I realize is
not very girlie of me but it is just not my thing. Luckily nowadays when I need
a new shirt or pair of jeans, I can simply find and buy online and have my
friendly postie deliver without having to go near a shop. And I particularly dislike
shopping in the supermarket but this is something I find much harder to avoid
because we are a family of six on a budget. In France, supermarkets are just beginning
to cotton on to the idea of grocery shopping online but it is too big and too
rural a country for home delivery to be an option so I do find myself in
Intermarché far more often than I would like.
Having said that, however, one of the many reasons I love
living here in South West France is that it is still quite possible to do the
majority of the weekly shop at the local market which is exactly what I do. So
every Monday morning, as soon as I have dropped the children at school, you
will find me in the market place at Salies du Salat where I am first name terms
with many of the stall holders and where I can find wonderful local,
organically grown, in-season produce at a much better price than in the
supermarket. Here shopping is brought back to a human level – I can discuss
every subject under the sun (the French just love a good debate) while choosing
my apples or my ham and generally pass the time of day so that by the time I am
finished it just feels that I have spent a pleasant couple of hours chatting having
incidentally done my weekly shop. We are spoiled for choice for fantastic local
produce here; the cheese is out of this world, the eggs freshly laid, the meat
excellent quality (yes there is horse but it is labelled as such!) and locally
sourced and the fruit and vegetables are seasonal unless they have come over
the border from Spain, in which case it is possible to find the odd red pepper
or tomato in the winter months. Then a quick trip to the smiliest bakery in
France and I am back at my desk by mid-morning to begin my working week.
By Saturday, if we are running out of fresh produce, we have
one of the best markets in France, incredibly colourful and eccentric, just 15
minutes away in Saint Girons which is worth a visit even if you don’t have any
shopping to do.
Somehow shopping at the local market is uplifting and life affirming
while supermarket shopping destroys the soul. I leave the market feeling happy
and energetic and I leave the supermarket feeling depressed and drained. If
only I could wean my children off breakfast cereal and pasta and myself off
coffee and chocolate, I could pretty much eliminate the supermarket shop
altogether which I think is going to be one of my new season resolutions.
And now I shall get off my soap box and I promise my next
post will be back on property...!
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