France picked as the best place to live in Europe, according to the latest uSwitch Quality of Life Index:

France enjoys the earliest retirement age (joint with Poland), spends the most on healthcare (11% of GDP) and has the longest life expectancy in Europe. Its workers also benefit from 36 days holiday a year, compared with just 28 in the UK, and it comes only behind Spain and Italy for hours of sunshine.

The UK and Ireland are the worst places to live in Europe.

The uSwitch.com study examined 16 factors…Variables such as net income, VAT and the cost of essential goods, such as fuel, food and energy bills, were examined along with lifestyle factors, such as hours of sunshine, holiday entitlement, working hours and life expectancy to provide a complete picture of the quality of life experienced in each country.

Languedoc-Roussillon has vineyards, a good climate and is affordable…

When people talk about the South of France they are more often than not referring to the stretch of land between St Tropez and Nice in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, a favoured location of the rich and famous, including Elton John and Johnny Depp.

However, houses here come with a hefty price tag, often into the millions, so for those looking to buy French property on a budget, a house just across the provincial border in Languedoc-Roussillon can be just as attractive at less than half the price.

This region of France has much to commend it. Its exceptionally warm, Mediterranean climate makes for an excellent wine region, and its central cities of Montpellier and Carcassonne are steeped in fascinating history. Its annual average of 300 days of sunshine makes it a popular with tourists and international investors alike.

The Garrigae Group, a French real estate development company, already has a number of property developments in Languedoc, and has just unveiled plans for two new property developments to be built in two years time. “Languedoc is the next step for people looking for holidays in the South of France,” says Daniel Martin, Garrigae Investments’ senior adviser.

Located in the medieval village of Lézignan-la-Cèbe, Garrigae has plans to complete a new estate development, Le Chateau des Roches Fleuries, in spring 2013. With 14 properties in a gated property, the estate boasts a communal outdoor area and a shared swimming pool, as well as private gardens for family houses. The two-bedroom houses start from €255,000, a three-bed from €287,000, including taxes.

Prospective buyers will be able to add to their property for an extra cost. Extras include a swimming pool with prices from €29,900 including VAT, and furniture packs for the kitchen, living room, bedrooms and garden in a choice of two styles. Prices start at €30,000. The extras are for buyers who want to add rental value to their buy- to-let properties, or who don’t want the hassle of doing up and furnishing the house themselves.

For properties on a similar budget, local French estate agents Crème de Languedoc have houses ranging from one to five bedrooms, with varying degrees of luxury. The outside space for each house ranges from non-existent to large, spacious gardens fully equipped with a pool and view. If your budget can stretch to €500,000, then you can find some lovely, large properties with acres of land, and gain a real sense of privacy and individuality that a gated community might lack.

As the costs of buying in this region are comparatively low, and given the fact that it’s a popular tourist destination, it’s no wonder that it has become such a popular area for the British to buy second homes and rent out the property in the months that they aren’t using it.

Some of their properties are even run on a French leaseback scheme.

“People buy the property 100 per cent freehold,” explains Mr Martin. “They then enter into a lease agreement with the developer for a minimum term of nine years. They decide what type of usage they want out of the property each year, whether it’s two weeks, five weeks or more. They then have a guaranteed financial return, but obviously the less usage they have, the higher the financial return.”

By leasing your house back to the developer, it does the legwork to secure your rent throughout the time that you’re not there, thereby ensuring you have a steady income.

One estate development under the leaseback scheme is La Domaine de la Mondoune, due for completion in spring 2013. It has 28 apartments over 45 hectares, and the development is set in stunning surroundings with vineyards, olive groves and vegetable gardens. The estate is on the shores of the Étang de Thau with 300 metres of private beach, and minutes from the Marseillan harbour.

The development comes with a guarantee that each apartment is unique to avoid standardisation. Apartment prices start from just €170,000.

Buying into the overseas market can be a daunting process, especially if you’re taking out a mortgage to cover the cost.

“Take out a mortgage in the currency of the country you’re buying in” advises Mark Sharp, the chief executive of the Association of International Property Professionals. “For example, if you buy property in France, borrow in euros, and if you’re renting out your property then make sure you get paid in euros as well.”

As always when buying property you will need to get professional legal advice on the sale, preferably from somebody that you’ve sourced yourself, rather than going on the recommendation of the seller or developer. Mr Sharp said that those buying property overseas “must seek an independent lawyer”. This is particularly true for buying property in France where the lawyer acting for the estate agent will often suggest that he can represent both parties.

Mr Martin, on the other hand, says: “The legal system in France is pernickety. The notaires [lawyers] are a government body there to regulate the proceedings. They’re there to make sure that everything is legally correct.”

There are, inevitably, tax implications when buying a property abroad. If you’re buying to let you will pay income tax on the rent that you receive, although you’ll only pay this in France. If you’re buying the house as a holiday home you’ll have to pay council tax, or taxe foncière, used to cover the costs of bin collection, lighting and maintenance of communal areas. This usually equates to around €10 per square metre a year.

There is also an annual residence tax, or taxe d’habitation. If your French home is your second home, and you don’t use it that often, you will still have to pay this tax provided that the property is capable of being occupied. However, if you only use the property for a few weeks of the year and otherwise rent it out, then you’ll be exempt from this tax. Second homes are also subject to inheritance tax, typically around 20 per cent of the value.

Report by Roz Sanderson – The Independent

DESPITE the crash in real estate values across much of western Europe, Cap Ferrat peninsula on the French Riviera continues to command prices only Russian oligarchs – and, it seems, Irish rock stars – can afford.

Construction work has just begun on a 372sq m (4,000sq ft) seafront villa being built by U2 bass guitarist Adam Clayton. It is not far from the estate formerly owned by troubled financier and property magnate Derek Quinlan, sold after a court order for around €70 million several weeks ago.

Clayton was known to own a house inland at Grasse. Several years ago he also bought a large beachfront property on what is known as the Petit Cap, the most exclusive section of this already elite playground. He demolished Villa la Girelle, which has nearly 1,858sq m (20,000sq ft) of high-walled gardens. He has been granted planning permission to build a large new house and pool on the site. Building work is at an early stage with little more than foundations visible.

Côte dAzur property developer and Clayton’s neighbour-to-be, Dubliner Angela Cavendish, says the Petit Cap is the dearest real estate in the world, where prices are determined only by the depth of would-be buyers’ pockets.

She didn’t know know how much Clayton is spending on his new house, but pro rata with Quinlan’s villa, it could command a price tag of €27 million. Bono, the Edge and Paul McGuinness all have houses in Eze, across the bay.

Waterfront locations on the Cap are much sought after by Arab oil magnates and Russian billionaires. Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokorov offered €390m for Villa Leopolda. When he tried to pull out of the deal, French courts ruled he had to forfeit a €39m deposit.

Report by MIKE MILOTTE – Irish Times

Nicolas Sarkozy drops controversial tax on second homes in France…

Nicolas Sarkozy has decided to drop controversial plans that would have led to more than 180,000 Britons with second homes in France paying a new tax on their properties.

The French parliament approved the law a week ago, but faced with a two-pronged revolt from irate Britons and French living abroad, the president chose to remove it via an amendment.

French expatriates will be represented by an MP for the first time after next year’s election, giving them far more political clout, and the scheme had been described as “electoral suicide” for Mr Sarkozy.

Non-resident French home owners already pay two taxes – one by the person who owns the house and the other paid by those who live in the property.

Under the new law, homes only used for a few weeks a year, would be liable for a third tax, calculated at 20 per cent of the theoretical annual rent that could be gained from the property. Properties rented out all year round were to be exempt.

Mr Sarkozy had approved the plan, which would have added thousands of euros to the cost of owning a second home in France, as a way of offsetting a cut in the wealth tax.

If enacted, it would have affected an estimated 360,000 families with second homes in France, around half of them British.

Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam, one of nine senators who oppose the tax and met Mr Sarkozy on Saturday, said: “The president told us he had been convinced (the law was a bad idea) and had taken his decision (to scrap it).” She said she told the government that the law would have been “very bad publicity for France”.

“British people help rejuvenate some of our countryside and have a very positive influence, and we should be grateful,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

Olivier Cadic, a member of the Council for the French Abroad, said Mr Sarkozy had also realised the law would have been “electoral suicide” as French expatriates will be able to elect MPs for to parliament next year.

“All those French living abroad with homes in France would have been scandalised,” he said.

He also faced the threat of opponents taking their case to the European courts, arguing the tax is discriminatory.

Denis MacShane, Labour MP, former Europe minister and regular visitor to France, said: “This is welcome news for the hundreds of thousands of Brits who live and work or have homes in France and other European countries, as it is clear that EU rules would not permit a selective tax just on one group of residents in France.”

Report by Henry Samuel – The Telegraph

If you buy an apartment or villa in a complex you will pay a maintenance fee to a management company who will employ people to keep the gardens and common areas smart. Some complexes have swimming pools, tennis courts, fountains and most have lifts, so the more things to look after the higher the fee’s.

The owners of the properties select a committee and it’s this committee that informs the management company if any problems arise.

Each year owners have a formal meeting to discuss future work on the complex…

Repainting facades
Re-tiling the common areas
Resurfacing car park areas
Building bin areas etc.

If the majority want the building repainted, then it’s repainted and you the owner will pay an extra charge for this. If an apartment has a terrace it may be above the apartment below and if it leaks your terrace will have to be re-tiled.

So keep in mind the potential costs involved when buying a property in a shared complex.

Post by BJK © The South of France Guide

A studio apartment is comprised of one main room with a separate bathroom. It is called a T1.  The main room is used as a sitting room cum bedroom and it will also have a small kitchen area. French studio apartments can range in size from 6 square metres to 40 square metres ( Living space, not including terraces etc ). Most studio apartments will have a balcony or “loggia” ( an enclosed balcony ) and some have private terrace’s or small gardens.

Most people who buy studio apartments use them for holidays and some rent them to tourists.

Post by BJK © The South of France Guide

Discover Traditional Village Houses in the Herault Department of Languedoc in the South of France…

The Herault area is situated on the Mediterranean coast with the Black mountains to the North and acres of vineyards in between. The villages and hamlets can date back to early medieval times and the lanes and roads are narrow.

The houses are terraced but each one is unique in height and size. Most village houses front onto the road with no garden, some will have back gardens. These houses when built had a “cave” a space for wine-making etc. this area can  take up the entire ground floor with stone stairs leading up to the first floor. Lots of caves have been converted into living space, garage, storeroom or workshop.

Houses are generally two to three stories high and can range in size from 50 to 250 square metres of living space, built of stone with walls up to a metre thick with tiled floors. Each room will have at least one window and the living room may have a french window onto a small balcony, the roof is built with traditional terracotta tiles.

State of Repair

This can vary from…superb condition to total renovation project. Most of the houses that come on the market are in “OK” condition i.e. the structure and roof is sound. In some cases the kitchens and bathrooms will need to be updated or replaced and the whole house given a make – over. Some people have converted some or all of the top floor into terraces.

General Information

There are lots of public parking spaces in and around most villages.
Most villages have at least one bakery, grocery / fruit shop, butchers, post office and newsagents and some have weekly markets selling local produce etc.
Many villages are within a 20 minute drive to major supermarkets and stores.
Quiet at night with little or no crime.
Very friendly neighbours
Bus service

Typical Herault Village

Saint Thibery is situated fifteen minutes by car to the Mediterranean coast, thirty minutes to Sete, fifteen minutes to Agde, Beziers and Pezenas and and hour and twenty minutes to Spain. The Celts once lived here and the Romans built a road ( Via Domitia ) through the village cira 118 BC. Within the village boundaries you will also find a Roman Bridge, an early medieval corn mill and bridge, a Benedictine Abbey and Church and many medieval houses. The village is surrounded by vineyards and the rivers Herault and Thongue run by.

The village has…
Four Bakeries
Veg and fruit shop
Small supermarket
Tabac
Three bars / restaurants
Hairdressing salon
Post office
Gites and B&B’s
Wine caves
Weekly open-air market
Camping site
Annual festivals and fetes etc.
Bus Service
Taxis
School
Church
Community hall
Mayor’s office
Major supermarket,  a few minutes drive (or a 10 minute walk)
Train Station, fifteen minutes drive
Beautiful walks

Discover more about the village of St Thibery

Post by BJK © The South of France Guide (All photos are of St Thibery)

A new French Property Tax is being proposed for January 2012. It is expected to raise approx €176 million, if passed through parliament in July 2011.

This would be an annual tax on second homes and could affect many of the 360,000 non-resident French property owners. The 20% tax applies second homes in France owned by non-residents and is calculated on the annual rental value or “Valeur locative cadastrale”.

This tax would be in addition to the existing two Property taxes: the Taxe Fonciere, which is paid by the home owner; and the Taxe d’Habitation, paid by those dwelling in it.

However, owners who declare the home as their principal dwelling will not have to pay this tax. You can find more info at the Government website www.cadastre.gouv.fr.  (The site is also available is English.)

Whether this tax will actually come into force  is still under is debate. There has already been speculation that the tax could be challenged in the European Court as it might be discriminatory against foreign owners of second homes.

Post by MC © The South of France Guide

There are two ways of putting your home on the property market…

1. Private Sale (For Sale by owner – FSBO)
2. Estate Agent ( Immobilier )

Many people choose to sell privately ( not using an Estate Agent ) because they can deal directly with potential buyers and arrange viewing times etc. One of the main advantages of selling privately, is that the buyer does not pay estate agents commission fee’s, thus keeping the price down.

If you decide to sell the property privately, here are a few suggestions:

Place a “For Sale” sign ( A Vendre ) on the property, with your telephone number.
Create your own website about the property.
Advertise on French and English “property for sale” websites.
Place an advertisement on notice boards in shopping areas.
Advertise in local newspapers and magazines.

Content of Advertisement:
Photographs of property, garden, main rooms etc.General information, type of property and size ( square metres ) how many rooms, outdoor buildings, condition of property, local attractions etc.

Using an Estate Agent ( Immobilier ) to sell your home:

You can have as many agents as you wish to sell your home.
The agent/s will call to your home and take photographs, measure the rooms and outdoor space and write a general discription.
You tell the agent how much you want for your property and he will add his commission fee. Estate Agents commission fee’s
can vary from 4% to 10%.

The agent will place a “For Sale” sign on your property and advertise in his shop; his company website and French “property for sale” websites. He may also place the advertisement in local property magazines, brochures and newspapers

You can arrange  viewing times with the agent.

Post by BJK  © The South of France Guide

Cap d’Agde is one of France’s most popular holiday resorts and it attracts tourists from all over the world. It’s situated in the Commune of Agde on the Mediterranean coast with numerous sun-drenched sandy beaches.

It has a vast amount of attractions for people of all ages, especially children. Theme Parks, Museums, Golf, Marinas, Tennis, Shopping, Restaurants, Night Clubs, Bars and Cafes. One of Europe’s largest Nudest Resort is also to be found here. If you like the outdoor life, there are plenty of quality camping sites with their own restaurants, bars and swimming pools with play areas for the kids.

Cap d’Agde Properties:

Although most of the homes here are “Holiday or Second Homes” used by their owners certain times of the year, many people are living are now choosing to live here all year round, because of the location and climate.

The homes within the resort are mostly located in modern apartment blocks and complexes, many with swimming pools and tennis courts in landscaped gardens. The apartments can range in size from a basic one room studio to a luxury penthouse. Most of the apartments will have an “outside area” a balcony or terrace, a private parking space and some will have a garage.

There are plenty of luxury houses and villas in private landscaped gardens with swimming pools on the fringes of the resort.

Post by BJK  © The South of France Guide