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.

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The Post-Covid Home

By nadia, on 13th July 2021


There is no doubt that Covid19 has caused huge upheaval for all of us in our daily lives and the consequences are already having an impact on our homes. As our priorities have shifted from work to home, we are changing the way we live; our homes have become our protective shell, our comfort bubble where we can slow down and get back to basics.

On property viewings, I have already started to notice these changes and I think this is just the beginning of a shift in how we design our living spaces for the future. So, as we emerge from lockdowns and social distancing, it is interesting to see how we are reinventing and redecorating our homes, moving away from trend-inspired living and open-plan minimalism to increasing comfort and personalisation. Our homes have become like a comfortable pullover, more shabby than chic, somewhere we feel we belong; a respite from the outside world, a place that makes us happy and fortifies us.

A recent article in the Times talks about finding comfort in what matters and that “to be surrounded by colours, fabrics, mementoes and artworks that have deep personal significance is to be silently fortified by everything around you.” It is a way of finding the beauty in the everyday. Most people do not in fact need more, they need less, combined with a rethink of the space they have.

Hence the focus post Covid seems to be to create homes that enable us to be ourselves while also facilitating all of the activities that can make us happy and keep us healthy. Meaning that our houses will increasingly become places that encourage and foster wellbeing, a place of respite, relaxation, and emotional comfort. The idea of home-as-sanctuary will be stronger than ever.

Quite simply, our environment matters; the impact on personal health and wellbeing of our surroundings, especially our homes, has become even more significant post-Covid. Our values have been reset and, long-term we will see this reflected in how we design and use our homes.

If you would like help to find your home in France, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

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Toulouse is Top of the Polls

By nadia, on 30th June 2021

Place St Georges, Toulouse

I was lucky enough to be in central Toulouse last week. Toulouse is one of those places that I like more and more each time I visit perhaps because it takes time to get to know but maybe also because it has changed almost beyond recognition in the last 20 years. It still has its characteristic narrow cobbled streets that meander in no logical direction, always the promise of something interesting around the next corner. It is also a very pretty place, with the Garonne River flowing through the middle, numerous lovely squares and an incredibly eclectic mix of shops, bars and restaurants. What has changed though is that these restaurants are no longer just offering French food and drink but pretty much every type of cuisine you could hope to find; Toulouse has always been a very European city, but it has become truly international.

Even better is that the focus is now on pedestrians and cyclists rather than cars which gives the whole place a much more relaxed, safe feel. Roads have become tree and grass-lined, pedestrian boulevards and car parks are hidden away underground while the bike-hire scheme and the tram system are both excellent. Toulouse is also very notably a ‘young’ city – or maybe I am just getting old! But everywhere there are students and children and young families and great fashions and style which combine to create a great energy and make the city a fantastic place for people watching.

Not surprising, therefore, that Toulouse often appears in surveys as the favourite place to live in France and the place that many younger French people and families aspire to move. There is also a clear bias to the southwest of France in general with aspects such as overall quality of life, employment, schools and universities and affordability all pushing the region to the top of the rankings.

People choose this region to live for many and varied reasons but an oft cited one is the preference to be within striking distance of a vibrant and thriving city and Toulouse fits this bill perfectly. Toulouse is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and the fourth largest city in France (after Paris, Marseille and Lyon). Toulouse has been a major success story; the city has attracted a vast range of investment from companies in the high-tech sector, the aeronautical industry and the medical world, including public and private sector investment in the largest cancer hospital and research centre in Europe, the Toulouse Canceropole.

This popularity seems to be increasing; the number of potential buyers looking for property in Toulouse has doubled since January this year (7% more buyers than sellers at the start of the year compared to 14% currently). And over the last 10 years prices are up 27% according to the latest figures from the Notaires de France.

Another important consideration when deciding on a location is the access and transport links and in the region around Toulouse, these are excellent. Toulouse International Airport is set just outside the western side of the city and receives direct flights from across the UK and worldwide. For those preferring not to fly, there are many train services to and from Toulouse and within 10 years there will be a TGV line from Toulouse to Paris bringing the Capital to within three hours by train.

Proximity to Toulouse was one of the reasons that we chose to move to this region, and it seems that we are not alone.

If you would like help with your property search, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

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Unprecedented demand for property in the French countryside

By nadia, on 3rd June 2021

Surge in demand for property in rural France in 2020 and 2021

The French rural property market is continuing its upwards trajectory which began this time last year in the middle of the pandemic. In 2020, despite Covid and lockdowns, estate agents in France sold a record number of houses in the French countryside.

This initially looked as if it was simply a short-term, knee-jerk reaction to the Covid crisis but, if anything, the trend appears to be accelerating this year with agents all over South West France complaining of an unprecedented demand from buyers for properties in the countryside but an increasing lack of supply. It seems that those living in towns and cities are moving to the country but those already there, are staying put.

The association Safer (Société d’aménagement foncier et d’établissement rural) which monitors the property market in rural France, recently announced a record number of house purchases in the French countryside, up 6.6% in 2020. In their most recent report, Safer called this trend un exode urbain or an exodus from urban living.

The president of Safer, Emmanuel Hyest, points out that this shift in property buying behaviour appears to be accelerating in 2021. He attributes this trend to changing aspirations brought on by the pandemic and a desire for a complete overhaul in lifestyle. He also suggests that it will prove to be a very positive development for the French rural economy especially as the majority of these new buyers are not moving to the country to work the land but continuing in paid employment and hence moving their income and expenditure from the town to the countryside which will result in many long-term benefits for rural businesses and communities.

He said that he sees this as a long-term and lasting phenomenon reversing the trend of rural depopulation of the last few decades. The consequence of this is rising house prices and hence we saw a growth of 6.1% in French property prices in December 2020 according to ceicdata.

Standard & Poor has also recently published a report for the European housing market for 2020-2021, which predicts that house prices in France will increase again during 2021 “as households continue to benefit from low-interest rates and a resilient economy bouncing back from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The Banque de France forecasts that the French economy is expected to grow this year and the next year. It is expected to grow by +7.4% in 2021 and +3.0% in 2022.

With one of the most regulated property markets in the world, France has always been a great place to invest and what also keeps the real estate market strong is that the demand is not only from French buyers but international investors also predominantly looking for rural properties.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt is quoted as saying; “Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care… it is about the safest investment in the world”.

If you need help in finding property in rural France, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

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Buying a holiday home and visiting France post Brexit; what has changed?

By nadia, on 19th May 2021

There still seems to be a lot of confusion as to the rights of British passport holders looking to buy holiday homes in France post-Brexit (and also confusion for Brits coming on holiday to France).

Many people, especially those with second homes in France, have been used to coming and going without restriction but, post Brexit, Brits are now classed as Third Country Nationals, having lost our EU citizenship and hence the right to free movement.

The 90-day rule

With the ending of freedom of movement comes the 90-day rule applicable to non-EU nationals, which states that out of every 180 days, Third Country Nationals can only spend 90 days within the EU without a visa or residency permit. Note this is 90 days in Europe which means that you can’t just pop over the border to Spain on day 89 for a couple of days and then come back to France; the 90-day limit applies to the whole EU and Schengen zone, not just France.

So to clarify, as a Third Country National, you will be able to spend 90 days in every 180 days in the Schengen area. For example, if you arrive at your French house on 1 March, you can stay there until the end of May. Then you must return to the UK for another 3 months before you can travel again, so you would not be able to return to Europe before September.

What about if I want to stay longer?

If you want to stay in France longer than three months, your right to remain is subject to national immigration rules as follows:

1.Before you leave the UK you will need to apply to the French Consulate in the UK for a long stay visa.

2. Once in France, you have two months to apply for a titre de séjour. If you are retired or otherwise inactive, you apply for a card entitled ‘Visitor’ which doesn’t allow you to work. You will need to show evidence of ‘sufficient and stable resources’ – currently set at the minimum wage.

Just visiting

In addition, all British citizens living in the UK and wanting to travel to the Schengen area will need to register under the ETIAS scheme – the European Travel Information and Authorization System even when simply coming on holiday. This is a new and completely electronic system, expected to be in place later this year, which keeps track of visitors to the Schengen Zone. Its prime function is security, but it’s also designed to help manage borders and impede irregular immigration. Registration will have to be done online before travel.

So much for all those people out there who said nothing would change after Brexit….

If you need help finding and buying your home in France, please get in touch nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

 

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