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.

Archives

Categories

Invitation to a free webinar with professional guest speakers and top tips on buying property in France

By nadia, on 5th February 2021



Meet the speakers:

Sarah Day runs the bilingual estate agency Maisons et Manoirs in South West France. Sarah has worked in property sales in France for over 25 years and is hugely respected. She has a wealth of experience in the property industry and will run you through the most important things you need to know about the property buying process in France.

Fiona Warren has worked as the Currencies Direct representative covering South West France for over ten years. Fiona is hugely knowledgeable with many years of experience working for international companies as a Business Analyst and IT Project Manager. She is the ideal person to advise on the various options and tips and tricks for exchanging currency when buying property in France

Paulette Booth has over 30 year’s experience in the banking and insurance industry. Prior to moving to France, she worked in the UK with Barclays Bank and Legal & General, specialising as a mortgage and insurance advisor. Paulette now heads up Agence AXA International in France. The agency offers a dedicated English-speaking service for international clients looking for solutions for insurance and banking in France.

Dennelle Taylor-Nizoux is a bilingual American, living in France since 2000. Dennelle spent 15 years with a global telecommunications company before setting up the French relocation services company Renestance in 2015. Dennelle also has a French Bachelors in Real Estate (Immobilier) and acts as a licensed house-hunter (Chasseur Immobilier) as part of the independent network of search agents; The French Property Finders. Dennelle will talk through some common relocation issues.

And of course, there will be me, Nadia Jordan, an independent property finder who runs Foothills of France, a property finding agency in South West France since 2003 (as you know already if you are reading this post!) With a post-graduate degree in marketing and many years of experience working in marketing, PR and copywriting for international companies, Nadia now works as a consultant and search agent in France, providing a property search and acquisition service helping buyers from all over the world. Nadia also runs the only independent network of property finders in France: www.thefrenchpropertyfinders.com

You will hear from each speaker live for about 10 minutes and then there will be the opportunity to ask questions at the end.

If you would be interested in joining us, please email me at nadia@foothillsoffrance.com and I will send you a link. We look forward to seeing you there.

Comments are closed

Some frequently asked questions about property finders

By nadia, on 27th January 2021

Here are a few of our most frequently asked questions.

If your query isn’t covered here, please get in touch

 

Don’t estate agents provide relocation services?

No, estate agents just sell properties and of course they can only recommend properties featured on their database. We are completely independent and liaise with all the local estate agents in our area to find properties that match your brief exactly. We also research all private property sales which make up 50% of the houses for sale in France but which you are unlikely to find online.

How can I be sure you will find a house that fits my criteria?

Our close links with estate agents and private vendors means we get to hear about properties before or as soon as they come onto the market. So you get advance choice – something that is virtually impossible when you are trying to locate properties from a distance.
We also know the area. We live and work here, and our children attend local schools. You can therefore rely on us to ensure you have the required amenities close by and also exclude properties that may turn out to be in unsuitable locations.

Will I get value for money?

Because you won’t have to make regular or wasted trips to the area, you’ll save on flights, hire cars, petrol, overnight accommodation and restaurant costs. You will also save on countless phone calls to local estate agents plus all the other expenses of sourcing a home from a distance. We can obtain a variety of quotes from local tradesmen on your behalf, so you can choose the most competitive. Most important of all, we will make sure you are not being quoted a ‘foreigner’ price and our strong negotiating skills mean we can negotiate the best possible price for your new home.

But using our services isn’t just about saving money. It’s about saving valuable time and removing all the stress and hassle and enabling you to continue your life as normal while we do all the hard work for you.

How soon can I begin my property search?

As soon as you sign fill in our search brief. Get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

 

Comments are closed

A property buyer’s strategy for 2021

By nadia, on 11th January 2021

The property market in South West France is currently experiencing huge pent-up demand from buyers combined with a lack of supply of houses for sale. This has mainly been caused by the restrictions and lifestyle changes since the Covid pandemic (leading to a change in criteria for many people looking for property) combined with the historically low mortgage interest rates. If you are looking to buy a French property in 2021, it is therefore important to have a strategy in place in order to get ahead of other buyers and be ready to move quickly to snap up the perfect property.

1. Do not wait in the hope that prices will fall; that is looking very unlikely despite the pandemic. Prices have increased slowly but continually in much of France since 1995 when prices per square metre were €1,056 compared to €2,807 per square metre in 2020 and this looks set to continue according to SeLoger, the French property experts. See the report here

2. Limited availability means that good properties are selling fast so keep a close eye on the market. There has been an increasing demand for rural properties since the start of the pandemic while many potential sellers have also decided to stay put thanks to the uncertainty of the times. Together this has led to a huge dearth of good properties for sale. Plus, once France re-opens its borders to foreign buyers, it is likely that quality, country properties will become even more in demand.

3. Find out the situation of the seller; if an owner is forced to sell for family or professional reasons, they are more likely to negotiate so do not hesitate to make an offer. I am not advocating taking advantage of someone’s situation but there could be a way of agreeing a deal that is right for both seller and buyer.

4. Always bear in mind the most important three criteria when it comes to French property: location-quality-condition

5. Before beginning your search, get your finance in place so you are ready to move quickly if you find the right property. This is particularly important for foreign buyers

And most importantly, be patient and you will find the right house for you. If you would like help with your search, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

Comments are closed

The Outlook for the French property market in 2021

By nadia, on 30th December 2020


What an extraordinary year this has been and like most sectors, the French property market was hit very hard by Covid with activity virtually at zero during the first lockdown in the Spring. The official French statistics body, INSEE, has reported that in the middle of ‘confinement’, there was a complete slump in French property transactions with virtually no sales being recorded between March and May 2020, mainly because most estate agencies and Notaire’s offices were closed.

This was in sharp contrast to the beginning of 2020 when the market had been growing steadily year on year for five years straight. According to the Notaires of France latest French property market analysis (link below) from 2015, the number of house sales transactions rose for 20 quarters at an average pace of between +3.5% and +5%. And in the 12-month period to April this year, the number of house sales topped one million for the first time ever (1,068,000 house sales).
https://www.notaires.fr/en/housing-tax-system/french-property-market/french-property-market-analysis

Since the lifting of the lockdown in France in mid-May 2020 however, the property market has been very busy. According to the same Notaires.fr report, from 2019 to 2020 the average selling price across France increased by +5.8%. The report goes on to say that ‘there has been a strong rebound in terms of post-confinement signings of pre-contracts, and notaries witnessed strong activity through to mid-August 2020′. The report continues: ‘ . . . the data clearly shows the resilience of the property market in France, despite the threats posed to the job market by the health crisis in the short term . . . notaries in most regions of France currently confirm the public’s very strong appetite for property purchases . . .’
INSEE Q2 2020 Housing Market France

The difference however in the current market as compared to the previous five years is that, post lockdown, the trend has seen a clear shift away from urban living to more rural areas. This is likely driven both by the wish for more space following confinement and the shift to working from home. Many people have discovered that they can just as easily work remotely and have now decided that they would like to continue doing so. This opens up a much larger geographical area of choice which is driving property decisions and it is very clear that space, natural environment and quality of life are being prioritised over the convenience of living in a city or town.

Whether this trend will continue in 2021 is hard to predict but certainly it looks as if there has been the kind of step change in the French property market that happens only once every few decades and it feels as if this one might be a permanent shift.

Whatever happens here in France and in other parts of the world, I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2021.

 

 

Comments are closed
« Newer Entries  
  Older Entries »