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 climate in the foothills of the Pyrénées

By nadia, on 19th January 2016

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Often when I tell people that we live in the foothills of the Pyrenees, they tend to assume that we are snowbound for much of the winter. Generally they are amazed to discover that, despite the fact that our village is less than 50 kilometres from the nearest ski resort, we actually get snow only a few days a year (if that) and often winter temperatures here are much higher than those in the UK.

Winter nights and early mornings are cold and we wouldn’t be without our wood burner but we are a long way south here so the sun has real warmth in it. Winter afternoons in the sun can often reach 17 or 18 degrees and we regularly sit outside to drink our coffee or enjoy lunch in the sun in February – a phenomenon I don’t ever remember experiencing in England. Cold and snow may be causing havoc in the UK right now but here in the lee of the mountains, we are enjoying the protective Foehn effect which means warm air and sunny days.

What’s more, rainy winter days aren’t miserable and vaguely depressing when you live in the foothills of the mountains because we know that, while it may be raining on us, fresh snow will be falling up in the mountains with all the promise of a fabulous day skiing, sledging or snowshoeing in the sun in the days to follow.

For me this is a perfect winter location; we have sunshine and warmth on a daily basis with chilly nights providing the perfect excuse to snuggle in front of the fire with a hot chocolate.  Meanwhile, on the horizon, there is snow sparkling on the mountains with sledging, skiing and fabulous snowy walks whenever we want. The foothills of the Pyrenees truly are a winter wonderland.

 

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The best investment you will ever make

By nadia, on 5th January 2016

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Whatever your job and your experience, if you are honest, do you really feel qualified to find and buy a French property without some expert (and unbiased) advice? Even if you speak good French, it is probably unlikely that you have a perfect understanding of how the French property market works. There is, of course, plenty of information out there on the internet but there is also plenty of misinformation and it is very difficult to differentiate the two.

Even if you have bought lots of properties in the past, the French property market is different to many property markets. On the internet, there is no Zoopla or equivalent multiple listing site of all of the properties for sale in a particular area in France and, in addition, most houses appear on a large number of different sites, often at different prices with different photos all of which can be very confusing. In addition, of course, these listings are there to sell the property, not to give you the true picture of what the house is really like.

There are certainly plenty of estate agents in France and they will be incredibly helpful and nice when you visit them in their offices but try seeing how many reply and keep you up to date with new properties when you are contacting them from abroad; it can be a very frustrating process according to most of my clients who have tried it before coming to me. Remember an agent is there to sell you a house on their books and they are really not interested which one or whether it truly matches your criteria. Most of these agents work on a commission only basis and so they just want to sell you a house and the more houses they show you, the more likely they think they are to sell you something. What’s more, they only have a limited number of properties to sell and those only in a small area so you will probably need to deal with numerous agents to ensure you get information about every property for sale in the area you are looking.

It is true that coming to France to view lots of properties can be fun to start with but those trips (there are likely to be many) will soon become a huge waste of time because most of those houses you have booked to see, will turn out to be totally unsuitable. If you have plenty of time and not much else to do, this probably doesn’t matter but, if you are short of time, there are probably better ways of spending it.

When time is precious and getting it right is important, why not ask a property finder to do all the research and leg-work for you?  A property finder will already have a feel for what is on the market that matches your search criteria and budget. They will deal with all the agents in the area but also the notaires and private sellers and they will also be able to dig out houses that are not on the open market. Once they have done the initial research, they will pre-visit all of the houses which appear (on paper) to match your criteria and it will be their time wasted rather than yours when the majority of these properties do not in fact match up to their promises nor meet your requirements. When your property finder does finally view a house which seems to be a good fit, they will take photos of how it really is and write up a report for you so that gradually you will have a short-list of houses that really do match your criteria.

Hence, when you finally make that trip to view your short-list of box-ticking houses, you know already that it will not be a complete waste of everybody’s time. It will be a well organized and managed few days to maximize your time and show you everything that you have already pre-approved. Moreover, you know that, when you finally meet your property finder, he or she will be completely impartial and able to give advice on all aspects of buying property in France, living in France and will offer an in depth knowledge of their region. Plus, they will be completely on your side before, during and after the sale.

I wouldn’t buy a property abroad without using a property finder; I have too little time and, what I do have, is too precious to waste. If you have similar concerns, why not get in touch, it could well be the best investment you will ever make and certainly the best investment you make this year: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

Wishing you all very happy and successful property hunting in 2016

 

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Local property taxes in France: taxe foncière and taxe d’habitation

By nadia, on 5th November 2015

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Here in France, it is the time of year when French property taxes are due. If you own a property in France, then you will have one or two local property taxes to pay each year.

Taxe foncière is a land tax, and is paid by the owner of the property.

Taxe d’habitation is a residence tax. You have to pay this tax if you own a property and live in it yourself (or have it available for your use, or rent it out on short-term lets). Where properties are rented out long-term, the tenant pays.

Both taxes apply to non-residents as well as residents, and are often higher on second homes than on main residences due to possible discounts on the main home.

Demands for both taxes are sent annually, the bills or avis d’impôt start going out in September each year. The amount must be paid by a specified date, usually in October (Taxe foncière) and November (Taxe d’habitation) but varies from place to place. Failure to pay on time incurs a 10% penalty.

Payments can be made by cheque, interbank payments, bank transfers or online. There is more time to pay online, the deadline is usually extended a few weeks later than for the paper version.

Taxe foncière

Taxe foncière tax is paid by the owner of the property, irrespective of who occupies it. The tax is divided into two parts: tax on buildings (taxe foncière sur les propriétés bấties) and tax on land (taxe foncière sur les propriétés non bâties). The latter is no longer levied locally and is levied nationally instead. The tax on buildings is paid on any property that is habitable, whether or not it is occupied.

If you sell a property part-way through the year the tax is apportioned by the notary dealing with the sale.

An exemption is available against the main home if the occupant is 75 or over (or in receipt of certain disability or old age allowances) as at 1st January of the relevant year, based on the level of taxable income in the previous year. The calculation, which also applies to the exemption for taxe d’habitation, depends on the number of “family quotient” (quotient familial) units available.

For the 2015 taxe foncière, the maximum income levels based on 2014 income is €10 686 for the first family quotient unit (so this is the limit for a single person), and then €2,853 for all extra half units.

Where the taxpayer is aged between 65 and 75 at 1st January and their taxable income falls below the above limits, a flat €100 discount is available against the taxe foncière payable on their main home (unless they share the house with anyone other than a spouse or dependant).

Exemptions and reliefs are available on land used for certain purposes such as farming.

New buildings and renovated properties used as the main home are exempt from taxe foncière for the first two years after construction. Renovated properties can benefit provided that reconstruction or additional construction work has been carried out, and is determined according to the nature and size of the work. A special Tax Form (H1 or IL) must be filed with the local tax authorities within 90 days of completion of the property or renovation works.

With thanks to Sylvia Davis for this post: Editor, Property & Living, FrenchEntree

 

 

 

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