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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Summer in the foothills of France

By nadia, on 31st August 2015

All of my clients, whether looking for a permanent or a holiday home, choose this region for the quality of life it offers. So I thought, as we are coming to the end of the summer, this would be a good time to show what summer in the foothills looks like and just some of the activities that have been happening here this summer: If a picture expresses a thousand words then there are many thousands to follow here and if none of this appeals, you might be looking in the wrong region:

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Camping and Glamping

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Swimming (and sailing!)

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Cycling

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The beach in St Jean de Luz (the Med and the Atlantic are both just over a two hour drive away)

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Local markets

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Festivals and concerts (this is Jamie Cullum playing St Gaudens this summer)

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Restaurant and café terraces – this is Le Carré de l’Ange in St Lizier

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Paddling and picnics (the Vallée de Riberot)

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Kayaking on the Salat river

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Mountain biking up at Guzet ski resort

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Stunning walks in the Pyrenées for all levels and abilities

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More picnics

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Climbing

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Property sales in France on the increase

By nadia, on 27th July 2015

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According to the national association of Notaires in France, the French property market is picking up again, with British buyers prominent as Sterling has risen markedly against the Euro. Certainly here in the Midi-Pyrénées I am noticing a marked increase in activity and properties are selling much faster than in the last few years.

Sales in March and April were still down on last year but the Notaires said prices for older properties had risen 0.3% and increasing and the market was “active”.

The Bordeaux, Toulouse and Nantes area were noted as particularly busy, as was Paris, and mortgage companies expect to lend up to €150 billion this year as against €122 last year – down from a peak of €175 in 2011.

Buyers still have the upper hand in negotiating on price but some estate agents have seen a marked increase in sales. The estate agent, Century 21 told Le Monde the number of promesses de vente were up 9% in March and 22% in April while Orpi said it had seen 4.5% extra promesses since January.

There are still more sellers than buyers in the market and some excellent deals around so the next few months are looking like the perfect time to buy in France.

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France is top of the pops again for property

By nadia, on 14th July 2015

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France has regained top place in the poll of the best place to emigrate published by the Overseas Guide Company (OGC). France was followed by former favourite, Spain, then Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Portugal, while Australia and New Zealand waned in popularity.

The survey suggested that people wanted to be closer to home and family, even though they are emigrating. The OGC which bases its predictions on requests for information found that 33 percent of all the enquiries were for France.

One major reason is that the euro has weakened considerably in the past few months and getting a mortgage in France has never been cheaper.

France is still largely regarded as a safe place to invest in property and, with some very negotiable prices around, many buyers are taking advantage of the opportunity to benefit from the excellent value properties of a style and quality that they perhaps cannot afford at home.

In this part of France, there is a notable upsurge in the number of buyers and buyer confidence. Interestingly current demand is for the Southern Gers region where some of the best value properties are to be found so there are clearly some canny buyers out there. However, properties are selling much more quickly than in the last few years so don’t hang about if you do find your dream home.

If you need any help with your search, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com. For more details about my service, click here: how the search process works

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The Festival of Music in France

By nadia, on 22nd June 2015

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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.

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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.

These photos are from the St Girons Fête de la Musique 2015; a fantastic evening with a great atmosphere (and very talented young musicians but I might be biased here!) The weather was perfect, café and restaurant terraces were full to bursting and there were an eclectic mix of bands and music to suit every taste; summer feels as if it has well and truly arrived.

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