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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What is it about France?

By nadia, on 8th December 2011

In the last few weeks I have been very busy with clients out here viewing their short-lists of properties I have found for them and they all want to know what it is that makes France such a great place to live. This is a difficult question to answer because there is not really just one specific thing that I can tell them; it is more a question of lots of lovely aspects of living here which add up to what for us is a very good quality of life. So I thought I would run through some of those little things that have made up my week this week and most weeks and never fail to remind me what it is that is so lovely about living here:

1. Yesterday, after two days of rain I opened the shutters to blue skies and fresh snow on the mountains.

2. And it was Wednesday so I got to spend the afternoon with my children (no school in France on Wednesday afternoons)

3. My neighbour turned up with a huge pumpkin she thought I would like (and lots of suggestions as to how to prepare it!)

4. Today I got to sit outside in the sun and eat my lunch – working day or not, the French live to eat not to work (and it’s still possible to have a great three course meal for around 10 Euros)

5. The local towns have just started putting up a few Christmas trees and the local school children have begun to make decorations for them. This is as about as commercial as Christmas gets around here which is just fine by me.

6. Everywhere I’ve been today, I have bumped into somebody I know and they all are happy to stop and say hello. I also know all my neighbours by name and they know me which is probably one of the reasons we feel part of the community here.

7. When I went in to buy my baguette this morning, everyone in the shop said bonjour, au revoir and wished me a good day. It was the same in the bank, the chemist and at the children’s school.

8. And when I pick my teenage children up from school, their friends come up and peck me on the cheek. Girls do the same when they greet each other and the boys shake hands. My younger children kiss their teacher hello and goodbye. How civilised.

9. Most days I get to walk the dog in the fields behind the house – today I saw two deer, numerous red kites and kestrels and a red squirrel. Sometimes we spot eagles, owls and even once a pole cat. The farmers don’t use pesticides here and we have predominantly meadow, full of wildflowers and wildlife.

10. The ski resorts are about to open and soon we will be able to spend our weekends on the ski slopes.

11. Nobody locks their doors here

12. The owner of the cafe where I often have my morning caffeine shot, told me that my coffee was on him today.

13. I can do most of my weekly food shop at the local market where everything is uncertified organic (not ones for bureaucracy here!), very fresh (hours old, not days or even weeks) and very local – everyone at market comes from within a few kilometres radius.

14. Everything shuts on Sundays – family and friends are king here not the supermarkets

15. Oh and I get to look around lovely houses and explore new areas on a daily basis and meet lots of interesting people.

There are many many other reasons that make me happy to live here but these are just some of the small events that make up my week and make me smile.

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Found – the classic French house

By nadia, on 23rd November 2011

I think I have just seen a house which could legitimately be said to define the ‘classic French house’, something that many of my clients ask me to find for them. I still get excited during a search when I come across a property which I know at once matches exactly my client’s brief and also their dream (not always one and the same.)

As soon as I turned up the drive to this house and glimpsed it ahead of me on the hill, I knew I had struck gold. Here was a picture-perfect house; the type that a child would draw with entrance in the middle, windows each side, blue shutters, a chimney and roses around the door (yes it did even have roses around the door) and perfect symmetry. Inside the house didn’t disappoint either; it was packed full of original features including a large open fireplace, terracotta floor tiles, exposed beams, elegant staircase and original floor boards. Admittedly it was not luxurious by any means with dated decor and basic facilities but I know that most of my clients are happy to do internal decoration, bathrooms and kitchens to put their own stamp on a property.

Moreover, the house was set perfectly in the middle of its own land, completely private with views to the Pyrenees in the distance and yet it was within walking distance of the village.

This house ticks the boxes for so many of my clients and matches the brief exactly for this particular client. Which means it is likely to be many people’s dream home and hence I am going to have to move fast on this one even though it is not yet officially on the market. Luckily my clients are due out next week to view the short-list of properties I have put together and, because I am in the fortunate position that I often hear about properties first, before they are officially for sale, we are at a great advantage here and I am confident that I will be able to secure them their dream home in France.

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Sunshine and snow

By nadia, on 9th November 2011

November was one of my least favourite months when we lived in the UK but here, despite Autumn being well and truly upon us, we have just enjoyed lunch outside in the sunshine and now I am almost  too hot sitting at my desk with the sun blazing through the window. Even better, I can’t resist peaking out of the window every few minutes because over the weekend we had the first substantial snow fall on top of the mountains and they are now sparkling white against the blue sky. We have been here for eight years and yet I still find this sight quite magical.

Autumn colours and first snowfall

I am often asked what it is we like about living here and why we chose this region and I always struggle to answer that question as there are so many things and so many reasons but certainly waking up to the ever-changing view of the mountains is one of the most special aspects about living here – even though it wasn’t one of our criteria when searching for a property.

It is only in retrospect I realize that we probably fell for this house because of the mountain views and I am very thankful that we did. A view of the mountains is something that it is very hard to put a value on in property terms but, for me, it is priceless.

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The perfect time to bag a bargain

By nadia, on 25th October 2011

There are always some incredibly good value properties to be had in this region but right now, there are some fantastic bargains – the unintended consequence of the change in the law ‘plus value’ or capital gains tax. This won’t alter anything for non-French residents with second homes in France, nor for those of us who have our permanent homes in France but it is having a big effect on the French property market right now, particularly here where many locals own second and holiday homes.

In the past, French owners of second homes would have had no capital gains tax to pay on the sale of these properties after 15 years and a generous taper allowance when selling before 15 years but this law is due to change on the 1st February meaning that capital gains tax will be due for all second properties owned by French residents for less than 30 years and with a much reduced taper allowance up to the 30 years.

Hence suddenly I am seeing a lot of fantastic properties coming onto the market with owners very keen to sell and very willing to take offers if it means that they will complete by January 31st. In fact, they are in many cases putting their property on the market at less than it has been valued for but only until the end of January; here’s an example of a private sale;

Bien estimé par notaire et agences 150 000€, cédé à 137 000€ en raison nouvelle taxe sur la plus valu.
Au premier février cette offre ne tiendra plus. (Valued by notaires and agencies at 150,000 Euros but offered at 137,000 Euros because of the new capital gains tax. From 1st February, this offer will no longer be available.)

Hence, for anyone who is looking for a bargain (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?) this, along with historically low interest rates, is making the next few months look like a very good time to be buying a house in the Midi-Pyrénées.

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