i am sure someone on here based in france? i want to buy holiday home, but someone told me to wait as prices on the way down and then another someone told me to buy now as prices are on the way up. any advice appreciated. especcially from people who based/ own holiday home there... also - what are the running costs of owning place down there? taxes, fees.? thanks a lot!
This might be worth a read and you will see a few people who might be worth getting in touch with. https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threa...-genuine-request-for-advice-discussion.58092/
To be honest the rises and falls tend tobe regional and do not have a national trend. Limousan is a good shout, a fastbdahs ride to ferry ports, lovely roads,great food ,fantastic scenery , villages and history. Also it is where the good weather starts.
Prices I think are now stable, more likely to go back up long term. Just purchased after many years of looking. Any region in particular? Ignore the agents, obviously they are only interested in one thing....
Don't believe anyone. No one knows if prices will go up or down, they do not go up as much as UK prices anyway. What is more important is the exchange rate. Because of the drop in sterling I have lost about €300 a month on my RAF pension since the brexit vote. Any costs that a British second home owner pays now in taxes etc are the same as any other EU citizen pays, but that might not be the case after brexit as it will be a second home owned by a non EU citizen. No one knows yet. If house prices are cheaper in one region than they are in another then there is usually a reason, just the same as the UK.
Prices higher where employment and infrastructure are better, such as rail links to big cities, Paris etc. All depends what you are looking for.
True but more complicated than that. Population density also dictates things like mobile phone and fast internet coverage. Tourism hotspots also dictate earnings from holiday rentals as do market saturation. Many Brits have had their fingers burnt by buying somewhere to rent out and finding that it is an hour away from a very popular tourist area, so tourists tend to drive that bit further, and not on a main road so does not catch passing traffic, they see very little income. It costs just the same to heat a house in our very cold winters however much the house value is.
We bought a house in Poitou-Charentes yesterday and signed the paperwork this afternoon to start the ball rolling. We have been looking for around 3 years and saving money. In all the time we have been looking, prices have been up and down. It was up for €125350 reduced to €88000 and got it for €67500 with all the furniture included from an English couple wanting to return home to UK. It’s a 3 bedroom detached stone house, massive barn and decent size garden. It’s in a hamlet which is what we were after for when we retire hopefully in 4-5 years and only 3kms from a village with shops, bars and a market once a week. Houses are dearer in towns, villages and cities. Having viewed about 20 houses in the last two weeks, there was very little movement on deals as prices seem to be settling down to realistic prices. There are a few people trying to get UK money for a French property as they need to buy something in UK and the estate agents try to manage their expectations but I guess it’s difficult. If we had more money, we may have bought another/bigger property but we are happy with what we got and the money we saved will help pay for a fosse (septic tank) or microstation as it’s in the sticks. Now need the £ to pick up a bit before we pay the deposit then the remainder, we will use a forex company rather than our bank as they seem to get better rates. All the estate agents were great and did their best to help us get a property in our price range but be warned....Chateau’s are not that cheap and kitchens are usually minimal but the man cave is massive lol. Notaries (solicitor) fees between 8 and 11% of purchase price, land test for the fosse is €450, estate agent fees included in cost of house usually and shown on pamphlets. Interpreter if needed about €150. Our Fonciere tax (council tax I think) is €626 per year. New fosse around €5-10000 installed and certified but can be cheaper if you diy. Do your research and hopefully you’ll get a decent place, we now need to go through the process and hope to pick the keys up in 3 months then it’s a holiday home until we retire Happy house hunting.
right... thanks all . booking flights to go and check the place out. and hopefully do a deal. for me would be quite important if seller will agree to leave all the furniture behind as i cant be furnishing the whole other house myself!
That will be no problem as 90% of house sales include the contents over here. I would not consider buying a second home with the idea of retiring in a few years time, because no one knows what brexit will bring. One thing that we know will happen is that Brits will have no automatic right to retire here any more. Those of us who are here and have filled out French tax returns can prove residence. The doors are closing in both directions as voted for by the UK population.
i know americans who own property in Paris , and they are from outside the EU. not a problem for them... so should not be a problem for uk citizens after brexit...
If you can afford to support yourself, no state aid and have medical insurance and funds, you can pretty much retire anywhere. It’s just the thresholds that change by country.
one thing i forgot to ask... BOB T - what are the rules of keeping british registered vehicle in france permanently? from both DVLA and insurance point to view? is there a problem? wpould i need to export and import or can it be left on UK plates?
Mmmm, is that big enough for a holiday home - remember you will be there 2 or 3 weeks a year so you don't want to be cramped in ***EDIT*** is that the price of a 1198R?
