Buying
Property in the South of France? Great Idea!
By Tony
Perla, Aix-en-Provence
The French
real estate market has had an historical appreciation at a rate of between
3 and 5% since the early '50s - with the exception from 1992 to 1999 when
prices went through a deflationary period due to a dip in France's post-war
economic development. Having shot out of that period, prices are back on
their way to previous levels but haven't quite got there yet. There is
still time.
Lord Brougham,
on a jaunt from England in 1834 to Italy, was stopped at the Var River
located just west of Nice, in the southeast of France. Nice was under the
House of Savoy, as Italy was not then a country. An infectious illness
had broken out in Nice, and travelers were being turned back. Looking for
suitable lodgings he found his way westwards along the coast to Cannes
where, so pleased with the climate, he decided to stay.
The Ex-Lord
Chancellor of England made his home there, returning occasionally to
England to laud the great advantages of the French Riviera, its sun and
its temperate climate - a long, long way from Victorian London.
He must have
had an effect, for it is from this time that the English and then Russian
influx to the Riviera is dated. Queen Victoria came, and later her cousin
Tsar Nicholas of Russia.
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The intake is
yet to abate, and estimates have been made of up to 100,000 local expats
residing on the Côte d'Azur (the Riviera's new adopted name).
The south
of France stretches from Menton on the Italian border, around Monaco,
towards the west along the Mediterranean Sea, and off to the Rhone delta
where it swings to the south towards the Spanish border.
There it
follows the Pyrenees Mountains off to the west once again and towards
the Atlantic in Biaritz, the renowned seaside resort of yesteryear. It
covers much ground, some of which is not as internationally well known
as the Riviera or the Provence, but most of it a delightful place to live.
French life
expectancy is around 81 years old and France is also the world's biggest
market for anti-stress pills. How does one explain this apparent contradiction?
Many reasons have been advanced, but the one I like the most is … the food!
And, the wine! French cuisine is nourishing, and varied - from soup to
nuts, fruits to vegetables, beef to game meats.
The wine is
world-class, as you know already. Its cheeses number in the hundreds, and
anyone who has ventured into a boulangerie (bakery) will have been
seduced by the smell of a freshly baked baguette.
It is no wonder
that the French, living to an old age, seem to enjoy most of their longevity.
(The oldest woman in the world died in Arles just last year.) If
they are constant complainers, studies show also that the French in general
are quite content with their lifestyle.
So, if seeking
your place in the sun abroad, then France should be on your checklist of
countries. The south of France has much to offer - still reasonable
real estate prices, relaxed countryside lifestyle, and terrific cuisine.
The real estate market is buoyant for the moment, having benefited these
past two years from many American expats exploiting the high value of the
dollar. The quality of construction is in general solid, with some of the
tightest construction standards in Europe. However, that doesn't mean that
purchasing, or even renting property here is a cakewalk. One must still
be careful as in any business transaction.
There is
an abundant demand for farmhouses, either ruins or recently abandoned,
for renovation. One must know what to look for, how to estimate its
value and how to negotiate a price that will not bankrupt them. For example,
that rustic farmhouse at the end of the long, winding gravel road nears
a copse of woods within an idyllic setting. Is it really worth what they
are asking? Well, if you don't see any electricity lines strung down to
the house, you might ask. Bringing in electricity can seriously increase
renovation costs. And that old grange that seems to be going for a song.
What is the condition of the roof? Have you any idea how much new roofing
and framework costs? And what must be done to make it a livable house today?
All questions that need answering before you buy, not after!
The list
of questions that you must know to ask is quite long - and ask them you
must. Most real estate agents will tell you what they think you need
to know about a property, and not a word more. This is simply good salesmanship.
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A little product
information is good, a lot is simply confusing. So, you have to prompt
them in order to dig out the facts that will help you arrive at a well
reasoned estimate of the property's present and renovated worth. Ditto
if you wish to build.
Is it worth
it? You betcha! France has yet some of the most skilled craftsmen in the
world. It has a rich cultural heritage in terms of rustic styles, materials
and know-how. For instance, if you know where to go you can design
your own open fire chimney and they will cut the stone according to your
measurements. Ditto if you want a colonnade affect on a side porch. Or,
another craftsman will do wonders with stucco modeling to create niches,
door or ceiling trims or entire display cases. Painters can apply Provencal
colors in a traditional badegeon, trompe l'œil or more rustic styles creating
an internal warmth of pastel colors unlike any you have seen. I have even
found a mason who builds prestigious houses from cut rock, like the old
castles. Evening meals under the shade of a lime tree, with the sun pausing
before it dips below the horizon, a glass of red wine, and the world will
appear to be all right. You could do worse.
The choice
of regions along the south of France is sufficiently large to give you
a vexing problem of just where you may want to seek your home away from
home. The Côte d'Azur (or, French Riviera) offers its
expat communities consisting of Scandinavians, Brits, Yanks, Dutch, Germans,
Irish - and some Aussies thrown in for flavoring. It even has two English-speaking
radio stations. Both the Swedes and the Germans have local associations
that cater to their groups. It is a curious blend of hi-tech and glitz.
The annual Cannes Film Festival transforms the place into Tinseltown for
two weeks in the Spring. The Côte d'Azur is a small place, however,
ensconced between the Mediterranean and the mountains that loom only 20
kilometers inland along a distance of not more than 70 kilometers. It is
heavily built, and land is getting pricier by the day. The Provence is
more spaced with villages at respectable distances and farmland or vineyards
in between. The towns are smaller and life is more rural. The very south
is even less populated and if you are seeking to be alone, the stretch
from Perpignan to Biaritz will suit you, with concentrations of English
and Dutch "colonies" here and there. The land of the Musketeer d'Artagnan
and his Armagnac in the Gers is wide open and the fields never ending,
with a gentle and simple local people, all or mostly all still tilling
the soil as the forebears once did. Wherever you go in France you will
see farmers tending to the land making a living that is barely acceptable
- which is why their sacrifice is so admired by other Frenchmen. The French
remain very attached to their national patrimony and the idea of "rationalizing"
farming into giant agri-businesses horrifies most of them.
The advent
of the Euro is one significant step towards the making of a European identity
that respects the individuality of each of its nations. Most Europeans
are prepared to accept this. The French are very attached to their cultural
heritage and change reluctantly. They have become accustomed to what they
call Douce France (sweet France). But, the world is changing throughout.
What the French have and what they cling to most, is a savoir vivre anchored
in a cultural richness centuries old and envied by many. Why change that
for all the Pentiums in the world? Difficult question, that one! But, one
they tend to answer in the following manner, "Yes, we will change, but
we will do it our way". So, wherever you may decide to settle - whether
in a city, village or the rural countryside - France will remain intrinsically
France.
Tony PERLA
<tperla21@yahoo.com>
For an idea of the content of Tony Perla's guide to buying/renovating/renting
property in France click through to the Guide's Index. If you are serious
about settling in France, this guide can save you from ten to a hundred
times its retail price - just one piece of advice might prevent you from
making a serious mistake! Knowledge is power - so why not have a look?
