Sun, 22 November 2009
Some 450 pre-Columbian pieces in Quai Branly museum.
Includes geography, people, government, economy and transnational issues.
Basil Howitt on criminal investigations in the coastal resorts.
Useful information on renting accommodation in Paris.
Relocating can have a big impact on your relationship.
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Hugh Dent reports as the winter property slump reaching France, where the overall volume of business is down and market conditions for second homes have reversed "quite dramatically".The cold blast hitting property markets in the United States, Britain, Ireland and Spain has also reached France, as shown by a share slump for a high-profile house builder last week.
Data and anecdotal evidence suggest that the overall volume of business is sharply down.
Prices are holding up in some areas such as central Paris largely on
interest from foreign buyers, but they are generally flat to falling.
And in the distinct market for second homes in the sun, a segment which had surfed the general property boom in the last 10 years with price rises of up to 200 percent, some sellers are settling for up to 30 percent less than their asking price.
A British estate agent in the Dordogne region of southern central France,
Mrs. Gil Kendall, said that overall market conditions for second homes had
reversed "quite dramatically". The rise of the euro was also straining some
owners with incomes in sterling and doing renovation.
At Paris X-Nanterre university, economist and property specialist Michel Mouillart, told AFP: "2008 is likely to be the first year of recession in property after several years of expansion."
Sales of new homes had fallen by nearly 28 percent in the first quarter to 26,700 units and if that pace continued, he said it would amount to "a shock similar to the crisis at the beginning of the 1990s."
He said: "The origin of the problem is that lending organisations do not
have confidence in the European Central Bank's strategy for refinancing banks."
A broker at on-line company Empruntis said that consequently, the average fixed interest rate on 20-year loans had recently risen above 5.0 percent for the first time since 2003.
House prices here in France are on the downslide, there is very little movement and whenever we check the main French property sales website here such as Seloger we always see new price reductions on houses we are monitoring.
We are renting whilst we seek a property in France, Burgundy region, and have been renting for the past year. We are fearful to jump into the market too soon and there is immense talk, even by the few sincere estate agents themselves, that prices will fall. The price of property coming onto the market are becoming more and more reasonable and also are coming onto the market at a faster rate.
So, in all honesty, yes France did see huge rises in house prices, but since 2005 the market has been flat as a pancake with decreasing values now as you read this, and prices will continue to fall and bargains continue to be had as property suddenly becomes an unwanted asset to many.
Take your time, put in offers starting at 30% below asking price or more, you have lots of choice, there is no rush.
Our expert Steven Grover delves into the murky waters of French healthcare for expats and asks how recent changes affect them?
Tax and estate planning figure prominently in the list of priorities of many financially secure expatriate residents of France.
From Gaelic clubs to Canadian Alumni organisations, there is bound to be an English-speaking club for you in France.
This is what you need to consider when making an early choice between purchasing or renting accommodation in France.
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