Remove the World Cup blues

Both France and England have seen their World Cup hopes shattered. Both teams were on early flights back home and their supporters left deflated.

Whilst this has been going on though, the £ has broken through the 1.20 mark and today is nudging up towards 1.24. This is really great news for UK buyers looking to buy in France. Houses priced in Euros have fallen significantly on currency exchange alone since the start of the year, and many vendors are also reducing their prices to cash in on the summer market.

You need to work closely with your agent as they will often know whether a vendor is further open to offers and could help you obtain a real bargain.

When you get to France, you can join a really great network called SurviveFrance, http://www.survivefrance.com/ some great ideas about living in working on this side of the channel !

Peter Elias (AgentCommercial) http://www.allez-francais.com/

Bargain properties

Estate agents long for real value properties, and we are currently lucky to have 2 superbly priced properties for under £100,000 - both ready to move into.

Both are priced at 117,000 Euros and offer 3 bedrooms.

One has a small, easily managed garden of just under 300m², ideal for a holiday home.

Link - http://allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=1166

The other, a larger garden & outbuildings, but still relatively easy maintenance.

Link - http://allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=1168

Don't hang around if you are looking for a bargain, get in touch and arrange and early viewing of these properties.

Peter Elias

http://http://www.allez-francais.com/

Currency situation - Ex-Pats selling to return to the UK

In this article I am going to return to the currency question, but looking at the situation exclusively from a vendor returning to the UK this time.

The International Monetary Fund, a partner in the 750 billion Euro support plan, is urging the EU states to complete the currency convergence and centralise more financial control in Brussels or risk further problems ahead. It is reported that in Germany and France there is resistance as the general consensus is that their taxpayers are paying for Greece’s past profligacy.

The £ for its part, remains quite strong against most currencies in spite of Prime Minister David Cameron warning of spending cuts which will be large, sustained and which will affect everyone.

A good example of what is happening to vendors can be illustrated by considering a house worth 250,000 Euros. Just 3 months ago, this would have realised £153,500, whereas today this would only achieve £141,150 a potential loss of over 8%.

Many vendors are speaking to our dedicated currency dealer Adam Bobroff, and have fixed forward rates, to combat the demise of the Euro, which is predicted to fall even further, even against the £. If you don't have his details let me know and I will arrange for hime to contact you at a convenient time.

Whatever you do, dont use your bank to transfer your money back to the UK.

Peter Elias (Agent Commercial) http://www.allez-francais.com/

Golfer's dream

A well presented 35 year old property, built to a good standard, set in a quiet location surrounded by an attractive mature garden of 4,571m² with country views.

You enter the property into an entrance hall 5m², the lounge 26m² has a fireplace and insert fire, the kitchen 14m² has a good range of units and appliances. Adjoining the kitchen is a utility room 10m². A corridor leads to a study 12m² and a formal dining room 12m². (Both rooms were originally bedrooms, and could easily be used as such). The ground floor accommodation is completed by a modern bathroom with a WC. N.B. Most of the ground floor rooms have doors leading directly into the gardens.

A solid staircase leads to the 1st floor landing, where there are 3 good sized bedrooms, the largest measuring 6 x 3.7 max and having a dressing room. There is a good sized shower room and plenty of storage areas.

There is an integral garage 22.75m² housing the 2 heating systems, one being oil fired, and the 2nd being an ultra modern electric system. The house is virtually all double glazed, with just one window remaining single glazed. Outside there is a wooden summer house and useful outbuildings used as a store & additional garaging.

The mature gardens are laid mainly to lawn, but has many fruit trees and a small orchard. The property is 12 Km from the popular Les Forges golf course.

Peter Elias (Agent Commercial)

http://www.allez-francais.com/

Strong sterling as predicted - dont let your money go up in smoke

Just a few weeks ago, I looked at the £ / € situation and predicted that the tide was turning back in favour for UK buyers rather than French vendors returning to the UK.

This has continued to be the case, with the £ climbing above the 1.20 mark, and hovering either side of this crucial barrier. I now think that if this can be maintained, there is no reason for 1.25 to become the next target for the currency.

As mentioned recently, these are the best levels since the collapse that started with the fall of Lehman Brothers in October 2008. That is fantastic news for anyone moving to Europe, although it is not such great news for those with Euros to sell.

It does highlight the need to deal with a specialist currency dealer, rather than relying on your High Street bank, and many of our clients have benefitted from this service and expertise during this critical period. Just a week ago the £ was at 1.15, so by getting the timing correct, you could have saved 4.35 % on your money in under a week. Not a bad deal !

Peter Elias (Agent Commercial)

http://www.allez-francais.com/

Bargain basement price - 91,800 €

Set in the heart of a quiet hamlet is this deceptively large 2 bedroom house.

Enter from the courtyard garden into a veranda then into the large and bright lounge (31m²) which has a tiled floor, exposed beams, original cupboard, fireplace with wood burner, 2 double glazed windows to the front and stairs up to the first floor. The kitchen (20m²) has a real farmhouse feel with its Charentaise fireplace, tiled floor, stone sink and windows to the front and side. To the rear of this is another room (15m²) which is currently being used as an office/laundry room. The family bathroom (5m²) is on the ground floor with bath having a shower over, sink and WC.

The stairs from the study lead to a master bedroom (25m²)with exposed beams and pine floor, en-suite shower room (8m²). Another staircase leads from the lounge to the second bedroom (31m²) with exposed beams.

Behind the house is a large barn (36m²).The front courtyard is plenty big enough to enjoy al fresco dining. Across the lane is a barn used for storage but would be ideal as a garage. Some 100m up the lane is a garden of some 965m² perfect for growing those vegetables.Sauze Vaussais is a short drive away, (as are Melle and Lezay), and there is a good choice of reginal airports. Very competitively priced at only 91,800 €

5 years old

Normally, I am not a great lover of modern French properties, preferring the older style character houses. From time to time, something a bit different comes along and challenges your thoughts.

Very recently, I visited a 5 year old bungalow, on the edge of Sauzé Vaussais. There is a bit of extra character in this bungalow, so often missing from other modern properties. Quality oak flooring and tasteful tiling has been used in many areas of the property. The living rooms are much larger than in the average pavillon. The oil tank is buried in the garden, and the property is also on mains drainage. The garden benefits from open views across open countryside, (last year sunflower fields). With the shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance, this property will appeal to a wide selection of people. Other facilities such as schools & a supermarket are available within the town. All in all, good value at 222,600 Euros.

Peter Elias (Agent Commercial)

http://www.allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=1146