Coming soon - very serious business income

There are lots of gîte complexes and similar businesses available for sale at the moment, buyers have truly got a great choice open to them. Some are very successful, others have aspirations, and some are frankly fairly average affaires.

Prices vary tremendously, but once you start to pay top dollar you expect a really thriving business, and that it what is about to come on to the market in the Lot department (Midi-Pyrenees). Priced in excess of a million Euros, we have an entire country estate for sale, made up of several houses, a restaurant, tennis / basketball courts and lots of land, (over 10 hectares).

The present owners have put together a special business plan, making their business stand out from the rest. So good, in fact, that the likes of BMW have used the conference facilities for their in-house events.

Everything is in tip-top order, a great business that is producing over 200,000 Euros per annum.

Full details via http://www.allez-francais.com/ (upon request)

Peter Elias (Agent Commercial).

French property prices on the rebound

The French national association of estate agents, FNAIM, have announced their review of the property market in France for 2010.

Overall, they indicate that the price of older homes rose by an average of 1.3% in the year, while there was a rise of 1.8% in the price of apartments. This increase for last year comes after two successive years when, on average, property prices fell (-3.1% in 2008 and -4.9% in 2009).

Being a National survey, there are distinct regional variations, and the graphic attached shows the range of price changes for each region during 2010. This would seem to indicate that now is an excellent time for buyers to be returning to our principal markets - the Poitou Charentes, and the Dordogne valley.

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

Tasteful decorations

One thing frequently observed on makeover TV programmes, is the importance of dressing a house to it's best advantage, in order to secure a sale.

That fashion has not taken off in France, where I am sure you will have noticed Estate Agents' photos with washing draped here and there, plus unmade beds etc.

It is always a pleasure to show a tastefully renovated house, especially if the colour schemes are not too overpowering.

We do currently have a house that has been decorated by a famous interior designer, Jean Philippe Laplaud, who has also worked in the United States.

The direct link to the property is http://www.allez-francais.com/details.php?pty_id=1275

Happy viewing, Peter Elias (Agent Commercial) www.allez-francais.com

A business in the Corrèze

Many people looking to move to France have a requirement that they start to generate an income pretty well as soon as they arrive in France.

Creating your own gîte or B & B business is, of course, possible, but it all takes time, and during that period you can eat into your savings at an alarming rate.

So, why not buy an established business ? OK, you may have to pay a small premium for an up and running business, but you can hit the ground running and start to receive an income from day one.

One great opportunity is currently available for 565,000 Euros, with a 3 bedroom area for the owners, and 3 letting rooms, (all en-suite), a bar with a Class IV licence, and just 2 Km from a touristic village. The new airport at Brive / Vallée de la Dordogne is just a short drive away. A golf course on the doorstep, what else could you ask for ?

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

Happy New Year - more paper !

The 1st January 2011. A New Year, some new rules & regulations for property sales, with a requirement for DPE reports (energy ratings), and status reports on fosse septiques.

December has proved to be a fruitful month for sales, and special thanks go to Kim & Nigel, our colleagues in the Poitou Charentes, who managed to secure sales on both Christmas Eve and also New Year’s Eve. An example of the Allez-Français team going the “extra mile”, whilst other agents extended the holiday period.

It was rather fitting that the deal agreed yesterday, on New Year’s Eve was for a Scottish couple, selling their home near Melle. They were able to celebrate Hogmanay in style.

The new energy reports are working their way on to websites, property details, and into windows. They won’t change much – one of our properties scores incredibly badly on one scale, and then incredibly well on another. It just has an outdated system, which is blatantly obvious to even the most inexperienced eye. We also have 2 identical properties that have been visited for the diagnostic reports, by different “experts”. The results are significantly different, even though the houses and the heating systems are the same. C’est la via !

If you would like to see my New Year greeting, follow the link below

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2692103349993&source=jl999

Bonne année pour 2011, Peter Elias www.allez-francais.com