1. Why buy a place in France?
Buying a French home is a major financial decision, so its important to be clear about your objectives. Are you looking to make an investment, or do you plan to relocate and work, set up a business, or even retire? If your purchase is a holiday home, will you make long weekend trips, or lengthier stays? Answering these questions will help identify the type of property best suited to your needs, and its ideal location.
2. Where to buy your French home
Obviously were big fans of the Languedoc, but France has 21 other regions too! France is a huge country boasting a wide variety of landscapes, several climatic zones and numerous micro-climates; narrowing down your search area is key, and clarifying your criteria will help. Joe Laredos The Best Places to Buy a Home in France (published by Survival Books, 11.95, www.survivalbooks.net) is a good starting point. Note that plural on Places there are so many great spots in which to look, so keep a sense of perspective: you cant visit them all. Why not try the Languedoc for starters?
3. The location of your French property
Its been said a hundred times, but its worth repeating: location is all-important. You can renovate, restore, rebuild, modernize, extend and transform a house, but its location cannot be altered. Our advice is to plump for a property in reasonable condition in a popular, accessible area, rather than a dream home in a remote spot. You can always do some DIY to turn a modest home into a fabulous French pad, but no amount of cash will transform an isolated spot into anything else. Lost in France was a hit record but you dont want it to become Your Tune.
4. Buy your French home according to your life stage
For retirees, sunshine may be a must; being within walking distance of a doctor, a post office and a couple of shops could be very helpful in later years. Having neighbours nearby can provide a helping hand and some extra security for older folk. For young families planning to relocate to France, access to schools and leisure facilities will probably be important. When buying a French property, take into account your current needs - and also how they may evolve as years go by.
5. French property - what does it cost?
As a general rule of thumb, the closer you are to a major town or the coast, the higher prices will be. French property is at its cheapest in the countryside; city homes can cost two or three times as much. Property in chic resorts on the Mediterranean coast can cost as much as 3,100 per square metre, but Paris takes the biscuit at an average 4,385 per square metre. In some rural areas it is possible to buy an old home in need of extensive work for as little as 50,000, but budget at least the same again to make it habitable. For a family-sized home with several bedrooms, a garden and pool, allow upwards of 200,000, depending on the area.
6. French property price trends
Annual increases of up to 20% have been seen in the most popular areas of France since 2000. For Brits, French property still offers excellent value; prices are typically 35-60% of those in the UK, peaking where the demand for holiday homes is the strongest, i.e. the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and Alpine ski resorts. Check the prices of French property advertised online or in specialist magazines to see how they vary from one region to another.
7. Travelling to your French home
Before settling on your French property purchase, ask yourself: how long will it take to get there, door to door? Are there any direct travel options? How much are they, and how frequent, year round? Is travelling by car a possibility? Theres arguably little point buying a dream home in a highly inaccessible spot; more time travelling means less time relaxing, and you may have problems when it comes to selling on.
8. House hunting in France: try before you buy
Unless you know exactly what kind of French home you want, and precisely where it should be, it can be wise to rent a property. If time allows, give yourself the chance to experience an area, its inhabitants, weather, services, amenities and cost of living, throughout the year or at least out of the high season. Spending a weeks summer holiday in a pretty French cottage is one thing; living in a damp, drafty old house in the height of winter is quite another.
9. French property types
Hunting for a home in France? Youre spoiled for choice, as France offers a wealth of property types, from older, period homes with charm to more recent constructions with all mod cons. A third option is a brand new, off-plan purchase (in other words, reserve a home within a development and then wait for it to be built; completion time is typically 12-18 months). If you prefer your French home to be made-to-measure, a maison individuelle can be built to your specific design.
10. Buying an old French home
For a French home with character, ripe for renovation, with land and maybe outbuildings, you will inevitably be looking at an older (pre-1945) property. Remember that renovation or modernisation costs are nearly always higher than estimated, and the price of many renovated properties does not reflect the time and money invested. Older buildings inevitably cost more to maintain. Still, what price the charm of vieilles pierres (old stones) and original features? |
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You have spent many years of your life managing your finances. You now have a good amount of money set aside. You need someone to handle wealth management for you so that that money will grow at a good rate without being lost. While you can do all the investing and managing yourself, you may want to turn this over to a professional as well. While there are no investments that are not risky somewhat, wealth management companies are some of the best choices to make.
What To Look For:
When choosing a wealth management company, you will want to make sure to look into several important things. Here are some of them:
Most importantly, find out what they are going to do for you and what sort of confidence do they have in those methods. What are the risks they plan to put you in? Is this what you want?
Look at experience. You want a wealth management company that will be able to know when to make their moves and this comes greatly from experience. Finding a company that has a good history of gains is also important.
Look at the company's reputation. You can likely find people recommending or warning you about investment firms. You can also find information about them from the Better Business Bureau.
What are they going to charge you? You obviously do not want to overpay, but when it comes to quality over lower prices, wealth management companies that are better in quality are better choices.
Do they provide you with enough communication? If they cannot commit to providing you with the communication that you need, then you may feel as if you do not have enough information to make a good decision.
Lastly, ask yourself if you feel that you can trust them. A trustworthy wealth management company is essential to your own stress levels! Go with your gut instincts here.
The wealth management companies that you do go with should be ones that you can count on to manage your money the way that you are comfortable with. |
Welcome to this simple, fun and easy exercise to improve your wealth consciousness, focus your mind and get behind yourself so that you can achieve wealth for real, and easily.
The following exercise is just one of 365 different daily wealth gym mini-workouts that you can do right there and then, in front of your computer, without even having to get up, and which doesnt take any more than 60 seconds to complete, from our 60 Second Wealth Creator Series.
This is a basic visualisation exercise which is very neat to do for real when you come down a flight of steps.
For now, imagine youre standing at the top of a flight of steps and for each step, well make a wealth affirmation.
10. I am ready for wealth!
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
9. Wealth is my birthright.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
8. I achieve wealth easily.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
7. Wealth comes to me readily.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
6. I invite wealth to come into all I do.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
5. Wealth is my partner and my friend.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
4. Wealth is joyous and delightful.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
3. Wealth enters into all and every aspect of my life.
Take a deep breath and step down to the next step.
2. I am on my way to wealth
Now take a deep breath and JUMP off the last step and onto the next level:
1. I AM WEALTHY!
Clap your hands and give yourself a round of applause!
If you enjoyed this exercise, by all means come along and sign up for the full course it is entirely FREE and not only that, we have some fascinating bonuses too.
Think wealthy, FEEL wealthy and BECOME WEALTHY!
Silvia Hartmann |
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Reuters - Procter & Gamble Co , the world's
largest consumer products company, posted higher quarterly
profit on Tuesday, as price increases and cost controls more
than offset soaring costs for oil and other commodities.
Reuters - Sony Corp (6758.T) agreed to
buy Bertelsmann's 50 percent stake in their Sony BMG music
joint venture for around $900 million, ending a four-year
venture that never managed to beat the music industry's woes.
AP - The U.S. service sector contracted in July 聴 though less than expected 聴 as new orders decreased and prices rose, stifling growth for truckers, retailers and insurers.