October 2008 - Posts
Did you see last night’s ‘A Place in the Sun: Home or Away’ on Channel 4? A retired couple had half a million to find a place in Berkshire or on the Cote d’Azur. The wife wanted France, the husband England. It wasn’t cut and dried though, and by the end they were both pretty confused by what they’d seen. In France they’d viewed a trio of properties in the hills behind the Riviera, with rolling views across hillsides and forest to the Med. But in the end they settled for an ex-caretaker’s cottage at the end of a grand driveway in Berkshire. I say settled because although the wife liked the property, she was definitely giving up her dreams to live in France. As she said (with a sigh), she’d always dreamed of waking up in the morning and opening the bedroom window onto one of the views she’d just basically given up on. I felt sad for her. The fact is, sometimes in life you have to be practical and compromise. But when you get the chance to fulfil your dreams, you should grab it with both hands. What really got me is that buying one of the French houses wasn’t their only option. They could have rented for a while to find out if France lived up to expectations. Perhaps after six months she would have got it out of her system. Perhaps the experience would have disappointed. Perhaps her husband would have fallen in love with France too. At least they’d have tried it. Even if they hated it, what would they have lost? They could still have bought a place in Berkshire. As it was, the sale on their own property in the UK fell through so they couldn’t buy the caretaker’s cottage anyway. They could have rented out their English home and rented a French place – they may even have made money on the deal, to spend on vin rouge and menus du jour. I guess what I’m trying to say is, whatever your circumstances, don’t give up on your dreams. You might have to take a different route to them than you’d imagined but there’s nearly always a way. Go for it!
I went along to the ‘France.e.motion’ photography exhibition at Canary Wharf the other evening – a joint project between the French tourist board Maison de la France and photography students from the London College of Communication-University of the Arts. The photos were of 22 French cities from a variety of perspectives, including lifestyle, culture, landscapes, gastronomy, design, cafes and nightlife. The exhibition is only on until the 18th October, so if you’re in the Canary Wharf area, drop in and have a look. Alternatively, log on to www.franceemotion.com and check out the photos along with trip ideas for each of the cities – plus there’s a chance to win a short break to Mulhouse, Metz or Dijon.
The exhibition got me thinking – what’s my favourite French city. I’ve been to a fair few over the years, and driven through many more on my way somewhere else, almost always thinking I must come back here some day and have a proper look around. Paris is so special, so iconic, from great monuments like the Eiffel Tower to intimate restaurants hidden down side streets. Dijon’s a place of culture, with beautiful buildings, great restaurants (are you getting an idea of what I like about France?) – and birthplace of one of my personal favourites, the kir royale… Montpellier is at once modern and ancient - with its vast student population, there’s a youthful feel to the city and plenty of nightlife, yet the university is the oldest in France (and there’s a Banque de Worms, which tickled me, but then I’m easily amused…) Amiens is one of those French cities with hugely impressive architecture (i.e. the cathedral) but a friendly small-town atmosphere – and a great antiques market, which I’ve happily plundered. I’ve been along to the Lille Braderie a few times too, in fact in England I sleep in a lovely old Louis XV-style wooden bed courtesy of the vast antiques and flea market that takes over the city’s streets every September (and only €80, what a bargain!). And what about Lille’s great Christmas market – I nearly froze to death on the Big Wheel one year. Avignon is another amazing city, with the stunning Pope’s Palace and views over the Rhone – and yet more wonderful restaurants and antiques markets. But I think my favourite city (or is it a town?) is probably Annecy; I just love the old town, the canal, the lake, the mountains surrounding it (and the restaurants… no wonder I’ve piled on the pounds while working for FPN) – if only other people didn’t love Annecy so much too and the property was cheaper!
The French cities in the exhibition are Amiens, Aix-en-Provence, Angers, Avignon, Bordeaux, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Havre, Lille, Marseille, Metz, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Nimes, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Toulouse and Versailles.
Is one of these your favourite? Or an entirely different city? What makes them your favourite? And do you love them as a place to visit or would you like a holiday home there? Perhaps you'd like to live there full-time? Whatever your thoughts on French cities, I’d love to know.
At FPN we don’t often concern ourselves with buildings that are being knocked down - we’re more interested in new developments and houses that have stood for many years and are destined to go on doing so. However, a news snippet has come to my attention that features a tower block being dynamited – nothing interesting there, you may say, but the demise of this high-rise will be immortalised on film. The block is located in the town of Montfermeil, in the Parisian suburbs, which will shortly be hosting the shooting of a film, entitled From Paris with Love, starring John Travolta no less. So if you own a property nearby, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the US star and his entourage!
But what comes down, must go up? In another part of Paris – Porte de Versailles – the first skyscraper to be built in 30 years is being planned. Some 180m high and the work of Jacques Herzog, the building is at present only at planning stage: “It is simply a proposal to give us an idea of what a skyscraper would look like in this area, home to the Paris Exhibition Centre,” commented an urban planning adviser to the mayor.
A couple of interesting surveys have just been released. One from Conti Financial Services reveals that France remains one of the top destinations for people looking for property abroad. France sits just behind Spain in the top spot, showing that ‘tried and tested’ locations still lead the pack, despite interest in recent years in Eastern European countries and hotspots further afield such as Dubai (at seventh place in the Conti list) and Cape Verde (not yet in Conti’s top 10). The gap is narrowing, however. Spain and France account for one in three enquiries received by Conti so far this year, who comment: “France, accounting for 14% of enquiries and creeping ever closer to the number one spot, is enjoying a stable market and has not suffered from the well-documented credit crunch. It’s an increasingly attractive investment option, not least because of lower interest rates and property prices, but also due to a number of tax incentives introduced by Sarkozy to promote home ownership. So, although Brad and Angelina have recently splashed out on their huge French Riviera chateau, France is certainly not just for those with a celebrity bank balance.”
The second survey, from Primelocation.com, reveals that, despite the credit crunch, 58% of British people still want to buy a property overseas, although 33% are reconsidering their finances and 27% are now looking for a cheaper property – clearly people are not willing to lose sight of their dreams, but are being realistic about how they can achieve them. Of the people who took part in the survey, 48% wanted a holiday home, 38% a permanent home and 31% were looking to purchase a property as an investment. The survey also showed that buyers are moving away from emerging markets in Eastern Europe and back to the ‘established and perceived safety’ of the west.
The uncertainty in the airline industry, with less well used routes facing the threat of being cut, may have had an effect on property hunters’ location decisions too. With so many travel options, France must surely remain one of the top countries for overseas homes. In fact, the the Primelocation survey puts France at the top of the table, with 24% looking for a property there, followed by Spain at 13% and Italy at 11% (in the Conti report Italy was in ninth position with 4%, while Turkey was in third place). Some 59% were planning on spending between £50,000 and £250,000 on a property.
A bientot,
Karen