Clé France

Reports in the British press and on various television channels that the British are getting fed up with the thoughtless, noisy, intrusive, and discourteous people next door, prompt me to list a dozen good reasons why French neighbours are the best.

French neighbours are the best becasue...

1. they always smile, look you in the eye, and say bonjour

2. neighbours in the country will regularly make a gift of vegetables or fruit from their garden - often just leaving it on the doorstep

3. any little disputes are usually settled over a bottled of claret

4. they are always very grateful for any assistance they receive

5. they are always more than willing to help out whenever help is needed

6. they don't laugh at your funny accent and mistakes as you try manfully to master their language

7. they are always delightful company at a soiree

8. they are often a wonderful source of cheap goodies – for example a supplier of excellent Calvados

9. they will keep an eye on your property whether you ask them or not and contact you if ever there is a problem

10. they are always an invaluable advisory service on all aspects of gardening, again whether you ask them or not!!

11. they will always treat a foreigner with nothing but kindness and consideration

12. and finally they are respectful and neighbourly at all times : les voisins parfait!!

You may also like to read "Do the French mind having British neighbours"

If you want more? then follow the links above, in the images, where you can buy Fraser's published books.

Fraser Blake, 70, author of 'Dear Chips' and 'A Rant Too Far?' grew up in Africa, was at school in Scotland, and worked for the British South Africa Police in Southern Rhodesia. He has taught English in Saudi Arabia and sold and renovated hundreds of properties in Northern France.

In 1998 Fraser was selling houses in the Mayenne department of the Pays de la Loire region and so was the obvious choice, when Cle France was started, to be their first agent on the ground in France. In retirement he writes, blogs, cooks, drinks wine, and hosts to dinner unlimited numbers of ex-pats.

Always on hand with a viewpoint, Fraser is going to share his views on France, the French and the British, and other people who buy in France. Sometimes informative, sometimes funny, painfully true, outrageously opinionated but always entertaining so we hope it adds a slightly different dimension to the usual normality of searching through the fantastic properties for sale on the Cle France website.

Watch out for more rants and opinion next week or buy the book today for a rollicking good read.

Really? undiscovered Normandy... is there such a place? Yes and No may have to be the answer but the fact that most visitors to Normandy, British visitors especially, drive through some stunning areas and beautiul corners of France at 80 mph must mean that the areas they are driving through and not staying and discovering more about are in some respects 'undiscovered'.

There is so much to see and do in the Picardy region for example, even Upper Normandy is driven through without stopping as everyone heads towards the Lower Normandy towns of Vire, Sourdeval, Domfront and Flers etc.

Similarly it has always confused me why people seem to land in Cherbourg and head towards the area around Saint Lo as fast as possible as if there is something odd about the delightful Cotentin Pennisula region there are driving through?

There is of course nothing wrong with Lower Normandy, we sell most of our houses in the North-west of France in the departments of Orne and Calvados but I do think people are missing out on the delights of such towns as Bricquebec, Brix, Barneville-Cateret, La Haye du Puit and Sainte Mere-Eglise to name but a few AND being on a Pennisula you are never too far away from the coast!

So lets take a look at these regions and you can see our properties for sale in Cotentin Penninsula, Upper Normandy and Picardy are actually very nice indeed.

Picardy

Picardy or Picardie  consists of just three departments, the Aisne (02) capital Laon, the Oise (60), capital Beauvais and the Somme (60), capital Amiens and this is also the regional capital. The southern part of this modern region, virtually all of the Oise department, was not part of the original Province of Picardy, it was added when the region was created in the 20th century. 

The triangle between Paris, Amsterdam and London is of course the historic centre of warfare action in western Europe, Picardy is an area with a very interesting history indeed.

Upper Normandy

Seine-Maritime and Eure departments.

With its proximity and excellent transport links with the U.K, Upper Normandy is the ideal choice for those looking for property for sale in France either for a holiday home or permanent residence. 

Stretching south 100km from Dieppe to Étretat is the Côte d'Albâtre, where pebble beaches are backed by impressive tall, white cliffs. Along this coast there are small villages and few resorts. Inland Upper Normandy is a land of meadows and orchards, as well as many rivers and brooks. Its half-timbered colombage houses are much in demand. The majority have been modernised and are second homes for both Parisians and the British.

Cotentin Pennisula in Lower Normandy

Hard against the frontier with Brittany, and cut off from the rest of Normandy by difficult marshy terrain, the Cotentin Peninsula has traditionally been seen as something of a backwater, far removed from the French mainstream. By sea, on the other hand, it’s very easily accessible. Beyond the peninsula’s major port, Cherbourg, little ports such as Barfleur and St-Vaast on the indented northern headland presage the rocky Breton coast, while La Hague to the west offers a handsome array of heather-clad cliffs and stone-wall-divided patchwork fields.

For many visitors the Cotentin’s long western flank, with its flat beaches, serves primarily as a prelude to Mont St-Michel, with hill towns such as Coutances and Avranches cherishing architectural and historical relics associated with the abbey. Halfway down, however, the walled port of Granville, a popular destination with French holiday-makers, is a sort of small-scale mirror-image of Brittany’s St-Malo.

Cle France are French Estate agents with agents across France in most regions and with over 8000 houses for sale in all price brackets and in all styles to suit everyone. This bi-lingual service will help you find the right property for you with the minimum of fuss.

NO HIDDEN FEES: The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of our agency in France, same as the price paid by the French buyer.

All quoted prices are INCLUSIVE OF AGENCY FEES (FAI): with Notaire's fees to be added (these average 7% to 8%).

OUR AGENTS: are all registered and insured in France, they are holders of the 'carte professionnelle'as required by French law.

So when you buy through Clé France: you have the benefit of a bi-lingual support team & can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway.

CONTACT US: to discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Ceri, bon apres-midi.

Thank you so very much for putting our minds at rest regarding the monthly and annual charges.

Your service has been absolutely first class and I will make sure I let people know that.

Be assured, when... note I say when and not if !... we emigrate you will be the person we contact for insurance and not only health but vehicle and home.

Sincere thanks for all of your help.

June and Jeremy.

There is a lot of information on the Cle France website on House Insurance, Health Insurance, Auto & even Holiday Insurance and along with our partners Allainz Assurance we make sure we give good and timly advice, so together we make sure you have the right cover and the best possible service.

A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE this ideal holiday home, easy to run and 'lock up and leave' in a small village hamlet between l'Absie and Coulonges, only 30 minutes south of Bressuire, where there are all shops and services. 90 minutes from the Vendee coast and airports at Nantes and La Rochelle. 4-5 hours from the car ferries in Caen, Cherbourg and Le Havre.

ONLY 54500 euros including agency fees...

A well presented end cottage with attractive rural aspect. There is a small courtyard directly in front of the house with further gravelled garden with outbuildings across the lane. Parking spaces.

Entrance into open plan living room with kitchen area, stairs to first floor landing, good size double bedroom, shower room with WC.

Rooms in more detail: 

Ground Floor - Living/Dining/Kitchen - 33.00 m2 - Open Plan, exposed beams, exposed brickwork.

1st Floor - Bedroom - 23.00 m2.

Corridor - 3.00 m2 - landing and large cupboard.

Bathroom - 4.00 m2 - Hip Bath with shower over, WC and basin.

Cellar - 33.00 m2 - head height under living room, storage, sink and electric.

Local Taxes:

Taxe fonciere - 147 euros a year.

Taxe d'habitation : 204 euros  year.

Some of the furniture can be left if requeired: Dining Table and 4 chairs, Settee, Cooker (gas bottle), Buffet Unit, SuperKing Bed / Mattress, Other items (to be agreed), Washing Machine (top Loader - new), Misc items / fixtures and fittings.

Outside:

Courtyard, further courtyard with covered terrace and small outbuilding. Parking for 2 cars.

Mains drainage is connected to the property.

Estimated Notaire fees of 4633 euros.

Features: Parking space, Terrace, Outbuilding(s), Courtyard. Living area 62 m2 approx. Living room 33 m2 approx. Shower room (1st floor). Bedroom 1 (1st floor 23 m2).

The department of Deux Sevres is in the Poitou-Charentes region, in the western part of France below the Pays de la Loire region. In recent times this department has become an ever popular destination for French property buyers. Prices are still reasonable and one cannot help being seduced by the diverse cultural heritage, delicious local cuisine, seafood and of course the lovely rolling countryside.

Deux Sevres has a very mild climate, similar to that of Aquitaine and the Poitou-Charentes region, it is the second sunniest region of France where people adopt a relaxed, simple way of life ideal for holidays and leisure activities.

The transport links are very good too, with five international airports, the TGV (high speed train) in Niort can reach Paris in 2 hours, to Bordeaux in 1hrs 30mins and Toulouse in 4hrs 30mins. Good motorway links to Bordeaux, Nantes, Tours and Paris make it a great location.

Cle France are French Estate agents with agents across France in most regions and with over 8000 houses for sale in all price brackets and in all styles to suit everyone. This bi-lingual service will help you find the right property for you with the minimum of fuss.

NO HIDDEN FEES: The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of our agency in France, same as the price paid by the French buyer.

All quoted prices are INCLUSIVE OF AGENCY FEES (FAI): with Notaire's fees to be added (these average 7% to 8%).

OUR AGENTS: are all registered and insured in France, they are holders of the 'carte professionnelle'as required by French law.

So when you buy through Clé France: you have the benefit of a bi-lingual support team & can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway.

CONTACT US: to discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Britons with second homes in French towns and cities will see their council tax rates rise by hundreds of euros a year after President Hollande’s government yesterday rounded on “wealthy foreigners” in a desperate attempt to raise money.

The move is designed to generate €150 million for local councils, and will hit anyone who has a second home in 28 cities and suburbs, including Paris and Nice.

No one with a second home in rural France will be affected.

 Holiday Homes for sale like this one (GTY01287) will not be affected.

The so-called weekend tax has been sold by President Hollande as a measure to address France’s housing crisis by claiming that it will encourage property owners to rent out their second homes. However, in truth, the levy is a means of raising new revenue for hard-up local councils from a group of people, many of whom do not have the vote.

The Socialist cabinet has recently been forced to slash state subsidies for local councils to try to meet calls from Brussels to cut the French budget deficit. At the end of last month, President Hollande was rattled by a threat from Brussels that it would reject his budget because it did not reduce the deficit significantly. The government then was forced to announce a €3.7 billion cut in subsidies for next year’s budget.

However, the tax has caused fierce controversy amid signs that the government was itself split over the measure. Under the plan disclosed by Michel Sapin, the finance minister, urban councils will be authorised to levy a tax equivalent to 20 per cent of the residency tax paid by all households for anyone with a second home in one of the prescribed 28 town areas.

This will add €90 to the rates on an average flat in Paris — which are among the lowest in France — but €200 to €300 in some of the capital’s suburbs and in other cities. All households pay at least one type of council tax — a residency tax, paid by everyone, and an owner tax, paid only by those who own their property.

French press reports suggested that tourist destinations popular with the British, such as Annecy in the Alps, or Bordeaux in the southwest could also be hit by the tax.

Most of the 200,000 Britons with holiday homes in France will escape the tax rise since their properties are in rural areas. However, 10,000 Britons own second homes on the French Riviera, some urban areas of which, such as Nice, will be included by the new tax. Many Britons have also invested in property in cities such as Lyon and Toulouse.

Rural houses like this (CLS00397) will not be affected.

Cle France are French Estate agents with agents across France in most regions and with over 8000 houses for sale in all price brackets and in all styles to suit everyone. This bi-lingual service will help you find the right property for you with the minimum of fuss.

NO HIDDEN FEES: The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of our agency in France, same as the price paid by the French buyer.

All quoted prices are INCLUSIVE OF AGENCY FEES (FAI): with Notaire's fees to be added (these average 7% to 8%).

OUR AGENTS: are all registered and insured in France, they are holders of the 'carte professionnelle'as required by French law.

So when you buy through Clé France: you have the benefit of a bi-lingual support team & can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway.

CONTACT US: to discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales.

This article originally appeared in The Times on Wednesday 5th November 2014.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.