Health care in France

Many thanks to Craig McGinty and his excellent website http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/ for this link.

The NY Times ran a most instructive article today on healthcare in France.

You can read the whole text here.

So far we have only good things to say about the system over here, even though (or maybe because) our family doctor is just about the most eccentric person I've ever met.

The children love him and he has a real knack of putting them at ease. Our youngest was ill last year and we had to see an emergency stand in who prescribed all kinds of pills.

We took her (and the collection of tablets) to see our doc the next day and he promptly rounded up this mightily expensive phalanx of bottles and popped them in his bin.

"Puce (little flea) - you've got a virus and antibiotics are no use. Go to bed, get daddy to read you plenty of stories and drink lots of water or decent red wine".

www.cognacproperty.com

Bush & Obama in "trial of the decade"

OK, hands up...I'm sure you spotted my cheap shot at getting your attention. Bush & Obama aren't actually involved at all.

It's Sarkozy and de Villepin who are today beginning the so called "trial of the decade". That shouldn't lessen public interest though.

It's a complicated affair but in a nutshell ex French prime minister Dominique de Villepin faces accusations of a smear campaign against current prime minister (and Obama favourite) Nicolas Sarkozy.

If found guilty he faces up to five years in prison and you can read about the accusations and murky background of the case here.

It's old money against new and it's going to get dirty. My eyes will be glued to the news each night for the next few weeks.

www.cognacproperty.com

Electrical storm leaves me puzzled

We had a wonderful storm earlier this week. Rolling thunder and non stop lightning that lit up the church opposite so that it looked like something out of a horror movie.

Torrential rain too which is good for my melons.... but I digress.

One of the side effects was that we were without electricity for a whole morning. What an eye opener.

I simply couldn't work. No computers, no internet and no telephone line (it all comes through the livebox). Of course I could have done some filing but why break the habit of a lifetime.

After scratching my head for half an hour I decided that the only thing to do was to pop down to Jarnac and invest €3.20 in a Daily Telegraph and spend the morning doing the crossword in my favourite café.

I used to know an amazing character called Fred Rippingale who could do both the Times & Telegraph crosswords in under an hour. I could never get to grips with the "Thunderer" but the latter could usually be half completed after a couple of weeks of cogitating and begging my mate Chris for help.

This time I didn't do badly but am still stuck on 12 down - my French friends are no help at all:

Looking for short cut for riders to use (7,4)

If anyone can help please email me at cognac.property@gmail.com and I'll be eternally grateful.

Meanwhile I'll leave you with my two favourite clues of all time:

1. geg (9,3)

2. H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O (5)

www.cognacproperty.com

Buying agents - why you should use one...

OK - I'm biased as that's what I do for a living but if you're seriously considering buying a property in France then it makes absolute sense to use one.

You can get a good idea of what a buying agent does by reading this piece on wikipedia. The pertinent paragraph is:

The main advantages of using a buying agent are the savings in time and money and access to properties not available on the open market.

Whilst nearly all charge a registration fee (anything between £500 and £2500) and a percentage of the purchase price of the property (usually between 1.5% and 2% of the sale price), the agent’s negotiating skills and access to properties before they reach the open market often mean that clients purchase properties for substantially less than they would if they went to estate agents or vendors directly.

Buying agents will preview properties for each client, shortlist the most suitable, and usually accompany clients on viewings of the shortlisted properties.

Now, if it makes sense to use one in the UK or USA it must make even more sense if you're buying in a country with a different process, legal system and language.

Just make sure that the person you use is fully legit. Ask to see their "carte professionelle" and copies of their professional indemnity insurance.

A good starting point would be to look here to see if there's one near where you want to buy or by contacting the French national federation of house hunters here.

It's worthwhile doing the research - a good buying agent will save you time & money as well as giving you peace of mind.

www.cognacproperty.com

France "most popular destination" for expats

The Halifax have just issued some research claiming that 16% of British expats currently live in France which tops the charts ahead of Spain (10%).

This comes hot on the heels of research by BNP Paribas that says Britons will make up 20% of all overseas buyers in France during 2009.

It's no surprise that France remains popular with Brits - either as a place for a second home or indeed to move here permanently. There's a good reason why it's the most visited country in the world with 82 million foreign tourists making an annual pilgrimage.

In troubled economic times you need this kind of heritage and stability if you're thinking of investing in real estate - prices may well tempt you to open a gite business in Bulgaria but are you sure it's going to be popular with the punters!

Ultimately though we Brits love it over here because of one thing, perfectly described by Jean Anouilh:

"Everything ends this way in France - everything. Weddings, christenings, duels, burials, swindlings, diplomatic affairs -everything is a pretext for a good dinner".

www.cognacproperty.com

UK housing recovery "unsustainable"

My old friends at JLL research are predicting that the current recovery in the UK housing market is not going to last, with prices predicted to fall 7% in 2010. Here's what they say:

"Our view is that the present recovery is quite fragile and that at sometime over the next six months housing market sentiment and prices will fall back. This could occur quite naturally or have a trigger event."

The bit about a trigger event is interesting as I too feel that there's still a huge amount of nervousness about both the economy and the housing market.

I don't think it would have to be anything too dramatic (such as a terrorist attack) either...any excuse would do. The next election must be held before 3rd June next year and markets often go totally quiet in the run up.

It's unusual for an estate agent (OK...international property consultancy) to publicly be so bearish but it does make a refreshing change from some of the idiotic comments we've had to listen to over the past few weeks (Things are great, never been so busy, record enquiries etc).

www.cognacproperty.com

Property marketing - the shadow of Google

Two separate events have got me thinking over my coffee & croissants this morning.

The first was a tweet from Sarah Beeny about the new property portal she has created. You can see it at http://www.tepilo.com/

It has been brilliantly designed and is friendly and easy to use. You can promote your property online for free and get online guidance throughout the process. There's even an "Ask Sarah" button although somehow I can't see her sat in an office waiting for mundane emails from all and sundry.

Rightmove, Primelocation and Propertyfinder have sown up the market in terms of listing sites for agents to post details but I think that Sarah Beeny's site has a genuine chance of influencing the market in terms of private sales. People have been trying to do this since the internet launched (and before) but nobody has really succeeded.

The second event was when I stumbled across Ben Wood on twitter. He's Head of Property at Google and you can read one of his white papers by following this link.

I guess that even Google themselves don't know in which way their "property" team is going but we shouldn't underestimate the power of what is now probably the biggest brand on earth.

When I started my French property search business in 2003 I used to send clients photos of properties I had seen for them. Now, thanks to Google I can also upload video and zoom in on the house and locality from outer space down to the tiles on the roof. Researching the area (shops, schools, parks, events) is also a doddle.

A year ago Google announced that they were going to exploit some of their existing data and technology and the Times ran a short piece with the headline "Google ventures into the property market".

Now, they have just announced a major sponsorship of this years prestigious "What House" awards.

The house buying process is being flipped on it's head as you read this post. At the moment Google are researching, innovating and hovering....pretty soon they may well swoop.

www.cognacproperty.com

Girondins plan The Italian Job

One of my favourite cult films of all time is "The Italian Job".

Set in Turin, Michael Caine utters one of the best known one-liners in cinema history.

Well, tonight in the intimidating Stadio Olimpico the Girondins de Bordeaux are planning a smash and grab of their own against Juventus.

The omens are against them.

Juventus have never lost to French opposition on their home turf and Bordeaux have come away from their last five trips to Italy with the grand total of zero points.

However, it's a long time since we last tasted defeat and a boring nil-nil draw would more than suffice.

All eyes will be on our star player, Yoann Gourcuff, who came from AC Milan and is sure to receive a warm reception. He's a cracking player and what better stage to show that he's up there with Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Maybe I'm a dreamer but I have this clear vision of Laurent Blanc taking him off after 89 minutes with the immortal words:

"You were only supposed to score a bloody hat-trick".

www.cognacproperty.com

Property finder network takes off

Mixed messages still coming out of the UK.

FTSE 100 over the 5,000 mark (hurrah) and house prices are either on the rise (Halifax) or it's a false dawn (Ernst & Young).

One thing is for sure though. The activity levels of our French property finder network are beginning to take off.

I'm not claiming that we're all inundated but as the guy from Savills so eloquently put it "A year on (from the collapse of Lehman Brothers) power has been restored and there's a flicker of hope".

I've just taken a phone call from Caroline who is based in Mayenne. She has had clients over from Thailand and, after a week-end of hard negotiations, they have just had an offer accepted on a beautiful property. I'm thrilled for Caroline as she had put her heart & soul into finding something truly special for them.

Janine in Bayeux is flying - she's bought two houses for clients in the last few weeks and is slap bang in the middle of another search now.

Rebecca in Nice reports the same with a couple of offers accepted and more clients out shortly.

We've also just taken on mandates for further searches in the Dordogne, Aquitaine, Perpignan and Chamonix too.

The good news is that a lot of these enquiries are non-UK related (we've recently been instructed by clients from Hawaii, South Africa, Sweden, Canada and Asia)....hopefully this means that when the UK market does come back we should have real cause for optimism.

If you'd like to discuss joining the network (we're currently 12 across France but plan to be 50 by the end of 2010) you can email guy@frenchentree.com and he'll send you a prospectus.

Alternatively just pick up the phone and I'd be happy to chat about it.

www.cognacproperty.com

Classic car rally comes to Angouleme

This year's "circuit des remparts" promises to be a cracker.

It's on 18-20 September and plans are afoot to recreate the grid the crowds witnessed at the first Ramparts race in Angouleme in 1939, with many of the classic cars being sourced from collections and museums.

Expect also to see vintage cars working their way round the famous hairpins and Touring and GT cars power sliding round this tight Angouleme street circuit.

Hotels in Angouleme have been sold out for months but, if you're thinking of coming, you should be OK in near-by Jarnac or Cognac.

You don't need to be a "petrol head" to enjoy the spectacle...after all who can resist smiling at the thought of seeing so many Terry Thomas lookalikes in one place together.

www.cognacproperty.com

Golf in France - seeking out the value

Here's an interesting article from last weeks Daily Telegraph. It talks about buying a property on a golf course in France and says that golf is "taking off" over here.

As an avid golfer the article was of particular interest...we have a superb 18 hole championship course here in cognac and the area around it (St Brice) is one of the prettiest villages around.

In the article they talk about the excellent investment opportunities of one particular development in the Languedoc.

Prices start from €430,000 for a two bed apartment....that's when my eyes popped out of my head.

You may remember this post from earlier in the Summer. It's a new, architect designed, four bed house with pool and super gardens that lead down to the river charente....a Tiger Woods five iron from Cognac golf course and yours for well under €400,000.

A two bed apartment or a four bed house and pool with change to buy your own golf buggy, four new sets of Callaways and enough multi-coloured golf jumpers to keep even Ian Poulter happy....hmmm.

www.cognacproperty.com

An insight into my life....

As you may have gathered my job is to find houses in France for people who live overseas and don't have the time or inclination to risk tackling it themselves or to sift through all the rubbish.

One of my key messages to clients is that I use local knowledge to dig out the gems that they simply wouldn't find by themselves. Yesterday was a prime example of how this can work.

I drove across to Montbron to view a house that I had seen on http://www.leboncoin.fr/, it's a private sale as the owner doesn't want to go through an agency (amazingly almost half of all the houses bought & sold in France are still done so privately).

I met the owner at the hotel de ville and off we went to her house in her car. She was a real character and had spent most of her working life as a notaire's clerk in Paris.

I was expecting to go straight to her house but we stopped off on the way to look at a barn she was selling with planning permission and 4 ha's of land. Sadly the two weren't attached but it was just a quick detour and no big problem as the sun was shining and she was good company.

Next we went to her house. Bizarrely this wasn't the property she had advertised either. Terrific property, everything about it was ideal for my clients except the price...she wanted €400,000.

I then asked to see the house she had advertised (not an unfair request I thought), this turned out to be owned by some friends of hers. Off we went again.

Sadly the house was a bit of a pit (I'm being polite here) although the owners were charming and insisted we sit and chat over a coffee. They were fascinated by how I work (they don't have Kirsty & Phil over here) and I explained the brief I have from my clients.

A lightbulb went on over their heads and they said that I had to go with them to see a property belonging to someone they know who is going through a messy divorce. Again, it's not on with any local agents and is just for sale privately.

The owners weren't in but bingo....great location, superb views, good looking house, plenty of barns and only 5 mins from the local school, restaurant etc.

Of course I now need to contact the actual owner and go back to view the inside and check the cadastral plan.

Who knows if it will lead anywhere but I'm 100% convinced that anyone from the UK, USA, Asia etc just couldn't find properties like these without employing someone locally to do it for them.

I'm equally convinced that my fees of 2.75% are more than covered by the amount I help save them when it comes to negotiating a "locals" price.

www.cognacproperty.com

Plan International - because children are at the heart of everything we do

It's been a while since I linked to Plan International and having just finished reading the girls a bedside story I figured it would do no harm to say that I think this is a truly worthwhile charity.

We sponsor a child in Kenya. His name is Mutie and his life is just so different to ours.

The things we take for granted like water, food, electricity, schooling and healthcare don't come so easily in his remote Kenyan village.

Plan help equip the villages with the tools and knowledge to implement long term change - on top of this we've been able to send gifts to Mutie such as a football with accompanying letter and pictures from the girls.

In return he has sent us pictures of himself and family and even letters that are translated by Plan staff in Kenya.

Donations don't have to be huge and if you get half the satisfaction from it that we do then it will truly be money well spent.

To sponsor a child click here.

www.cognacproperty.com

Felicity Kendall eat your heart out

Now this next tale may well sound just a tad mundane.

But it has to be read in context. Before moving to France my weekday lunches consisted of a couple of sandwiches from pret-a-manger wolfed down at my desk.

I had never grown anything in my life and had always gently mocked my parents for carefully tending their fruit and vegetable patches.

Earlier this year we decided to make the most of our big garden behind the church and we spent many back-breaking hours digging two distinct growing areas.

Well, our hard labours have finally borne fruit - literally.

Yesterday we picked a load of carrots, onions and broccoli as well as a couple of luscious, ripe charentaise melons to go along with some of our strawberries and raspberries.

Within a matter of minutes J-A had turned the veggies into a glorious, creamy soup accompanied by a crusty baguette supplied by Madam Whiplash, the local baker.

For dessert the melons & red fruits tasted simply divine. From mother natures belly to mine without preservatives, packaging or queuing at a checkout.

Now, I know that this is a scene replicated (and bettered) in most households across the world....but for our family it was a first and something that made us laugh out loud.

We had created an entire meal by ourselves (yes, I know we cheated with the bread and yes, I also know it was only a simple soup but that's why I put the caveat at the start).

There's a way to go before we trade in our E Le Clerc loyalty card but it's true that the simple things in life are often the most pleasurable.

www.cognacproperty.com

waiting for my .......@gs.com enquiries

Interesting article from the Sunday Times about the return of the bonus culture in the city.

Any of you bankers at Goldman Sachs (or indeed any other financial institutions) looking for an innovative way of spending your money should look no further.

Not only is Cognac renowned throughout the world as the home of Remy Martin, Courvoisier, Hennessy and Martell but it's a beautiful town in it's own right. Just look at what it has to offer:

• second sunniest part of France


• airport with direct flights to the UK


• TGV access to central London


• Glorious chateau's with views over the vineyards or townhouses in the historic old quarter


• choice of michelin restaurants or sampling the rustic 10€ local "plat de jour"


• the caché associated with one of the worlds top 10 brands

So, @GS people, it's time for an investment that you can make with your heart as well as your head.

Just imagine the envious looks on your colleagues faces as you sneak away from the dealing desks to compare your week-end pad in Cognac with their dull old bolt holes in Cornwall or Shropshire.

www.cognacproperty.com

French property - parallels with the UK market

Interesting article in the Daily Telegraph about the UK property market one year after Lehman Brothers collapse.

This bit really struck home:

The day recession dawned will linger in the minds of estate agents for years. “The effect of Lehman’s demise was immediate and immense,” says Ed Lewis, head of new homes in London for Savills. “It was as if the telephone sockets had been ripped from the walls and the lights turned out. Many of the younger agents had never seen anything like it. A year on and power has been restored, to a flicker of hope, anyway, and the telephones have just started to ring again.

It was the same here in Cognac. I'd been merrily sailing along for five years and new clients just seemed to appear out of thin air. France is an incredibly popular destination and overseas buyers will always need someone to find and then advise upon their investment.

Then, within the space of 24 hours, everything changed and the world just hunkered down.

Like the chap at Savills though my phone has been ringing for a few months now and the lights are flickering back on.

As it says at the end of the Telegraph article I'll be looking forward to the 15th September so I can say that "the year" is behind us. It's not quite a reason to crack open the Dom Perignon but the senior partner and I might risk a little of the local "methode traditionnelle".

www.cognacproperty.com

OK - so I'm not Bill Gates or Larry Page

One innocent blog entry about how much I like i google and I've unleashed a torrent of abuse.

I guess I should have realised at school when I was hanging out with the nerds & the geeks rather than the cool guys or the sports "jocks" that something like this would happen.

My latest words of wisdom have come back to haunt me in spades now as I'm getting texts, voicemails, tweets, emails et al taunting me for being behind the times.

Please bear in mind that the senders of these missives are the ones that were always found at the front of the classroom, in the kitchen at parties and invariably were the last ones picked at any kind of sport.

And as for girls.....forget it.

So chaps - I may well be behind the new technology wave rather than riding it but let's face it...the coolest kid at school was never going to get a job in IT was he....

www.cognacproperty.com

How cool is i google?

OK - I realise that I'm probably a bit slow off the blocks here but I've just discovered igoogle and have created my own personal home page.

As well as the usual search facility my default page now also has:

• the 5 day weather forecast for the charente valley


• real time (almost) changes to my stock portfolio


• the 10 newest messages I've received on gmail


• a french/english translation tool for when I come across a word I don't know


• google map, centred on my house, so I can plan route times when visiting houses

It's absolutely brilliant and I'm sure I could discover a zillion other add-ons if I didn't have to actually get on and do some work!

www.cognacproperty.com

Jarnac property search pays off

The senior partner received a text from some Arsenal season ticket holders who also happen to have gone from being old clients into new friends.

They are settling into the beautiful riverside house I found for them in Bourg Charente (pictured), midway between Jarnac & Cognac.

I was out cycling with a couple of friends and happened to be passing their house....I couldn't resist letting rip with a quick "come on you spurs" as we sped by.

The text read "Is your yob of a husband out cycling at the moment. If the answer is yes then you need to have words as he scared our guests".

Of course I have subsequently issued a grovelling apology and all isn't lost as we were invited to a truly scrumptious BBQ with them the other night.

It's a perk of the job that I sometimes get to enjoy the pleasures of the houses (and gardens) that I find in this way.

It's an added incentive when I'm searching to know that if I play my cards right there's a decent chance that I'll be invited to share a cold beer on the terrace - or, if I'm really lucky, maybe even some prime entrecote, a decent Bordeaux and plenty of laughter as with David & Lorraine.

www.cognacproperty.com

First rule of buying in France - use a good notaire

Just back from a completion at the notaires office.

It makes life so much easier when you have an efficient & friendly notaire that speaks English. He went through the contracts in both languages so that my clients could fully understand the proceedings and he offered on the spot advice on taxation, wills and all kinds of related issues.

My clients are thrilled at the property (above) that I found them for less than 100,000€, and impressed with the whole buying process over here.

On the way back from the signing we stopped at the Orange shop and set up a phone line for them and now I've left them the exciting task of unpacking their van and setting up their dream place in the sun.

I love my job when things run smoothly like this and you see the joy and sense of adventure on clients faces. Of course it has it's downsides too but I work so hard to dig out the gems that I get a real sense of pride when it comes together.

In fact I'm feeling so smug that I'm almost tempted to award myself an afternoon off with a decent book.

I say almost because what I'm actually going to do is nip down to Jarnac to look at a couple of plots for some clients coming out in three weeks time. I have a terrific architect & builder lined up for them to meet and I want to find them somewhere truly special to build their property.

No peace for the wicked.

www.cognacproperty.com

End of the canicule?

"Phew...what a scorcher" as the Sun so memorably put it.

I can't remember the last time I woke up to anything other than clear blue sky and afternoon temperatures in the mid to high 30's. I know it sounds idyllic but to someone with Scottish roots and pale white skin this summer has cost me a fortune in factor 30 sun tan lotion.

Ironically, I'm still the same colour as I was when the year started on January 1st.

At last the weather is due to break and we have storms forecast for tomorrow with rain afterwards and temperatures down in the 20's.

I'm not moaning in the slightest as I do love sunshine and the last couple of months have been exceptional but when those first drops fall I'll be doing a highland jig.

After that I'd like to put an order in for an Indian summer lasting through to late October please. That's when I'm off to Biarritz for a few days R&R with the boys. It would be nice to dish out their annual thrashing on the golf course with the sun on our backs.

Meanwhile I have work to do with three active property searches on the go. Houses never look as good in the rain so this week should be a good time to view them!

www.cognacproperty.com

Canal + listings a mystery

Great excitement in the Downie household this week-end. After six years of tense negotiations the senior partner finally caved in and allowed me a canal + subscription.

After wading through the 97 different packages and options, technical difficulties setting it up and two calls to the helpline it's now installed. Just in time for Man Utd v Arsenal today and Marseille v Bordeaux tomorrow.

I've been online trying to see what other sporting events are coming up. Their website ranks between hopeless and poor and when I try to find listings for the "football +" package that I have I can't find a thing.

So, for any readers who have a background in TV listings (!) there's a huge market opportunity for you.

Meanwhile I guess I'll just have to watch it 24/7 to make sure I don't miss anything.

www.cognacproperty.com

Bordeaux await champions league draw

There's a buzz in the café this morning as our local team wait for the champions league draw later on today.

In theory les girondins could be pitted in a group with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Standard Liege which would certainly put pressure on their current run of fourteen straight wins.

What price a unique double of league winners and champions of Europe for Laurent Blanc and his men?

Actually I've just checked and it's 2/1 & 80/1 respectively....how about a 10€ win patent chucking in Spurs for the premier league at 33/1. The accumulator alone would pay over 80,000€.

Now that would impress the locals!

www.cognacproperty.com

French estate agents still facing problems

A recent report from the Notaires de France states that the number of completed house sales this year could fall to an unprecedented 500,000....the lowest figure since 1992.

As discussed before it's the number of transactions, rather than actual house prices, that are important to estate agents and already 365 FNAIM agencies have closed this year along with some high profile UK specialists such as VEF.

Local towns such as Jarnac, Segonzac, Cognac, Chateauneuf and Angouleme have sadly also seen plenty of agencies go under with many others now for sale.

Private sales seem to be increasing with sites such as http://www.leboncoin.fr/ and http://www.pap.fr/ proving popular but you'd have to be an incredibly brave, knowledgeable and adventurous individual to tackle a private sale in a foreign country without professional advice.

Of course there are still an abundance of good agencies around with some cracking properties on their books. Prices across France are reported to have fallen around 8% (although to be honest this figure is pretty meaningless as valuation is such an inexact art in France and the variety of regions & prices renders a country wide statistic pretty useless).

My own view is that the market is recovering slowly from a virtual halt, post Lehmans . I have been retained to find properties by four new clients over the last few months and have bought a couple of really nice properties so far with high hopes for viewing trips in September.

There is still a huge demand from UK buyers to move to France and enjoy the beautiful weather, countryside, pace of life and bargain prices. The tap is back on again and the trickle will turn into a stream for sure (this is the third real property slump of my illustrious career, it's a cyclical business as I'm sure you know).

It's certainly a buyers market and will be for a year or two longer so to maximise the return on your investment I would urge you to use a buyers agent to represent you if you're thinking of taking the plunge.

If you don't fancy the charente valley (in which case you'd appoint me of course) you can find a suitable representative by clicking here.

Meanwhile I'm off out to share a coffee with one of my favourite, surviving, agents and to look through his book to find that "perfect" plot of land I have been retained to find.

www.cognacproperty.com

Olympic museum misses a trick

We went to the olympic museum in Lausanne when we were on holiday (thanks for the free tickets Fabrizio!).

It's a fascinating place which stirs recent (and not so recent) memories as well as offering a real insight into how the games started.

I couldn't help thinking though that they're missing a huge opportunity. With technology as it is why just settle for physical exhibits such as Bob Beamon's shoes or Muhammad Ali's gloves.

If my kids can play tennis on a wii then why not make the museum truly interactive too.

How about a row of running machines where you can see how much longer than 9.58 seconds it takes you to run 100 metres?

Or why not hit against Steffi Graf, punch against Ali or score a penalty against Argentina. The list of ideas is endless.

All of this would be possible and (taking a leaf out of all modern theme parks) paid for by buying photographs for an extortionate price when you have finished.

The olympics have evolved over the years and I'm sure the museum will catch up....what an attraction it would prove for Lausanne too. It's an absolutely cracking city already and if you've never been then I'd heartily recommend it.

www.cognacproperty.com

"Luge d'été" proves a hit

I had to interrupt the family holiday for a business meeting in Chamonix.

A huge bonus was the fact that it boasts a truly fabulous summer adventure playground for the kids. The star attraction is a kilometre long bobsleigh track. You take a ski-lift up the mountain and then bomb down on the luge.

The interesting part is that my eldest daughter is usually the less exuberant of the two. She'd rather have her nose in a book than be tackling the big boys at rugby (the youngest came home earlier this year with a cauliflower ear and a beaming smile after stopping Maxime "the truck" in his tracks).

She's obviously a speed freak though and hurtled down by herself at full throttle without a care in the world while her sister liked descending serenely with mum.

Good job you could take the ski-lift back up again as we had to do it again and again....and again.

Back in Annecy we discovered that there was another, steeper, track at the top of "Le Semnoz" and of course we had to compare the two.

Don't be surprised if GB win gold at the two-man bobsleigh event in the 2014 winter olympics.

www.cognacproperty.com

Why do people in the Lozere not go on holiday?

Just back from a 15 day holiday where we drove right through France to Annecy, Chamonix and Evian les Bains.

Forget about quiet motorways, decent weather, pretty back routes and charming auberges....the very best thing about driving over here is the opportunity to play the "number plate" game.

As you may know, every number plate shows the department (or county) that the car owner comes from, and there are nearly 100 to collect en route. From 01 (Ain) to 95 (Val D'Oise) they stretch from the Northern wastelands on the Belgian border to the sunny Spanish and Italian borders and even Corsica.

Within a couple of hours we'd demolished half of them, not surprising as it was mid August and peak holiday season. By the time we reached Chamonix we had just four to collect and the girls went mad when they spotted another 16 (Charente) at the bottom of the ski lift.

By holidays end we had spotted every number bar 48. Try as we might we couldn't pass someone from the Lozere. This was incredible as we drove right by the department but there you go.

We can only summise that it's so nice in that particular part of South East France that they all stay at home and don't need to have the traditional fortnight in August. Probably more pertinent is the fact that it's the least populated department in the country with an average of just 14 inhabitants per square km and only 26 cars between them (OK, I made that last bit up but you know what I mean).

Fascinating stuff for us and a great way for the girls to become acquainted with the geography of our adopted country.

And, no, I wasn't a train spotter as a kid.

www.cognacproperty.com

Botham smashes 22 from an over

Just seen the Aussies bowl us out for 102 and so I googled this to redress the balance somewhat.



It still brings a smile to my face.

www.cognacproperty.com

Would you pay for online news?

News today that Rupert Murdoch is going to start charging for his online newspapers such as The Times, The Sun & the Wall Street Journal.

He's potty. He should ignore his middle aged management consultants and poll some youngsters.

I can see people paying for specialist news on a restricted market. In the UK the online service provided by the Estates Gazette group is first class and value for money.

However, I can't see people paying online for general news, celebrity gossip or even page 3 girls as it's all so freely available.

The newspaper industry is in serious decline but this isn't the answer Rupert. My father actually worked with Murdoch in Fleet Street for 10 years or so in the 1970's but I'm afraid those times (like the old printing presses) are long gone.

If he really wants to turn around the £2bn annual loss then he really needs to hand the reins of News Corporation to some youngsters who can marry new media with the bottom line.

www.cognacproperty.com

Land registry figures don't lie

Thanks to my old friend Peter Bill for this:

Sales volumes, not prices, are what matter to estate agents. Land Registry figures out this week show they remain awful. The number of new homes sold in London in April 2009 was 3888. This is almost precisely half the number sold in April last year.

Miserable sales figures have been overshadowed by the cheerful news that prices are stabilising. But that is cold comfort to those who make their living on sales commission.
The posh end of the market is where most of the overshadowing takes place. Forget the endless spin about how top end prices are moving up and that rich foreigners are buying again in Knightsbridge, Mayfair or, well, pick you spot.

The fact is that just 121 homes were sold for more than £1 million this April. In April 2008 the number was 246. The number sold over £2 million: two dozen — down from 62 last year.

It's clear that there is currently a certain amount of talking the market up in the media, mostly from agents.

Sadly "House prices crash" and "House prices soar" sell papers while "House prices don't move much" won't quite hit the front page.


Ultimately though, as Peter says, it's the transaction numbers that are the important ones if you earn your living from buying or selling houses.



www.cognacproperty.com

Guide to markets in Poitou Charentes

Markets play such a huge part in life over here that it's worth looking at this handy guide to where & when you will find them in Poitou Charentes.

We were in Cognac last Saturday and strolling through the market place with friends they were astonished at the diversity of stalls....and then even more surprised when they found a "British" stall selling a range of stock including some incredibly expensive walnut whips (which we bought because we hadn't eaten them for 10 years or so - they're a lot smaller than I remember!).

I guess having a British stand over here is just the same as seeing a specialist French, Italian or Chinese deli in London but it does seem strange.

Now, if only they'd bring back bovril crisps and refreshers!

www.cognacproperty.com

A guide to visiting friends in France

1. Turn up with champagne, wine and plenty of goodies.

2. Take my girls out to Futuroscope from 8am until 8pm leaving me to have a nice quiet day in front of the golf.

3. Insist we turn up a little side street in Bordeaux so that we discover the worlds greatest ice cream shop....and then pay for double scoops.

We've just said au revoir to some good friends from Switzerland who were with us for 10 days (breaking my golden rule of only allowing guests three days at most).

They were terrific. If they wanted to do something they said so straight out and if they didn't fancy doing it they said so too.

Instead of insisting we eat out all the time they came back laden with shopping bags and then cooked for us. As he's Swiss/Italian we even had a terrific "Italian" evening with authentic home cooking & chianti followed by a lethal digestif called limoncello which we sipped while sitting outside during an incredible thunder storm.

It's little things like this that make for special moments. So Fabrizio & Severine, if you want to come back for more next year you'll be welcomed with open arms.

www.cognacproperty.com

Where to buy in France (1) - Mayenne

OK, I'm biased and think that the Charente (and specifically the river valley between cognac & jarnac) is the best area within France to buy.

However, I'm well aware that everyone is different and that peoples budgets vary from €20,000 to €20 million. So, I'm going to do a series of irregular articles on some of the other areas you should be looking at.

I thought I'd start with Mayenne (53) which is in the pays de la loire in NW France.

It's the kind of place you'd move to if you're looking for authentic France.

It doesn't have the glamour of the cote d'azur or the large expat community found in the dordogne. Instead you'll find a rural landscape with rolling hills, one of the lowest crime rates in France, friendly locals and incredibly cheap property. The average price in the North of the department is around €91,000 which would buy you a 2 or 3 bed holiday home with garden.

Take a look at Laval and the surrounding villages. Laval the capital of the dept & is a pretty market town, bordering the mayenne river, with a population of around 50,000.

The market is near the palais de justice and held every Tuesday & Saturday and whilst there you can enjoy a stroll around the botannical gardens too.

Make sure you also visit the old quarter with it's fine 16th & 18th century houses and two chateaus.

There are plenty of other places to explore in the area including the prehistoric caves at Saulges, the roman remains at Jublains and the renaissance castles of Bourgon and Mesangers. If you want help finding a house in or around Mayenne then I'd suggest you use a professional property finder called Caroline Lakey - she has lived in the area for donkeys years and also happens to offer translation services. You can find a list of her services here.

Next on my series of "where to buy in France" will be Nice.

www.cognacproperty.com

Pause for thought....

Have just finished a book called "Last light" by Alex Scarrow. It wasn't particularly well written but it did get me thinking and certain passages really struck a chord.

In essence it's about how fragile our society is and how dependant we are upon oil. The author seems to have taken the sentiments from this website and turned them into a novel. The website was compiled by a US lawyer and - whilst predicting the end of civilisation as we know it - is well written with instant links to all of his source material.

The bit that made it plausible was my recent memory of the banking crisis when, for a few days after Lehmann Brothers went bust, hysteria seemed to break out and most people were petrified that Barclays, Lloyds etc were going to go bust with their savings lost forever.

I'm not buying in "survivor packs" just yet but it will certainly give me added energy when digging my "potager" this autumn and I may well add some extra candles to my shopping list when I'm next in E Le Clerc!

www.cognacproperty.com

Don't tell the Mayor

I live in a village called St Meme les Carrieres - the latter part of the name refers to the old stone quarries that dominate the village.

They are worked out now but in days gone by provided the stone for churches, houses and monuments throughout France.

Indeed, according to the Mayors office our village provided the stone plinth for one of the most famous monuments in the world.....the statue of liberty in New York.

Now, when I heard this I thought it was an urban myth and I showed an element of doubt.... which soon subsided when I realised that I was insulting not just the mayor but the whole village (it's not the best idea to fall out with someone who wields such power) .

Anyway, I emailed the historians of the statue who told me that the stone came from the USA. We guess that our local stone was actually used for the scale model that was made as a practice run and sent to Paris in 1884.

Of course, this would be devastating news and must remain as our little secret. Whatever happens don't tell the mayor.

www.cognacproperty.com

A guide to the famous cognac houses

We're spoilt for choice here when it comes to visiting the great cognac houses.

Hennessy, Martell, Courvoisier they all offer something different on their tours so here's a quick guide as to our personal favourites.

Let's start with Remy Martin as it's the first tour we did. They are based just outside cognac town centre and the highlight is a "little train" tour around the manicured grounds and through the cellars. Of course it finishes with a tasting (accompanied by some tasty little cakes) and the chance to splash out €1500 on a bottle of Louis XIII....which is the cognac that Bryan Brown & Tom Cruise immortalised in the film called Cocktail.

If you want to stay in cognac town centre try Hennessy who sell more than 40% of the worlds cognac. You can find them on the quayside and this means that during the tour you get a chance to go on their private launch and cross the river to view the cellars. They have just released a special edition of VS cognac to commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama with a black label, gold lettering and "In honour of the 44th president" written on it.

Staying in the heart of the town centre you can visit the Otard chateau. Less well known than the others it has the prettiest setting and the family origins date back to 849. The chateau was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and was the birthplace of Fraancois 1er.

Finally how about visiting the stunning Courvoisier HQ set on the banks of the river charente in Jarnac (about 10 mins from Cognac). They use the familiar outline of Napoleon Bonaparte for their marketing claiming that it was his favourite drink (and who am I to argue). It's a truly beautiful setting for a cognac tour and Jarnac has plenty of other attractions to offer on a day out.

There are plenty of other big brand names to try out but these are the ones we like best. Try them all on a rainy day but just make sure that someone else is driving!

www.cognacproperty.com

French property - the role of the notaire

Was asked the other day what the notaire does to earn his money.

This short article helps explain (courtesy of French Property News).

I have an excellent, bi-lingual, notaire that I always suggest to clients. He handles property purchases but can also advise on taxation, wills etc. His name is Maitre Fabrice Geoffroy and you can email him at laurent.perillaud@notaires.fr

It's important that you receive the best possible, impartial, advice when buying a property in France and a little bit of prior research could save you a lot of heart-ache.

www.cognacproperty.com

Cognac Blues Passions - 2009

Opening night tonight in Jarnac on the Ile Madame....I was there this time last year to see The Commitments open the festival and it has to be the most magical concert venue in France.

In the middle of the charente, overlooking the lock and the Courvoisier chateau it's like a private concert with a capacity of just 1,300 people.

Tonight it's the turn of James Hunter to open the festival. Sadly we're not going but it's forecast to be a beautiful evening and I'm looking forward to the five days of the festival immensely.

www.cognacproperty.com

Ticketless in Bordeaux

Huge disappointment in Bordeaux yesterday.

We went with friends for a day out. To shop, eat, sip café and (most importantly) to buy season tickets for myself, Holly & Katie to watch the Girondins try and retain the championship.

It's an amazing deal. Only €130 to watch every match from behind the goal and just... (wait for it).... €13 a year for each of the girls as they are under 10.

We strolled up to the kiosk with cheque book and piggy bank savings in hand only to be met with "it's not possible". When I asked why not I was told "it is too dangerous for children behind the goal as the ultras stand and let off flares".

Naturally a huge discussion then took place about how I have been going for six seasons and it's actually about as dangerous as a day trip to the Blue Peter studios.

I've never seen a hint of aggression or trouble and at least 20% of the occupants are teenage girls.

Similarly when I said that it was in writing on a sign above his head that under 10's could get in for €13 pa he just shrugged.

I could go in with the children elsewhere but not with the Ultramarines in the "Virage Sud" where there are flares, banners and singing.....which is exactly why they want to go there.

So there we go....all those years of avoiding trouble during the hooligan ridden 70's & 80's and finally I'm laid low by an over zealous teenager in the Bordeaux ticket office.

To cap it all I had to spend the next four hours traipsing round shoe shops.

Quelle horreur.

www.cognacproperty.com

The Open Championship - 2009

Possibly my biggest pet hate is when golfers or commentators talk about The British Open.

It's "The Open".

Always has been, always will be.

Sometimes it's the little things in life that are important. That's why I'm writing to the R&A today insisting that anyone who adds the prefix British be fined £1,000, given a 4 shot penalty and forced to play left handed (unless it's Phil Mickelson).

www.cognacproperty.com

I defy you not to smile....

....and yes I know that it was set up by a PR company but it still made me laugh out loud.

www.cognacproperty.com

The real "Tour de France"

I'm a pretty lucky guy to have some close and long-standing friends.

In particular, four of us were at school together and meet up every year for what ostensibly is a golfing holiday but in reality is an opportunity to swap old stories, see new places and relive our youth.

I've just received this email from Chris:

Why don’t we celebrate Graham’s 50th birthday (and ours) with a charity cycle ride from White Hart Lane to Bordeaux. It’s only 600 miles-ish and feels pretty flat. We could do it in about a week. I reckon we could get loads of publicity, raise loads of money and have a real blast doing it. Timing would be great as it would be the start of the season and the weather would be lovely. We could take in Spurs first home game and then get down to Bordeaux for their next home match.

Now I genuinely think that it's a cracking idea and will do my utmost to convince the other two that we should do it. The fact that they're both far slimmer & fitter than Chris and I should (in theory) work in our favour.

Watch this space.

www.cognacproperty.com

Finding your way to cognac...

Just had a long chat with a potential client about the importance of "location" in a property purchase and sent him this link.

It's a guide to travelling to Poitou Charente from the UK with airport, rail and road information.

It takes me back to something that I was told by one of the partners in Savills when I was just an oik in my first year there:

"Young man - you can do absolutely anything you want to a house except pick it up and move it".

It's as true today as it was in 1983.

If you're thinking of a move to France then do your research and be prepared to compromise on everything except the location.

www.cognacproperty.com

Under €100,000....the gems still abound in charente

How's this for a view?

I've just finished a search for some clients from Sweden. They estimated that it costs them €1700 every viewing trip and they instructed me after their last visit didn't uncover the house of their dreams.

It was possibly my most fulfilling search of the year with an ultra tight budget and a pretty specific brief.

Anyway, I managed to find a dozen or so absolute top notch properties for around the €100,000 mark.

We managed to negotiate an excellent price on their favourite and the papers are with the notaire now.

Good condition, three bedrooms, 800m2 of gardens and close to a pretty village complete with bar/restaurant.....oh, and a view from the hamlet that is simply out of this world.

www.cognacproperty.com

Immobiliers - time to change your DNA

Thanks to Jim Muttram for pointing me in the direction of this article in business week.

The bit I really like is this:

The old rules taught you to ask, "What is my product or service, and how can I sell it to you?" With that question, adversarialism was baked into the DNA of the buyer-seller transaction.

The new rules ask, "Who are you? What do you need? How can I help?" This creates a dynamic of advocacy and mutual accountability. The more trust you build, the more value you release, and the more wealth you create.

This is exactly how I feel about my business. Traditional estate agents say & think "I have these houses on my books, which one would you like to buy".

My business model is all about communication. Finding out what my clients dreams are and helping turn them into reality. Interpreting the brief, doing the legwork and working together to find the ideal property for them.

It sounds grand for a small business finding property in the charente but it's true and the fact that many of my clients have also turned into friends seems to bear testimony to it!

www.cognacproperty.com

A positive mental attitude....at 10 years old!

Just back from the hospital where I had taken my eldest for a check up on her knee.

Reading the paperwork I noticed it was already six weeks since she fell at school and there's another month or more of physio to go.

Chatting this through with her we noted the things she has missed out on. From her annual gym competion to the twice weekly swimming lessons at school (and with constant sunshine for the last month or so it must have been torture sitting by the outdoor pool in Jarnac). She and her sister have also been attending dance class this year and been practicing their special Jason Mraz number for the big gala last week-end....she had to sit and watch all her mates take the applause and come back for an encore.

They break up on Thursday so we've been booking their Summer activities. No water skiing or horse riding this year I'm afraid.

Yet, coming back in the car she said that it had been fine and that she was still having fun with her friends and that taking archery lessons this Summer would be just as good. Besides it's not much longer she said.

I love the fact that she doesn't whinge and has such a cheerful and positive outlook on life. I know that I'm incredibly biased but she and her sister do bring sunshine wherever they go.

www.cognacproperty.com