"Estate agents regularly lie to home buyers"

This rather emotive headline from the Daily Telegraph (see full article here) seems to have caused hysteria throughout the internet with most people saying "yeah, tell us something new".

I have two thoughts:

Firstly, most of the estate agents I know are honest, hardworking folk who would not knowingly mislead anyone who came into their office.  If you look beyond the headlines it says that 24% of agents were deemed "not to be complying with consumer protection laws" which actually could be the most insignificant thing.  Sure one or two agents are bound to lie and be unscrupulous but tarring everybody in the same way is just too easy to do and smacks of lazy headline writing.

Secondly, traditional agents act for the vendor who ask them to portray their house in the best light possible and to the widest possible audience.

Buyers need to recognise this (particularly if they are buying abroad or in an area they don't know). Put simply, the agent is acting for the other party and will get every penny out of you he can on behalf of his client.  Other professionals like lawyers & management consultants do this in business every day and people understand what to expect.

When they sign a mandate with an estate agent most people don't say - "I want a fair price", they say "I want the best price you can get please".

If you want a fully impartial opinion and someone to help you negotiate the lowest possible price you need to appoint a buying agent. 

Sure they will charge you for their services but they will almost certainly save more than this cost by helping you buy at the lowest price as well as giving you peace of mind that no-one is pulling the wool over your eyes.

If you're thinking of buying a house in the UK you can find a list of buying agents through APFBA (The association of property finders & buying agents).

If you're thinking of buying a property in France follow this link to a list of registered property finders who would be happy to act for you http://www.frenchentree.com/french-property-finders/

www.cognacproperty.com

Armistice day in France

Just back from the Armistice day service in our tiny village.

As usual the girls joined other local children in belting out La Marseillaise....including the lovely lines:

Do you hear in the countryside
Those ferocious soldiers roaring?
They come up to your arms
To slit the throats of your sons and wives!

We then all trooped off to the mairie to share "un verre d'amitie" (literally a glass of friendship, in our case a couple of hefty pineau's). It's a bank holiday here and most of the locals seemed set in for the day.

It's always a poignant occasion and, being English, we tend to get a warm welcome, especially from the few people who don't know us now. 

It all took me back to my first ever memories of Armistice day.  I was a young lad in a cash & carry with my father when, over the tannoy, they announced a 2 minute silence at 11.00am.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and it was the first time I had seen him cry - it was also the first time that I realised he had actually fought in the war.

I wish he could have been there today to see the grand-daughters he never met pay their respects....I guess it would have brought a few tears to his eyes again.

www.cognacproperty.com

French X Factor - where is Simon Cowell when you need him?

There are one thousand and one brilliant things about living in France....sadly TV isn't one of them (unless you include the sport on Canal +).

This year sees the first ever French X Factor and we had really been looking forward to it.  I guess we should have realised it would be awful when we first heard it would be on tiny station W9 rather than big budget TF1.

Same concept, same graphics, same music but that's about it.  Castings were attended by one man and his dog, the quality of entrants is poor and the guy who hosts it is still to fully recover from his charisma by pass operation. It's so poor that it makes you think even "Jedward" would have a legitimate shot at winning it.

You can see some of the videos for yourself on the official site.

The best thing about the show is the presence of Julie Zenatti on the judging panel.  She's a spiky French pop singer and she doesn't hold back with her opinions. She's also got the sexiest eyebrows I have ever seen.

It's also a novelty to be watching the X Factor without feeling that you are constantly being manipulated, where "arguments" are not blatantly scripted and where they might just put someone through on talent rather than on who will net the show most press coverage.

Ultimately though it's utter rubbish.

And needless to say we're addicted.

www.cognacproperty.com

Property market has bottomed - it's official

As Disraeli (and then later Mark Twain) said: "There are lies, damned lies and statistics" and boy does the UK property industry thrive on market data.

Every day we seem to be bombarded by forecasts from the government, estate agents, developers, building societies and Uncle Tom Cobbley.

At last though I've found a statistic that I trust because it comes straight from the horses mouth - those searching for property.

Bickey Russell is an analyst at Google and she's recently been talking about the way that the general public searches for property online.

Ms Rusell says that the public believes the days of the bargain are numbered, with queries relating to bargain properties, such as ‘repossessed homes’, ‘property auctions,’ and ‘cheap properties’, down by 55 percent since February.

She has all kinds of other statistics but it's this little gem that strikes a chord with me.  The number of property transactions is all about confidence. 

If Joe Public thinks that the market has bottomed (and clearly Joe does) then they're going to start buying again.

I know this sounds ultra simplistic (because it is) but I place more store in this single stat than all the bumph that gets released by the RICS, NEA or the agents/banks who all have not very well hidden agendas.

Ms Russell also says that the first half of 2009 saw unique visitors to property sites up 15 percent. In the same period searches for the term ‘house prices’ rose 28 percent (having seen falls in 2008) and general queries related to property were up 11 percent.

So there we have it - the recovery has started....how long it will take before transaction numbers rise consistently month on month nobody knows, but it's 9th November 2009 and I'm calling the bottom of the market.

www.cognacproperty.com

The yawning chasm between house buyers & sellers

I've had the same discussion with three different people over the last couple of days.

There seems to be a huge gap between what UK & international property buyers are prepared to offer for French property and what the locals are prepared to accept.

This means that although there are increased activity levels (enquiries, viewings and offers) the number of transactions involving international purchasers are still very low.

All three discussions have commented on the fact that the "mindset" in France is very different to the UK or USA.

I remember that when I lived in Surrey we wouldn't dream of visiting a house that had been on the market for more than a few months.  If the owners had been trying to sell it for over a year then quite clearly it was blighted with all kinds of hidden terrors awaiting the fool who bought it.

If a house has been marketed for a while then Brits tend to make a low offer and more often than not it's accepted, no one wants to hang around.

Out here there are thousands of houses that have been on the market for a year or more.  Locals don't see them as tainted or over-priced....they just haven't had the right buyer come along yet.  Prices here just don't fluctuate like they do in the UK and we haven't seen anywhere near the drop in value as my family and friends on the other side of the channel.

All of this is a huge generalisation of course and ultimately individual circumstances will dicate the price that someone will offer or accept.  However until this gap between "bottom of the market bargain hunters" and "intransigent owners" closes then times are going to remain tough for all of us who make our living in the property arena.

www.cognacproperty.com

Girondins de Bordeaux - aux armes

Huge game for Bordeaux tonight as they travel to Germany to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

A win and they will almost certainly top the group.  A draw would also be a terrific result and move them to within touching distance of qualification.

I was at the home fixture against Bayern a fortnight ago with three friends from the UK.

We stood behind the goal in the virage sud, with the "ultramarines", and it was a cracking atmosphere.  Even my friends (who have no allegiance to Bordeaux) found themselves caught up in the moment. I suspect they may even keep a sneaky eye out for the score tonight.

There's something about standing up at football that just seems right....how can you be passionate while sitting down.  Similarly the exits were blocked, people were smoking and when we scored the smoke from the flares caught in our throats.  Dozens of EU rules were flaunted on the night but there wasn't a hint of aggression or trouble.

All we need now is for Marouane Chamakh to break his Champions League duck and for a girondins victory tonight.

Would it be asking too much to draw Real Madrid in the next round too?

www.cognacproperty.com

Life in France - how do you define integration?

There have been some spikey "letters to the editor" in The Connexion recently about people buying & selling British food in France.

It (falsely) leads you to believe that there are only two types of expats living over here.  Those who don't want anything to do with Great Britain or the Brits in France and those who are happy importing their sausages, watching Sky and going to the golf club for a Sunday roast.

People get incredibly indignant over even the smallest issues and it got me thinking about our life out here.

On one hand I earn my living in euros and pay way too much to the state by way of TVA, tax and cotisations.  Our kids go to local school and most of our friends here are French.  On Friday night we had a dinner party where we didn't speak a word of English, all produce was bought at the local market and we discussed everything from Sarkozy/De Villepin/Chirac to how this year's PTA aren't as active as last year's.

On the other hand I spent Saturday watching English sport on the BBC and tonight we have (English) friends coming round to watch a Prison Break triple header on dvd.  We also take the girls to McDonalds once a month and I'd have no hesitation at all in going to the British food stall in Cognac market if I fancied a pork pie or a Curly Wurly.

It seems wrong to me to judge others by how they wish to lead their lives.  Life in France isn't better or worse than in the UK it's just different.

I do feel that those who don't attempt to learn the language or integrate are missing out on huge tracts of life over here....I also think that it's rude to live in a country and to make no attempt at communicating  in the national language. 

However, if someone wants to operate (or shop at) a stall selling produce from the UK then best of British to them - particularly if they could get hold of those little licorice sweeties I had as a child!

www.cognacproperty.com

Free Google sat-nav - world domination continues

So yesterday the shares in major satellite navigation suppliers took a huge hit.  If you want to find out why just click here.

US firm Garmin fell 18% after details of Google maps navigation were revealed. Dutch firm TomTom fell 9.5% when markets closed on Thursday.


The Google application promises free real-time, turn-by-turn directions for people to follow on their phones.

The Motorola "droid" will be the first mobile phone equipped with the system.

Google maps navigation combines services including a search engine to find addresses, Google street view for photos of locations, and live traffic data.

The implications for estate agents and people searching for property remain to be seen as this is just one tiny segment of the thousand piece jigsaw that Google are currently weaving.

www.cognacproperty.com

More than 25,000 UK shops closed this year

Planning Resource magazine has just run a story saying that over 25,000 shops have closed in the UK so far this year (presumably a few estate agents among them).

I'm just pulling together some research for a story that I'm writing for French Property News about the impact that Google and sites like Tepilo will have on the future of the property market (they picked up on this blog entry I wrote last month).

One thing for sure is that the days of just having a prime high street position are well behind us.

Think I'm scare mongering?  Get yourself a coffee, clear your mind, click here and then let your imagination run riot.

www.cognacproperty.com

French property market sees lending soar

The prudent French banking system seems to be paying off with finance still available (even at 100%) and a rise in house prices of 2.8% over the last six months (although a drop of 7.8% if you take the last 12 months.....lies, damned lies & statistics eh).

The source of these nuggets is the FNAIM and you can read a fuller report here.

Of course, as any estate agent will tell you, it's the number of transactions that is the key indicator rather than the vagaries of price.  This is why many agents are still struggling and thousands of staff have been laid off throughout France.  I don't know of any agencies in this region that are hiring again yet.

It seems to me that there is still a steady trickle of international buyers looking to purchase property in France but that many more are still waiting in the wings.  It's not a case of "if" this trickle will turn into a stream but "when".

Timing is always crucial in the property market - if any of us knew the answer to this for sure we'd be millionaires but I do have a hunch that Spring next year will see some of those currently vacant high street shops having shiny new agence immobilier signs being hung up over the door.

www.cognacproperty.com

Free tickets to The France Show

The France Show is being held 8-10 January 2010 and, once again, yours truly will be exhibiting (or making an exhibition of himself if he gets to be invited as a speaker).

It's an excellent day out and is the UK's largest celebration of everything we love about this wonderful country.

Tickets are £10 on the door but if you register now you'll be able to get in for free....make sure you get a ticket for each member of the family as there's always plenty to do and see.

You'll find me on stands P54 & P80 (they're next to each other) and please do feel free to come and say hello.

www.cognacproperty.com

French half term already!

Back from my trip away to discover a bulging inbox, voicemails galore and that the girls are (yet again) off school.

To make matters worse the senior partner is working most of this week so I'm juggling babysitting with appointments to view plots of land, visits to local mairies (to enquire about said plots) and my winter "new business drive"....so far the latter is still a cacophony of brilliant ideas.  I'm very aware though that at some stage I'll have to actually do something!

The good news is that the editor of French Property News is interested in running two articles over the coming months.  Now I just need time (and solitude) to flesh them out.

On our recent golf trip we had a big debate over the merits of giving our children Latin or Mandarin Chinese lessons (yes, I know but we're old & dull now).  I was firmly in the camp for the latter and am considering going out and buying some tapes & books.

Instead of letting them play on the CBBC website I've also discovered the Beeb offers free Chinese lessons online.

That should keep the little buggers quiet for the next couple of weeks.

www.cognacproperty.com

Three Peaks Challenge ends in a historic tie

History has been made.

2009 is the first year that a fully completed tournament has been halved and boy did Chris & I have to sweat to retain the trophy.

We were playing the famous course at Seignosse and in the morning round we simply couldn't live with Steve's consistency and Tim's incredible shot improvisation (one particular "save" from out of a bunker will linger long in the memory).

We lost 6&5 and lunch was a tense affair.  It had been a drubbing and we needed to find inspiration from somewhere.  Chris had lost the "toss" for who has the honour three times running and put me in to bat.  30 second later we were teeing off first and we had our omen.

All of a sudden we were hitting fairways, finding greens in regulation and holing putts.  The result was never in doubt and a 4&3 victory meant that we retain the trophy.

Cornwall next year where we'll be tackling St Enedoc & Trevose....a change of partners too where Steve & I will be looking to justify our position as red hot favourites.

www.cognacproperty.com

Moliets GC - what a cracker

Robert Trent-Jones is a genius.  We played Moliets GC today and the score was (almost) irrelevant.

I've played many classic courses in my time: St Andrews, Muirfield, Turnberry, Gleneagles, Wentworth, Paris International and Druids Glen to name but a few.

Moliets ranks up there with them all.  Part woodland, part links and wholly challenging.  The golf today was worthy of such a test and it was a match that ebbed and flowed like the Atlantic Ocean we could see.

We were all square down the last. Steve had played well all day and decided to smack his driver down the middle, nail a 3 iron to 20 feet and lag his putt for a stone dead four that we couldn't equal.

Match lost 1 up and we go in to tomorrows rounds all square...it's perfectly set up for a fitting finale to what is proving to be one of the best tournaments in years.

www.cognacproperty.com

Move over Seve.....

When one thinks of inspirational captains in sport names like Martin Johnson, Bryan Robson & Seve Ballesteros spring to mind.

Well now you need to add Chris Stead to that list.

We got off to a terrible start on day one of the "3 Peaks Challenge - 2009" and were soon 3 down. Our opponents were cruising and my game had been left in the locker room at Pessac golf club.

Then it happened.  Chris decided that he simply wasn't going to sit back and accept this.  What followed was one of the best single rounds in 3 peaks history. He was splitting the fairways, finding the greens and chipping & putting like Ben Crenshaw in his prime.

Single handedly he hauled them back to all square and the pressure began to tell.  If I were to say that he finally closed them out on the 18th with a curling 25 foot putt you'd probably think I'm making it up...but I'm not. 

Victory was ours - one up.

We go into the match tomorrow at Moliets golf club with confidence and a point securely lodged in the hotel safe.

I need to up my game as Tim & Steve are sure to fight back....but with Seve at the helm they'll need to go some to level the match.

Watch this space.

www.cognacproperty.com

Top 10 property investment destinations

Just read an interesting little piece of research from a company called Global Edge marketing.  They rank the investment potential of property held in 77 cities throughout the world (using gross rental yields as the determinant).

Surprisingly Paris only comes 59th (outlook very poor) with New York 62nd and dear old London down in 66th.

Chisinau (me neither) heads the list and is marked "spectacular". Amongst the top 10 you'll also find Jakarta and Bogota.

Now, I've never been to Chisinau (it's in Moldova) or indeed any of the other "hot spots" listed but I'd have thought that it's a brave man who decides that buying property there is a better long term investment than in, say, Fulham.

I'm not sure that I'd feel too confident that my money was entirely safe either which surely has to be a factor if you're claiming to offer investment potential - the upside is that I guess you'd have great fun visiting your portfolio!

www.cognacproperty.com

Cognac Golf Club - practice makes perfect

We're very lucky here to have an 18 hole championship golf course on the doorstep.

Doubly lucky that the practice facilities are open to non members and always in pristine condition.  As well as the standard putting greens, bunker facilities and grass driving range they have a four hole course to hone your game on.

I was there yesterday for a while, fine tuning my game for the 3 Peaks Challenge trophy which starts tomorrow. I was shamed into this when my partner, Chris, told me that he'd been taking this years practice routine very seriously and was hitting the ball like a dream, which bodes well.

There's no finer sight in sport than seeing him roll up his sleeves and hit his driver out of the sockets 300 yards down the middle.

The bad news is that I was out yesterday in short sleeves with the sun on my back and yet the conditions in Biarritz & Bordeaux are forecast to be wet & chilly from tomorrow....I'm not sure that my swing will be quite as free flowing under shirt, jumper and bulky waterproofs!

Still, as the great man said "the more I practice the luckier I get".

Wish me luck....

www.cognacproperty.com

Bordeaux set for first great vintage of new century

The grape harvest has come to a close and the experts are unanimous; all the factors are there to make this the first great vintage of the 21st century.

‘Nature has been very generous,’ says Denis Dubourdieu, director of the Institut des sciences de la vigne et du vin (ISVV) at Bordeaux. ‘It is difficult to find comparisons – you have to go back to weather of the 1940s to find, perhaps, comparable conditions.’

My viticulteur friends also seem to have wider smiles than usual this year so it does indeed seem to have been an excellent year for the local firewater.

Let's hope it's a double whammy with the football team seeing off Bayern Munich in the Champions League this wednesday then going on to lift the trophy in Madrid next year.

www.cognacproperty.com

Charente property values - all over the place

Let's get one thing straight.  The valuation of residential property in France is not, and never has been, an art form.

Out here it's usually the vendor who decides how much he wants and then the agents add their fees on top.  That's why you can walk down a high street and see the same property at different prices in each agents window.

Throw in the fact that vendors often don't tell all the agents that they're changing the asking price and I've seen a difference of €70,000 on the same house (I kid you not).

It does seem to have hit new heights recently though.  Ever since Lehmann brothers tumbled and the crise financiere began in earnest property prices seem to have gone haywire.

Some owners have slashed the asking price, others refuse to budge.  Some agents still say they're busy and that the market has not changed (hmmm) while many others have simply shut up shop and left the premises.

I mention all of this because I had a client out last week and at one stage we spoke about value for money.  It's a difficult one to call at the moment and you have to rely upon experience and gut instinct more than ever.

What I can say for sure is that the first house I took him to was a corker.  With an (albeit over inflated) asking price of €475,000 and a nod & a wink from the agent that the desperate owners would accept around  €330,000 it has the makings of an exceptional bargain too.

www.cognacproperty.com

Blame it on Boreas

He's the Greek god of the cold north wind and he's arrived in the charente with a vengeance.

Two days ago it was still summer and we were parading around in shorts and a tee shirt.  Now I'm writing this with my jumper on having had to scrape the car for the girls school run.  Maitresse has just put the heating on in the classroom and all the parents are talking about the brutally cold wind.

It's bizarre....we still have the same deep blue sky and the sun is just as bright as ever yet the temperature has plummeted and my nose is red from frostbite rather than sunburn.

Reminds me of this old classic:

The Indians asked their Chief in autumn if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing an answer, the chief replies that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared.


Being a good leader, he then went to the next phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter to be cold?"


The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed."


So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"


"Yes", the man replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."


So the Chief goes back to his people and orders them to go and find every scrap of wood they can find. Two weeks later he calls the National Weather Service again: "Are you absolutely sure that the
winter is going to be very cold?"


"Absolutely," the man replies, "the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"

www.cognacproperty.com

Seignosse golf course

Day three and the final two rounds will be played at Seignosse GC.  We'll be kicking off with a fourball and then finishing with an alternate shots greensomes.

Seignosse is one of europe's outstanding golf courses with the immense pines and oaks creating a cathedral like atmosphere.  With rolling fairways and immaculate greens it should be a true test of our abilities.

At 6124 metres it's not a monster but it does have a tremendous finish.

The 17th is a short (365m) dog leg and the green is pretty much surrounded by water.  It's here that the trophy will be won or lost.  The afternoon round in particular will be highly charged.  Alternate shots means that someone will have hit a decent drive down the 17th but it will be their partner who plays over the water to the green.

It's imperative here that the encouragement is positive.  "aim for the centre of the green and let the slope bring the ball down to the hole" will go down far better than "don't go in that ******* lake whatever you do".

We'll be looking to hold them in the morning and go into the afternoon with a clear point advantage.  The pressure will be on and the lake at the 17th could just prove a bridge too far for them. 
So, who will be enjoying the champions dinner one week from now? 

Tune in to Canal Plus or Eurosport (France) to see the action live or come back here for daily updates from 21st October.

Statto says: There has only ever been one tied match (1999) in three peaks history.  This year things will be close too. I see a halved match in the morning but the 17th proving decisive in the afternoon with the low handicappers winning out. Morning match halved, afternoon 2 & 1 to Chris and Graham who will retain the trophy.

www.cognacproperty.com

Digital age comes to Jarnac schools

France has just introduced a national scheme to bring the digital revolution into rural schools and I'm all for it.

Our two (8 & 10) came back the other night saying that maitresse was excited because she's had it confirmed that they're taking delivery of fourteen new laptops - all wifi enabled and fully loaded.

That's one laptop between two pupils (CM1 and CM2 share a classroom) which I think is a pretty decent ratio for a state run rural school in one of the poorer regions of France. Hopefully now the girls will have sufficient time online in the classroom to stop them kicking me off the laptop when they get home.

I love the schooling out here as they seem to have a sensible mixture of "arty" cultural activities and rural field trips as well as an understanding that the basics of maths, french & computing need to be mastered early.

The lunches aren't bad either!

www.cognacproperty.com

Moliets golf course

Day two will see a different style course (both links and woodland).  Moliets is considered one of the top ten courses in France and was designed by the brilliant Robert Trent-Jones.

It's 6173 metres from the back so Chris & I should have a slight advantage as we're a little longer off the tee. This will be negated by the fact that there are three "blind" holes and Tim, in particular, seems to play his best golf on links courses.  His game is suited to picking long irons cleanly off the tight fairway lies and we'll do well to hold them both here.

A half would be a great result for us.

Statto says: When Tim played a French links course for the first time he went four down with four to play but played brilliantly to snatch a half.  I can see this course suiting them so Tim & Steve to win a tight match one up. Surprisingly, 20 matches have gone down the 18th yet only seven of them have been halved.

www.cognacproperty.com

Just announced - Tour de France coming to Bordeaux

Next years Tour de France route was announced today. You can see full details here.

I'm looking forward to not one but two stages close to me.

There are twenty stages in all.  Stage 18 is from Salies-de-Béarn into Bordeaux while stage 19 (and the penultimate day) is a time trial between Bordeaux and Pauillac, passing some of the major wine houses of this famous region.

If you've never been to Bordeaux then I'd heartily recommend a visit - it's a cracking place with wonderful architecture, lively bars & restaurants, good shopping and a terrific tram system to help you take it all in.

Similarly the worlds greatest cycle race is also a sight to behold - with plenty to do and see for both ardent enthusiasts and simple "hangers on".

So, put the dates in your diary now - Friday 23rd July and Saturday 24th July 2010.

See you there.

www.cognacproperty.com

Charente - grape picking coming to an end

That's just about it for another year.

The vineyards have been battered and bruised into submission and the huge machines have rumbled back into their garages until next autumn.

Soon the vast green acres of vines will turn a brilliant mixture of red & gold - it's my favourite time of year as for a few precious weeks the landscape looks as though it's on fire once the sun starts to set each evening...it truly is specatcular.

Thoughts turn from summer pursuits and the mornings and evenings have suddenly become much colder. 

This year we're thinking about building a huge bonfire and having the girls make a guy so that we can invite all our French friends to celebrate the 5th November.

We haven't done it before and I think they'd love the roast chestnuts, fireworks and, of course, baked potatoes from the ashes of the bonfire.  I have such fond memories of this from when I was a child that it seems silly to let the fact that no-one in France has heard of Guy Fawkes to stop us.

www.cognacproperty.com

UK - investor confidence returns for overseas property

There's a touch of Mandy Rice-Davies' "well he would say that wouldn't he" about this but it's worth repeating.

Nick Clark, managing director of the Property Investor Show has commissioned some research which shows that investors think that confidence has risen by 43% over the past three months.  He says:

"There has been a strong shift in the market, with savvy UK investors beginning to explore overseas opportunities as they search for sound investments with better returns than the other poor performing investment vehicles such as bank savings and the stock market".

Strangely he failed to mention either John Profumo or Christine Keeler.

www.cognacproperty.com

Pessac Golf Course

This is the course we'll be playing a week today on the first morning of the 2009 Three Peaks Challenge.

We're opening with a fourball and the course is set among the vineyards, yet with a staggering 250 acres of pine woods as well.

At 6056 metres it's not particularly long but there are plenty of water hazards to gobble up those wayward Titleists.

The opening shots of the competition will be full blooded as the first is a tempting par five of just 481m from the back.  A drive, long iron and two putts would certainly set down a marker for the week.

It's important to get off to a good start and with just four rounds this year Chris and I will be looking to go into day two with a resounding victory under our belts.

Statto says: Graham hasn't lost an opening match since 2001 and I don't expect him to do so here, Chris & Graham to win 4/3.

www.cognacproperty.com

Building an eco friendly house in France

There seem to be a whole raft of articles coming online about "Generation Z" - the baby boomers born in the 1990's who are now reaching adulthood (and thus getting jobs, buying houses and generally spending money).

Much is made about how different their buying habits are. The commercial world seems to be becoming aware that many of this generation will be looking at the eco credentials of what they purchase (and who they purchase from).

Even SEGRO (Slough Estates in old money) have just announced that it is auditing all 2,500,000 square metres of its property portfolio to look for ways to enhance its green credentials (Source the ever excellent and evergreen Kim Tasso).

More and more people will be looking to live in or build eco friendly houses and expats moving to France will be no different.

I found this informative article on FrenchEntrée.  We have some French friends who have just built there own house and they have incorporated both of the first ideas which are working smoothly and saving them money (geothermal heating and rainwater recuperation).

I also have some existing clients who are looking to build an eco friendly house, spa & log cabins in the charente. It will be the first of its kind (as far as I know) and it will be exciting and fulfilling to watch the project progress.

I'd love to know more about this topic - if any readers of this blog have experience, ideas or contacts in this area do please get in touch.

www.cognacproperty.com

France tops "quality of life" survey

It's official - France offers the highest quality of life within Europe according to Uswitch.com.

Over here we enjoy one of the lowest retirement ages, the longest life expectancy and the best healthcare.

Workers benefit from 34 days annual holiday (yeah right) and only Spain and Italy offer more sunshine.

France had a total score of 6.87 with Spain second on 6.42.  The UK came bottom on -7.65 despite having the highest net household income in all of Europe.  Long working hours, low holiday entitlement, high cost of living, rain and Simon Cowell seemed to be the reason (OK I made the last one up).

You can download the full research and press release here.

www.cognacproperty.com

Angouleme - Cognac airport to open new international flights?

There was a most interesting story in the Charente Libre this week.

A new company XO-Airways says it is planning a series of international charter flights from the Charente’s Angoulême-Cognac airport to destinations such as Rome, Porto, Marrakech, Dublin, Amsterdam and even Moscow. The fares are low, lower even than most low-cost airlines.

If you read on the person setting up the business does not have a very inspiring track record and the website is little more than a single page.  They have been in discussions with the airport and Chamber of Commerce though so I guess there is an outside possibility of it coming to fruition....if they start on 6th November I'll be watching out for flying pigs though.

I guess that if it ever does get off the ground it would be ideal for those "awayday" Champions League trips with the Girondins de Bordeaux.  Visits to Spartak Moscow, Barcelona, Roma, Ajax and Porto hold a lot more glamour than traipsing across France to Auxerre or Lens!

www.cognacproperty.com

Fourteen days to hone my golf swing

The 2009 Three Peaks Challenge kicks off two weeks today. I always get so excited in the run-up that I'm sure to post more stories over the coming days.

It's an event steeped in history that has entailed thousands of holes over 34 different courses in England, Ireland, Germany and of course France.

The protaganists are:

Chris - big hitting, wild, competitive with a solid short game.

Tim - wonderful long irons, prone to the odd air shot with an air of "bad boy" Sam Torrance about him.

Steve - consistent, likes coming down the 18th all square, sartorially elegant.

Myself - fussy, easily distracted, good out of bunkers.

Our thoughts always seem to turn back to the great match of 1998. We were based in Chantilly, a beautiful town on the outskirts of Paris.

I was paired with Tim and we stormed into an early lead.

We held this throughout and going into the last day we had a one point advantage. We decided to take the short journey into the capital for a quiet dinner on the eve of an important last two rounds.

France were hosting the world cup and the streets of Paris were full of football supporters from all over the planet. Brazilian beauties were doing the samba while scandinavian blondes looked on and four (married) lads from England tried to keep their eyes from bulging too far out.

The last train back to Chantilly was around 11.30pm.

On our way back to the station Tim & I looked at each other and decided we simply had to stay and continue partying. The other two opted for an early night and a knowing smile.

The rest is consigned to the history books: a 6.00am taxi ride back to the hotel, straight out to the course for an 8.00am start, 36 closely fought holes and one missed eighteen inch putt on the last meant we lost by three and a half points to two and a half.

We'll never know if our late night antics cost us the match but it certainly brings a smile to my face every time I think about it.

I'm still owed 60 euros for the taxi fare home mind.

www.cognacproperty.com

Seven tips on moving to France

We did it ourselves in 2003 and I've been helping clients do it ever since.

Here are my seven top tips - if you have any others please feel free to share.

1. Make sure your finances are in place and you know how you will earn a living. It's no use thinking "I'll easily get a job when I'm there". Unless you are completely fluent and have a special skill with great contacts it will be difficult to enter the corporate world. That means you'll probably be self employed and 100% reliant on your own endeavours to put bread on the table.

2. Get your tax affairs sorted out from the off. The only thing in life more complicated than the French tax system is the Duckworth-Lewis system in cricket. Use a specialist and understand the implications of your move.

3. Make an effort to learn the language. It's not easy and takes application but it's essential to your integration and enjoyment. So many things rely upon you being able to converse with the locals (work, schooling, healthcare, social activities). Even if you were hopeless at languages at school. Fail to do this and you'll miss out on all the good stuff.

4. Research, research, research. Look at the area you want to move to - how hot does it get in summer, how cold & wet in winter? Is it lively all year round? What are communication links like (airports, motorways, TGV). Do the schools have a good reputation and are there plenty of activities for your kids?

5. Understand what houses are available. It looks pretty easy when you're sat at home looking at pretty pictures on the internet. You think you have a handle on the market. You're wrong! Most agents don't have websites and you're seeing the tip of the iceberg. By definition you're looking at houses which are being marketed by "switched on" agents....and guess what, they come at a premium price. Nearly 50% of houses bought & sold in France are private sales. then there are the notaires and the many back street agents who don't have websites, email and glossy photos. They do have some cracking houses at low prices though.

6. Paperwork. Make at least five copies of passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate and get any diplomas or degree certificates translated. The French just love paperwork.

7. Buy "Living & Working in France" by David Hampshire (and no, I'm not on commission, nor have I ever met him). We found it invaluable.

www.cognacproperty.com

Tories to ditch "Home Information Packs"

Just been announced at the Tory Conference by the shadow housing spokesman.

Hard luck on those poor buggers who spent thousands on training programmes in anticipation of a long term career change (assuming that Cameron does get in next Summer).

I think the French system works really well with the vendors paying for obligatory tests for asbestos, lead, termites, energy efficiency etc.

Everyone knows where they stand and it's just a given part of the process. What next for the UK though?

www.cognacproperty.com

Grande Champagne cognac - "the best of the best"

I live in an area called "Grande Champagne" and it's slap bang in the heart of the cognac region.

Clients often ask about this area and where else you can grow grapes to produce cognac.

The region authorised to produce cognac is divided up into six zones which are, in order of decreasing appreciation of the cognacs coming from them:

Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois Ordinaire.

You can see from the map above that it's quite far reaching and doesn't follow departmental boundaries.

Now, obviously I'm biased but I'd say that the map above also highlights the best places to live in the area.

Grande Champagne hosts prime properties in the prettiest locations. Rolling hills, beautiful scenery and magical little villages.

I guess that "location, location, location" holds just as good for producing the world's finest drink as it does for the world of property.

www.cognacproperty.com

How to launch a pre-emptive strike

I did the school pick up on Friday.

"We had a history test today daddy"

"Oh yeah, how did it go?"

"Well, the whole class found it really hard but Madame Florent went through it all verbally afterwards and I understand it perfectly now"

"That's good sweet-heart, practice it again when you do your homework this week-end"

"Oh, I will daddy. I did get the first question right and Madame Florent was really pleased when I held my hand up and explained it to the rest of the class"

"Well done darling, it's good that you're prepared to help others like that"

"Does that mean you're not going to be angry on Monday when you find out I've only got 1/10 in the test daddy".

http://www.cognacproperty.com/

Selling your French property - kerb appeal

Excellent ideas from Sarah Beeny in the Daily Telegraph over the week-end that are probably even more pertinent in my slice of rural France than they are in the UK.

I see it all the time with my business. I was doing a search last year for a professional couple from London - Mrs X was, and indeed still is, Chief Exec of a big property company.

We came to one particular property, walked through the (freshly painted) gates and she literally started skipping through the (immaculately tended) garden saying that this was "the one" before we'd even opened the (shiny new) front door.

This kind of thing is intensified here as the charentaise simply have no idea when it comes to presenting properties (note to Sarah....big business opportunity to launch a programme or two on TF1). Rusty gates, peeling shutters, patchy lawns and junk filled rooms seem to be the norm.

As it says in the article, on average it takes potential buyers just 8 seconds to decide if they like a property or not.

With winter coming up it's going to be even more important to sweep your drive, get the lighting right and make sure that yours is the most inviting & welcoming house on a buyers short-list.

www.cognacproperty.com

The changing face of estate agency

The revolution is gathering pace.

Today's Independent has an excellent article headed "Online property search: the diy sellers", you can read it in full here.

In it the journalist says:

Customers are becoming increasingly autonomous, finding properties on the internet for themselves and seeking professional advice as and when they need it. With the vast majority of properties now advertised online, and tools that allow buyers to look at flats and houses from street level such as Google Street View, buyers don't need an estate agent in the same way they used to.

This strikes a chord with the way my business has changed since I set it up in 2003.

In the beginning my clients would have no knowledge of what properties were available and simply trusted me to show them a suitable cross selection. Some clients still act in this way.

However, there are a growing number who have spent ages scouring the internet and have a good feel for what is on the market - they may well even have found houses that look promising on paper. They are looking for someone who can "project manage" their purchase:

• add to their existing list of properties (by using local contacts, private sales, back street agents)


• do an initial sifting to weed out unsuitable prospects


• guide them through the buying process, offering independent advice and acting purely for them not the agent or vendor


• help in negotiating the lowest possible price


• act as a signpost towards other professional advisors (notaires, surveyors, lawyers, currency brokers, architects, builders, artisans, mortgage advisors)

The French market is going through the same fundamental change as the UK. Nightly television is full of adverts for private sale websites and for property portals. The number of traditional agents is diminishing (I was shocked to see that in the UK one in four agents have closed over the last two years).

I'm not saying that traditional agents are dead men walking, nor am I saying that they don't have a place in the market. Clearly they do and changes like this don't happen overnight. If I were selling my house I would still use local agents and would expect them to advise me on how to "dress" my house to the best effect and how to get the highest possible price for it.

What I am saying though is that customer needs and actions are changing fast. Buyers will need traditional agents less and less.

Sellers on the other hand will be looking to their agents to help them differentiate and stand out from the crowd.....if the agent fails to deliver this then more and more sellers will go it alone and Sarah Beeney may well be proved right when she says:

"The internet has removed the need for estate agents and that in the future it is likely that estate agents will be the preserve of complicated or "out of the ordinary" sales".

www.cognacproperty.com

5 expensive cognacs that are worth the money

Excellent article from the good folk at www.cognac.com and you can read the full list here.

If you have the cash just hanging around you can also buy them directly from the website...just make sure you invite me round to taste them too.

One of my very best friends out here is now the cellar master at H Mounier. His family have been involved with the cognac business for generations and I often tell the story of the first time that he & his wife came to dinner.

We served our finest wines and all seemed to be going well until it came to the digestif. We'd bought a mid-range cognac from the supermarket but Christian took one look at it and said "wait a moment" before jumping in his car.

Five minutes later he was back with a bottle from his private cellar. Resplendent with hand crafted label it dated back to 1901 - the colour, texture, scent and taste were exquisite and lingered on the glass long after we had finished.

He told me to keep the bottle but to only drink it with special friends on special occasions.

We've dined together hundreds of times since but although I've hinted often (and asked straight out at times) he's never repeated that incredible gesture.

www.cognacproperty.com

Charente property - what makes it special?

I was chatting to an old colleague from Chestertons this week-end and he asked me that very question.

"I know you love it out there Graham, but what makes the houses so special"?

The answer was threefold:

• the cost of land & housing. Even with the pound & euro at virtually identical levels you can still find a beautiful family home for around €250,000.


• the landscape. Regular readers will have gathered that I love the region deeply - and not just when the vines and sunflowers have their annual battle for your attention.


• the care that the "artisans" take when renovating the older properties. The stone masons were adding a terrace to my in-laws house and when they finished they had created a couple of wonderful carvings into the stone at each end because they felt it was "appropriate", no charge of course.

I know that everyone has different views on what they want & don't want in an area (it's what makes the world such an interesting place) but I really do feel that we struck lucky back in 2003 when we decided, on a whim, to book into a hotel in Jarnac overnight.

www.cognacproperty.com

French grape picking season begins

The "vendange" or annual grape picking season started this week-end.

It's an important couple of weeks for the whole cognac region. An excellent harvest brings higher sales and prosperity for the farmers and the myriad related industries in the area. A poor harvest and the outlook would be as gloomy as an album by Morrissey.

In all over 75,000 hectares of vines will be harvested in the charente and charente-maritime.

We have become firm friends with one of our local viticulteurs and the good news is that he's pretty optimistic that 2009 is going to be a good year. Those are his vines in the pic above - you can't buy his cognac, "Chez Bacou", in the shops but if you're ever passing this way you can buy it direct from his vineyard.....believe me, it's worth a visit.

The sleepy villages around us have come alive and we're woken at the crack of dawn by the huge picking machines rumbling off to work.

The roads become clogged with tractors pulling huge trailers filled to abundance with grapes and standing at the school gates all eyes are on the activity in the surrounding vines.

Picking lasts for 3-4 weeks and I enjoy this time of year so much that I'll be using our labrador as an excuse to get out into the vines at least two or three times every day throughout.

www.cognacproperty.com

"3 Peaks" offers road to redemption

There's a little known golf tournament called the "3 peaks challenge".

It's played every year by the same four friends and we've been competing in it since we were kids. As you may imagine it's usually ultra competitive and it has provided some of the most enjoyable, challenging and fulfilling moments of my life.

All square on the 17th, ball 120 yards from the flag but with a copse of trees in the way. You know that you can only hit your sand wedge a maximum of 100 yards but let the adrenalin kick in and simply will the ball to soar over the topmost branches and nestle eighteen inches from the hole.

Asked & delivered.

One year Tim & I even took a day off work to drive across to Chantilly to have a sneaky practice on the course before the official event took place a week later. We take it seriously.

Next month we're going to Biarritz for the three day challenge. It's not a special year and indeed with the current "crise financiere" everyone is working hard and there is far less time to practice. Pre-tournament banter is practically non existent.

For me though it's possibly the most important three days in the history of this illustrious competition.

If Chris & I win then (rather like Brazil) we'll get to keep the trophy and next year Steve & I will take on the other two for the first time.

On paper it looks one sided - Steve & I have the best records over the years and should be clear favourites.

In reality though I will be facing my biggest demon.

You see I have never "choked" on a golf course. We all remember Greg Norman falling apart in 1996 and letting Nick Faldo win the Masters. The pressure was intolerable and he was found wanting. That's never happened to me.

Apart from one time.

Fifteen years ago Steve & I were playing Chris & Tim at Gatton Manor (even now I can hardly bring myself to think about it). It was only a friendly...not even part of our tournament.

They had this thing about never having been beaten and we were just itching to throw it back in their faces.

I have tried to wipe the exact details from my memory banks but I remember getting off to a flier and posting par after par. We were soon six or seven up and if it had been a boxing match the ref would have stopped the fight.

And then it happened. They won a hole and started talking about the greatest ever comeback. They truly believed they could win. They won another hole and the pressure began to tell.

Pars and birdies turned into sevens and eights. We lost.

Asked and failed.

I've missed many putts and hit many bad shots at inopportune times but this was different. I choked. It still haunts me. Others may think it's lack of practice or bad luck but deep inside you know.

So you see - win this year and in 2010 I'll have a chance to banish the demons.

And looking at Stuart Pearce's face above it's going to be a pretty good feeling when I do.

www.cognacproperty.com

How did he survive school?

Over here the sun continues to shine, the grape harvest is just beginning and the trial of the decade continues to dominate conversations in the bars and at the school gates.

Most headlines have been about the "de Villepin fightback". He's on trial facing up to 5 years imprisonment but yesterday his lawyers said that the former prime minister would file suit against (current President) Nicolas Sarkozy for violating his right to presumption of innocence.

All most intriguing but the most important thing I learned yesterday is that the slick old charmer was actually christened Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin.

He's gone up hugely in my estimation....anyone with that name who can come through their teenage years unscarred and with enough self confidence remaining to reach the very top in politics has to get my vote.

www.cognacproperty.com

French property portal launches iphone app

The leading property portal over here is http://www.seloger.com/ who claim a 70% share of the online market (think rightmove in the UK).

They have just launched their own application for the iphone.

This is a big thing for the way that property searches will be undertaken in the future.

Imagine being in a town or village in France and having the ability to instantly see details of all properties available. Price, floorplans, pictures, cadastral plans and any other info you need.

You'll be able to drive around, discount areas you don't like and just concentrate on those you do. Stop for lunch in some off the beaten track restaurant, fall in love with the surroundings and simply consult your iphone to see which of the houses around are for sale.

Don't hold your breath though. Whilst this is a most significant step it still is just one step.

For the process to work 100% efficiently you'll need a portal that lists all houses for sale and you'll need every agent/owner to input the pics, plans et al in the first place.

Don't forget that this is a country where half of all houses bought & sold are still done so privately.

This isn't going to happen in the short term (1-2 years) or even medium term (5-7 years) ....but it will eventually happen.

Traditional estate agents, property finders and everyone associated with this industry are going to have to adapt to a new way of working.

It will take a generation to work through (I doubt that 20% of my clients over the past six years have an iphone or even the slightest desire to know what an app is) but unless you're coming up to retirement age you should ignore this new way of living at your peril.

www.cognacproperty.com