Lonely Planet votes Poitou Charentes in the top 10 places in the world

The Lonely Planet "Top 10 places in the world" has just been published...you can see their full list here.

It's probably not too surprising to see the Mayan Route in South America, the tropical island of Borneo, or Queenstown national park in New Zealand listed as the best spots on the planet.

But it may come as a surprise to see Poitou Charentes alongside these illustrious and exotic locations. 

Lonely Planet says:

With quiet country roads wending through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sands interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where the French get back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with almost as much sunshine) and ideally suited to family holidays, this is a place where you can slow the pace right down.

And there are numerous ways in which to do this. You could spend a morning quietly greeting curious ducks as you kayak down the glowing green canals, rivers and streams of the Marais Poitevin. You could cycle over the lazy landscapes of the dreamy Île de Ré or raise a glass in the pretty town of Cognac.

The article ends by saying that we are "woefully under-visited by foreigners".

With an average property price of just €140,000, yet easy access to airports in Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Poitiers, you can see why 2012 may well see an influx of international buyers to our region.  Each one looking for their own slice of paradise.

The top pic is the view from the terrace at my parents-in-law who live in "my" village here in the Charente whilst the two above were also taken in our village (midway between Cognac & Jarnac). 

We always thought that our secret was safe but it looks as though Lonely Planet has well and truly let the cat out of the bag.

http://www.cognacproperty.com/

The chasm between sellers/buyers expectations still needs to be bridged

Regular readers know that I'm 100% on the side of the buyer throughout the search and transaction process.

There's no grey area - my clients appoint me because of my expertise in sourcing property and buying it at the lowest price possible.

One of the most important parts of my job then is to ensure that my clients have realistic expectations about what their money will buy and the current state of the market.

With our TV and computer screens full of bad news stories it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that property vendors are on their knees and willing to accept huge discounts on the asking price of their properties.

Sadly, this simply isn't true...at least in my particular slice of France.

Sure, most sellers are realistic and are open to offers but a general 20-25% reduction on all asking prices, forget it. 

In the last two deals that I have been involved with we have managed to obtain around 15% from the asking price....and both of those were after a great deal of negotiation and our introduction of "comparable evidence" (research into the cost of similar properties).

Of course there will always be stories about the man who has a friend who knocked 40% off the asking price of a house but these rarely stand up to scrutiny (usually the price was hugely inflated in the first place).

It's a buyers market and there are bargains to be had but don't be fooled into thinking that all vendors will bend over backwards.

In this market "research, research, research" is almost as important as "location, location, location".

www.cognacproperty.com

Property price movements in the Charente

It's a major part of my job to keep a keen eye on property price movements over here. 

You need to take any figures with a pretty hefty pinch of salt but when combined with anecdotal evidence and tales from local vendors, agents & notaires they do help form a picture.

According to the national association of notaires house prices in charente have done the following:

2004/5     +21.4%
2005/6     +3.2%
2006/7     +15.1%
2007/8     +8.7%
2008/9     -8.1%

In theory this means that the house we bought in 2004 should have increased in value by over a third. In practice though I'm not sure this is the case and the drop of -8.1% for 2008/9 doesn't mirror the discounts I've been able to get for clients when negotiating on their behalf.

Lies, damned lies and statistics eh....what we can be sure of is that with transaction numbers still down in the doldrums the buyers market is going to be around for a while.

One final thought. 

With an average price of €1300 per m2,  houses in Charente last year were almost 50% of the average across France (€2570 per m2). This is simply remarkable value considering the climate, landscape and general economy.

www.cognacproperty.com