Charente Monopoly - which are the dream home locations?

Regular readers will know that my youngest daughter is a keen Monopoly player.  A career following in her father's illustrious footsteps beckons perhaps!

Recently we borrowed the "Charente" version and it was fascinating to see which towns & villages were deemed as the Whitechapel & Old Kent Road clones and which were deemed to be Mayfair & Park Lane.  I have no idea who took the final decisions but I'm guessing that a few local mayors got involved in the politics.

I have no problem with the two prime areas - Cognac as the highest value (€400) and Angouleme second (€350).  I love Cognac - the town not the digestif - and think that it's the perfect size with a real "buzz" all year round.  It has beautiful & ancient pedestrian streets, a lovely stretch of river, world class restaurants and a championship golf course.

Jarnac is unlucky not to share the slot next to Cognac but does take the place of Bond Street so you don't want to land there if it has houses or a hotel on it. In real life Jarnac is probably my favourite town in Charente with a simply gorgeous park and pretty riverside walks.

Where I would take issue is the ranking given to the villages of St Simon & Bassac which are in the light blue section just before the dreaded jail cell.  In reality these two small jewels sit beside the prettiest stretch of the Charente.

They are both no more than hamlets yet St Simon boasts its own popular bar/restaurant and Bassac hosts two of the best restaurants around - the Auberge de Condé and L'Essille.  I have had plenty of splendid meals with clients & friends in both.

That's a great word and so I'm going to use it again as the river between Chateaneuf and Cognac is simply splendid too.

With this in mind, why no place at all for Chateauneuf sur Charente?

Of course it's all good fun and fairly subjective - and the truth is that I get slaughtered by Downie Junior whether we play the traditional version or any of the newer derivatives.

Perhaps I should consider offering her a salaried partner position when she turns 12 next year.....

www.cognacproperty.com

Narrowing your house search in France

The Notaires de France website is a mine of information and if you are seriously interested in buying property in France then it's a "must see" part of your research.

A few weeks ago they posted a map showing average prices across various regions, you can download the pdf here.

It doesn't really tell you what your money will buy but it does give a decent comparison of relative values between say St Malo & Poitiers.

Once you have decided which region suits your requirements and budget then you can narrow your search by looking here.  The Immoprix site gives a more detailed breakdown by department and areas within a department.

Found your ideal area - then why not take a look at some listings on FrenchEntrée or Se Loger so that you get a rough idea of what your money will actually buy.

Once you have done this and have your financing in place then it's the ideal time to appoint a buying agent to help source the specific property and buy it at the lowest possible price for you.

Here are fifteen I'd recommend....there's bound to be one near you!

www.cognacproperty.com

Winter olympics in the Charente

I'm sure that you are probably aware of the freak weather conditions we're currently "enjoying".  Temperatures of minus ten and the deepest covering of snow that we have seen since we arrived in 2003.

It's playing havoc with the three client searches that are live at the moment - the main roads have been cleared but the outlying towns and villages just aren't equipped to cope with this kind of weather.

The good news is that the girls and I have taken the opportunity to pretend that we live in the Alps or the Pyrenees and have been sledging every day.  Right on our doorstep is the St Meme les Carrieres "cresta run".

It's a 200m piste that leads down between two rows of vines.  The picture doesn't do justice to the gradient but the little dot in the distance is my youngest at the end of her run.  Of course it wouldn't pass any health and safety tests as we go swooping down between rows of Ugni-blanc grapevines....leave the piste and it's a long way to Cognac General Hospital (I'd also have an angry viticulteur banging on my door if we took out a row of his best producers).

Great fun though, with echoes of my youth..... 

www.cognacproperty.com

The France Show - a great start to the year

Apologies for the lack of posts lately but it's been a busy start to the year.

Earlier this month I was in London for The France Show in Earls Court.  The show happened to coincide with France losing it's AAA credit rating and I wondered if this would affect the mood of visitors to our stand.

The answer was a resounding "not at all".

We had, literally, thousands of visitors over the three days and the ones that I spoke to didn't mention credit ratings, the forthcoming election, PIIGS or the fate of the euro.

Instead they asked me about sunshine, vineyards, education, healthcare and "respect" (of elders, teachers, policemen and each other).  It was clear that whilst funding the dream may be proving difficult, the attraction of France remains undiminished.

Within hours of returning home I had picked up two search mandates and have others "bubbling under" which I expect to come to fruition over the coming days.

I'm pretty sure that overall housing transaction numbers will be down this year in France - I'm optimistic though that by increasing market share there will still be plenty of opportunities to prosper.

www.cognacproperty.com

Primelocation property blog awards - placed again!

It's that time of year again, when Primelocation announce the results of their annual property blog awards.

Now in their third year, the main award has been won previously by yours truly and the much respected property journalist Graham Norwood.  This years winner is another journalist, Roger Hunt, you can see his excellent blog here.

I'm delighted to say that A little drop of Cognac was "placed" for the third year running.  I wrote "House prices - will Google ruin your dinner party?" back in the summer and the judges decided that this particular entry was worthy of the runner-up spot.

I guess the thing I am most thrilled about is the consistency - a win and two runners-up in the three years that the awards have been running is no mean feat.  Being ultra cynical I write the blog in order to win business and to position myself as being an expert in both French property matters and in local issues pertinent to life here in the Charente.  The awards give added authority (and perhaps even a much needed gravitas) to what  are some quite personal and parochial postings.

Anyway, I'm thrilled that my work is recognised and will do my utmost to justify the award.

Here's to the 2012 competition.....

www.cognacproperty.com

63% of Americans use a buying agent to help find their dream home

Earlier this week I had a most interesting Google+ "hangout" with some of my colleagues in the FrenchEntrée property finders network.

One of the agents, Sophia, was telling us about her experiences in America where she lived and studied for a while.  She was saying that it is the norm for buyers to have representation when looking for a house - it's probably the biggest expenditure they will ever make so this makes perfect sense.

I looked it up and, according to this article in Wikipedia 63% of Americans do indeed instruct a buying agent.  The article goes on to say:

"Most Buying Agents specialise in a particular location: a large part of their expertise is derived from local knowledge, personal contacts with local estate agents, and inside-information about properties that are not yet on the open market".

This combination of local knowledge and contacts is doubly important if you are looking to buy a property abroad.

For example, if you are currently living in the USA, Australia, South Africa or the far east there is simply no way that you could expect to fully search the market here, or indeed gather the comparable evidence needed to help you negotiate the lowest price possible.

We are seeing an increasing amount of business coming from international clients and whilst it is hard on my telephone bill it is also comforting to know that we have such a robust and long standing business model.....one that more and more UK buyers are adopting.

http://www.cognacproperty.com/

Knight Frank global housing predictions for 2012

Regular readers will know that I'm a fan of the research team at Knight Frank and particularly like the way they present their research.

Of course we have to understand that they have an extraordinarily wealthy client base and look at things from a different viewpoint to the majority of other property analysts.

Their 2012 property predictions report says that instability in the Eurozone has led to very weak mainstream housing markets but, perversely, this has helped "prime" markets such as London & Paris.

They forecast that 44% of the worldwide cities they monitor are set to see house price increases.

Several Asian cities are set to see soaring house prices, including price rises of up to 20% in Bangkok and Jakarta, with Paris (yet again), Kiev and St Petersburg forecast to see similar increases.

However, certain cities are pipped to see massive falls, with values declining by up to 20% in Shanghai, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Geneva.

As regular readers will also know I don't have much (any) faith in house price indices - transaction numbers are the only key indicator that really count.

A double digit rise in Paris would mean plenty of misleading headlines about "soaring French house prices" but would be distinctly unhelpful when it comes to matching vendor expectations with reality here in SW France.

It all makes interesting reading if you have the coffee ready and a spare fifteen minutes though.

www.cognacproperty.com

Bring me sunshine....

 Let's face it, one of the big attractions of moving to France is the weather.

Pretty much all of us like sunshine and it's a proven fact that it makes us happy.

Back in the summer I saw this posting on the Leggett Immobilier website which shows that here in the Charente I am getting around two and a half more hours of sunshine per day than I was when I lived in the UK.

The photo at the top of this post was taken on Christmas day  - as you can see it was a crystal clear blue sky. Our traditional family walk was taken in just jeans, polo shirt and light jumper (which came off half way round).

We went to visit friends on the cote d'azur for new year and the photo below was taken on new years day.

It's a far cry from my native north-east of England and the freezing cold winters of my childhood.

www.cognacproperty.com

Come and say hello at The France Show 2012

It's coming up to that time of (the new) year again, where the great and the good of the French property industry get together in Earls Court to present their wares.  Of course there's plenty of non property related things to do as well, including wine tasting, cookery exhibitions, a huge French market and pretty girls doing the can-can.

The France Show is taking place in London between 13-15 January 2012 and you can see full details here.

I will be joining colleagues from all over France and you can find us on the FrenchEntrée Property Finders stand which is number 207.  Please do drop by and say hello, it always gives me a boost when someone says "I read your blog".  In addition you'll be able to talk with a friendly bunch of professional buying agents who, this year, have helped clients buy properties from €40,000 to €4,000,000.

I have been exhibiting at the show for a few years now and it has been rewarding to journey from a tentative "Hi, can you help me, I'm thinking about......" to finding somewhere special for the same people and occasionally even sharing an aperitif in their new home.

Who knows, this year it could be you!

See you there.....

www.cognacproperty.com

French housing numbers v UK housing numbers

The other day I was asked how many houses were sold in France each year and I didn't know the answer. So I decided to look it up and do a simple comparison between the French and UK housing markets in 2011.  Here are the results:

France
Population: 63 million
Size: 551,000 km2
Estimated number of house sales in 2011:  circa 790,000
Average house price Paris: €316,900
Average house price regions: €165,000


UK
Population: 62 million
Size: 243,000 km2
Estimated number of house sales in 2011: circa 840,000
Average house price London: €398,000
Average house price England & Wales: €187,200

OK - I know that the UK isn't just England & Wales but these were the figures that I could find easily and I'm only undertaking this exercise as a quick comparison.

French figures are raken from the Notaires de France, England & Wales figures are from the Land Registry, currency conversion rate taken as 1.17 euros to the pound.

A point to note is that the UK transaction figure is the lowest for 40 years (see full story here) while the French transaction numbers for 2011 are higher than in 2010 (see full story here).

However, transaction numbers in France are forecast to fall "significantly" next year according to the Notaires, due to the general economic crisis, CGT reforms and a "wait and see" attitude in the run up to the election.

I'm not sure that we can draw any conclusions from the above other than the blindingly obvious one that 2012 is going to be another tough year for both estate agents and agence immobiliere no matter which side of the channel they are on.

The good news though is that at least I'll have some dazzling stats at my fingertips during the numerous functions and dinner parties I have in the run up to Christmas.

www.cognacproperty.com

2011 French property market review (well kind of)

Discussing house price fluctuations in the French property market is a pointless and futile waste of time.

Sadly though not a week goes by without someone asking me about them.  Of course, they expect an answer and they're looking for a pithy summary not an hour long seminar.  So, if you were to ring up and pop the question as we approach the end of 2011 what would I say?

Well, let's face it - the UK probably has the brightest and best paid property analysts in the world (it certainly has the most) with more research than you can shake a stick at but they still can't tell us what the average house price is.

The truth is that national house price movements are meaningless.  How can you compare Bridlington with Kensington or Caen with Cannes?

Some French agents and institutions have tried to drill down into regions and departments which is more helpful. 

Read this article from the French Property portal and you'll be able to get the thoughts of Century 21, Credit Agricole, Notaires de France the FPI and the FNAIM.  If you're looking for statistics then this is a great starting point.

However, the truth is that whilst the booming Parisienne property market may well have massaged the figures to show an overall growth in prices in 2011 this hasn't been the case in thousands of micro markets across France (in my case the Charente valley).

I'm dealing with agents, vendors and notaires every day and I can tell you that prices around here haven't really moved during the last 12 months....if anything they have softened slightly.

The houses that I have acquired on behalf of clients this year have, without exception, been bought at a discounted rate to the asking price.  Properties in prime areas have been selling, those in secondary locations have been sticking unless they are very competitively priced.

2011 has been a buyers market and - trust me here - 2012 will be one too.  That's all you really need to know.

My best advice....if you're looking to buy in France next year then ignore the statisticians and "market reviews" and appoint someone who knows local conditions to be by your side.  They will scour the whole market, sift out the dross, collect the comparable evidence and help you buy the house at the lowest possible price.

They should be able to answer your questions on schooling, doctors, restaurants and the best local artisans too. Local knowledge, you just can't beat it.

www.cognacproperty.com

www.cognacproperty.com - an apology

My website, www.cognacproperty.com is back up today having been offline for three weeks.  In that time any emails sent to graham@cognacproperty.com will have bounced back.

To say that it has been frustrating trying to get my site back up and running is the understatement of the century.

I won't bore you with the details - my language would be unprofessional and out of character - but suffice to say that if you want to register a site with www.freeparking.co.uk you should be aware that they don't have a published phone number or address and that they simply ignore emails and faxes no matter how critical the content or how many times you say please.

And yes, you're right, perhaps I should have checked this back in 2003 when I was registering the domain and no, going with the cheap option wasn't too clever of me either.

www.cognacproperty.com (hopefully)

So the French healthcare system works then...

Regular readers will know that France regularly tops the list of places that people want to live and that one of the reasons for this is the legendary healthcare system here.

It's all very well reading about this but how does it work in practice?

Well, a couple of weeks ago I was unable to shake off a bad dose of flu so went to my eccentric GP in Jarnac.  No appointment just turned up at 9am on a Monday morning.

He got out his stethoscope, cracked a few jokes, told me I had pneumonia, wrote out a prescription, made a phone call and kicked me out.

By 10am I had been to the clinic and had my bloods taken, by 2pm my lungs had been x rayed and a specialist had taken me through the results, checked my prescription and packed me off to bed.

Thankfully no lasting damage and I'm well on the way to recovery.

Impressive service though wasn't it.

Perhaps the next time I'm whingeing about the cost of my "cotisations" I'll remember what I'm paying for and write out the cheque a little less grudgingly!

www.cognacproperty.com

The future of UK property portals

I'd better make it clear from the outset that I have a bit of a thing about marketing property online....and have had for some while.

Back in 1997 the Chesterton website was chosen as "site of the month" by Computing magazine which opened their story with: 

"There are now over 50 estate agents with web sites but Graham Downie offers two reasons why estate agents have been reluctant to embrace the web.  Firstly, they've seen it as an area for anoraks. But that has shifted over the past year as other professions, such as lawyers and management consultants, have moved online. It's also fear of the unknown, but that too is changing as clients are beginning to demand that estate agents have web sites."

That same year (1997 remember) I had written to all the other leading commercial property agents suggesting we create an online office & industrial property portal.  Half a dozen of us teamed up with London & Regional properties to launch Propertylink which was subsequently sold to RBI to form part of the Estates Gazette stable. 

Today, Propertylink is the largest commercial property listing site in the UK.

In 1999 the MD of our residential division and myself persuaded Michael Holmes and the Chesterton Board to invest £500,000 (along with Savills and other leading agents) into a company called Fastcrop. This was the outfit that subsequently created Primelocation.  In January 2006 the agents cashed in when Fastcrop was bought by the Daily Mail group for £48m.

Today, Primelocation is used by 11,000 agents and lists over 850,000 properties.

Of course, it's rather sad (and indicative of something) that I should have played such a role in launching these two giant sites yet remain a penniless and humble estate agent in rural France.  At least I'm happy.

So here we are, fast approaching 2012 and what does the future hold?

Well, as you may have read, the Digital Property Group (owners of Primelocation and Findaproperty) have just merged with Zoopla.  The big question on agents lips is whether they will retain all three brands as independent sites or merge them into one big super-site to rival Rightmove (findazoolocation.com perhaps).

For what it's worth I think that they will go for the latter.  Back in 1996 Property Week ran a story about listing properties on the then fledgling internet and I was quoted: 

"Clients are saying they want  a single, comprehensive source rather than skipping around".

Fifteen years later I still believe those words to be true. For me the bigger question is whether any new super-site will refuse to take private sales. 

Don't forget that I now live and work in a country where private sales form over half of all transactions each year.

Sarah Beeny has scratched the surface with Tepilo but they have a miniscule market share.  If findazoolocation.com (or whatever the new super-site is called) were to launch as "open to everyone" then the general public would shout with glee.

The agents though would go ballistic, chuck their toys out of the pram and threaten to boycott it.

It's going to come. 

Perhaps not this time..... but if and when Sarah Beeny (Phil, Kirstie or any other high profile "expert" would do just as well) gets the backing of a DPG or a Google who are prepared to invest heavily then UK estate agents are going to see their world blown apart.

"But we've always done it this way" won't cut the mustard....just look at what has changed in the last fifteen years. Who can say where we will be in 2027.

www.cognacproperty.com 

 

 

Property marketing - is the future black and white?

Strutt & Parker seem to be getting a decent amount of press coverage today for their announcement that they will be adding QR codes to their sale boards.

"Use your mobile to scan the code and the phone will then show full property details including floorplans and photos, as well as offering the option to complete a short request form for further information or a viewing".

Barton & Wyatt said that they would be incorporating QR codes into their boards & advertising a while back too.

I guess that the question is.... "will people stop the car and get out to scan the code"?

I don't know the answer and have an open mind, only time will tell.  For sure they would be very handy for me as I drive down some of the remoter French country lanes and see an "A vendre" sign in front of a mile long drive-way.  I also think that video is going to play an increasing part in the way we market property and QR codes could tie in nicely.

What I do know for sure is that "mobile" is quickly going to play a big role in the way that agents/vendors will be marketing their houses. At the moment 45% of internet users use a mobile to connect to the internet and within the next two years smartphones are forecast to reach 90% penetration in the UK.

Don't forget I live in a country where the majority of agents still don't tell you in which town a house is located.

Most do have websites now, but they tend to be steam driven.  It sounds jingoistic but it's the agencies with international ownership that are leading the way.  As an example, take a look at the map search facility and virtual tours on the Leggett site here.

All food for thought methinks..... please do feel free to leave you own ideas as to the future of property marketing in the comments section below.

www.cognacproperty.com

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/

Bruno Mars rocks Nantes

I have always wanted to visit Nantes as it is consistently voted one of the best places in France to live.

So last Friday I took the girls to see Bruno Mars in the Zenith concert hall and we spent the week-end exploring the region (more of which another time).

Nantes centre was impressive - it's clean, attractive and has an upmarket feel about it. We had a beautiful lunch in L'Entrecote followed by dessert in the Haagen-Dazs café. The streets were filled with students and there was a real buzz about the place.

The concert was superb. 

It's an excellent venue as it's pretty small (6,000 capacity) and you really feel part of the spectacle. The crowd seemed to consist of middle class teenagers who looked as though they were on a day out from Hogwarts College. I'm sure that one of the girls in the queue next to us was called Hermione - they were polite, excitable and there wasn't a "hoodie" in sight.

I've seen some showmen - including Robbie Williams at the Albert Hall - but Bruno Mars really does top the lot.  His vocals were spot on and he was a true pro.  His guitar stopped working just before he launched himself into "Marry you" but he just said "blow it" (or words to that effect) and carried on without it.

He also did his best to interact with the locals, despite the language barrier, and he simply couldn't have put more energy into it.

10/10.

If you get the chance to go to either Zenith or Bruno Mars I heartily recommend both.

www.cognacproperty.com

French Magazine - international buyers returning

Here's a copy of my latest article for the excellent French Magazine.

Read it through and you'll see that there is evidence to show that international buyers see France as a safe haven at the moment and are, once again, back in the French property market.

Analysts at both Savills & Knight Frank have been pushing property over here to their wealthy clients.

I also set out the role of a private client buying agent and explain how a good one could help you save both time and money.

Hope you enjoy it.  This month you will see that French Magazine is rebranding to FrenchEntrée Magazine - it's available in all good newsagents and well worth picking up. 

www.cognacproperty.com

Guest blog - The lowdown on French house insurance

Today's guest post is from the insurance specialists at Policy Expert:

As in the UK, if you buy a property in France – you’ll need to insure it. As a general rule, purchasing your home insurance direct from a French provider will be the most cost effective way of going about it. However, for some foreign buyers, they may feel a little unsure about buying French insurance due to the language barrier. For the most part, it works in a very similar way to insurance over here - so don’t feel too daunted by it.

If you’re looking to cover your French home, here are a few useful pointers that should be helpful:

Common ways to buy

As you’ll find in this country, there are a number of channels through which to purchase your insurance – here are 3 of the most popular. Firstly, there are the insurance agents (agents généraux/agent d’assurance) who act on behalf of a particular insurance company to sell their products to the public. You may find an agent who is local to your property, making it easy to go in and have a face-to-face chat with them about your requirements. Remember, you obviously won’t be offered a choice of providers and that the price may be more than if you went direct.

Next, you have insurance brokers (courtiers) who will normally represent a small pool of insurers – thus giving you more choice, but not usually the whole of market. They may not offer you the cheapest deal on the market but they should be able to find you the cover you need. They may work on a commission structure, so be careful you’re not being unnecessarily oversold.

Finally, there’s the Groupement des entreprises mutuelles d’assurances (GEMA) - which is a non-profit making cooperative of providers who operate without intermediaries.

Going direct

Unlike in this country, it seems that the French are less likely to go direct to the insurer – but this doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Many well-known insurers such as Groupama and Aviva operate in France and you can always go straight to the source and contact them by phone or via the internet.

Online comparison

If you’re a fan of online comparison sites and want to go down that route – here are three French ones you could try: Empruntis.com, Assurland.com and lelynx.fr.

The process

Much like our UK system, you’ll be asked to complete an insurance application - which is called ‘proposition d’assurance’ in France. This will be in the form of a questionnaire that’s designed to help your insurer establish the amount of risk your property poses to them. It’s absolutely crucial to be accurate and honest with your answers, or your policy may be deemed invalid should you ever need to claim. With that in mind, it may be advisable to get some translation assistance at this point if your language skills are a bit rusty.

The insurer will then provide you with written details of the premium you must pay, the cover you’re buying and any terms and conditions that apply. Again, if you only have basic French, it may be wise to seek a native speaker to run through this with you before you sign anything.

This article was written by Policy Expert who are insurance specialists, providing house insurance to homeowners in the UK.  You can use their website to compare quotes and buy online.

Why use a buying agent - reason #237

 This is a terrific ad for Google streetview (you should click on it to see it clearly).

It also demonstrates one of the many reasons that you should use a local, professional, buying agent if you're considering buying a property in France.

As you may well know, it's customary here for many immobiliers to give the name of "the next village along" when advertising houses.  They don't want other agents to pinch the instruction.

Similarly, private sellers on Le Bon Coin or PAP rarely give out the address of their house.

This means that viewings are often a journey into the unknown.

Mandate a buying agent and they will have visited the property and given you their opinion on it as well as offering you photos, video, google earth imagery, location plan, cadastral plan details and pretty much anything else you want to know.

I can stand outside a house, take a panoramic pic on my mobile, send it immediately by email and chat it through with my client in the space of a minute.

Forget the fact that I know the market in the Charente valley like the back of my hand, will scour it fully on your behalf, will negotiate the lowest price possible (using comparable evidence I have collected along the way) and will be acting solely for you....I think that reason #237 is a pretty compelling one all by itself.

Estate agency is a rapidly changing business, the buyer is king and we need to meet their needs to prosper. 

www.cognacproperty.com