A STUDY by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) claims that property prices in France are 34% too high.
In its research the OECD compared property prices with local wages and rents, and found that France was the fifth most expensive country behind Belgium, Norway, Canada and New Zealand.
The UK was placed eight with its property prices deemed to be 26.5% too high.
A SURVEY of more than 4,262 property advertisements on four different internet websites, found just 43% displayed the mandatory DPE energy certificate details.
The study by consumer association Consommation, Logement et Cadre de Vie (CLCV), found that 85% of shop-window adverts included the DPE rating, but online it was sadly lacking.
However, the findings are actually an improvement on the association's findings from 2011 when it found just 43% of agencies included the details in their windows and just 20% of internet adverts included them.
The diagnostic de performance énergétique (DPE) rating provides details of the energy costs of the property for sale and are a valuable service for potential buyers.
The CLCV says more needs to be done to force all estate agents to properly display the DPE rating, saying the €38 fine for each infraction should be pursued by the authorities.
THE north east corner of France has experienced very heavy rain over the past few days, with many rivers bursting their banks and flooding local homes.
There is an Environment Ministry website that is particularly focussed on rivers and the dangers of flooding, its Carte de Vigilance "crues" provides a snap shot of areas that might be at risk.
If you hover your mouse over the different areas of the map and click, this takes you through to more detail for individual rivers and water courses that shows the levels at various measuring stations.
RESIDENTS of Aquitaine and the Pays de la Loire are the most satisfied with where they live, according to a study by BVA for regional newspapers.
Overall, 82% of French people are happy with life in the region where they live, however the four most popular areas are Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire (93%), then Brittany and Alsace (91%).
Unfortunately residents of Haute-Normandie (74% are happy), Champagne-Ardenne (73%), l’Ile-de-France (70%) and in last place Picardie (66%) are the four regions with the unhappiest residents.
BVA say that France is split in two with residents of Alsace, the west of the country and south happier than average, while those who live in the north and the centre are the least satisfied.
THERE is a worrying feature of older properties in France, particularly those built before 1974, of poor and old wiring, various retrofits with no logical reason, lack of earthing, lack of safety and electrical overloads.
Often these potentially dangerous circumstances are not apparent to home owners. So it is no wonder that a third of domestic fires in France originate from electrical problems and issues, writes Paul Wilkins.
I was pleased to read in the media and on official websites that it will be a legal requirement by March 2015 for all homes to be equipped with at least one smoke detector.
Continue reading "Protect your home in France before smoke detector rule comes in" »
CLEARLY the property market in France is made up of many different areas, but figures for 2012 from Les Notaires de France show a fall in prices for older homes of 2.1% across the country.
There has also been a steep fall in the number of sales in France, down 12% in a year, with a total of 709,000 transactions registered, split between 128,300 for l’Ile de France and 580,700 for the rest of France.
KAREN Bates spent 11 years in Normandy, slowly working on her own house while handling the paperwork of her partner's joinery business.
The couple had crossed the Channel with Karen's young son, leaving his older sister in boarding school in the UK, and had high hopes of making a success of French life.
But rarely do plans run smoothly and despite working hard on the business, Karen slowly began to see a change in her family and herself, taking to writing in her journal to help tackle some of the problems.
Soon the journal became a source of relief, ensuring Karen stayed clear of the gin and anti-depressants, and formed the framework of a book that she went on to publish just before moving back to the UK called Faking It In France.
Here Karen talks about her time in France.
Craig McGinty: What was the reason behind your move to France?
Karen Bates The reason we moved to France in the first place was. It was really on a whim. I mean, it might sound absolutely crazy, but we sold our business and we had some money in the bank, and my brother already lived in Brittany.
Continue reading "Faking it in France, but only for so long" »
THE French government is to rush through measures to boost new build property sales, as official figures show an 18% fall in the number sold last year compared to 2011.
One of the key measures outlined by François Hollande is the reduction in the level of TVA from 7% to 5% for new social housing construction, with those involved in such housing promising to build 150,000 new homes per year in return.
There are also measures to cut red-tape, and to simplify the norms housing has to meet, as well as financial incentives for home owners to cut energy use.
Related: Energy costs in French countryside 23% higher than in cities
LIVING in the French countryside has its appeal to many, except when it comes to energy costs as they are 23% more expensive than the national average according to researchers.
Figures from the Centre de Recherche pour l'Etude et l'Observation des Conditions de Vie (CREDOC) show the average spent on energy costs in France is €1,450 per household per year.
However, households in smaller towns with less than 20,000 inhabitants pay 17% more, but it is worse in communes with less than 2,000 people where costs are 23% more expensive.
Continue reading "Energy costs in French countryside 23% higher than in cities" »
FIGURES from the Notaires de France published by L'Express show large differences in property prices across France.
