Buying Guide - France

Area focus: Languedoc-Roussillon

A wealth of history lies in the Languedoc-
Roussillon region. Roman monuments, Greek ruins,
medieval castles and ancient villages are set amid
a patchwork of vineyards, farmlands, mountains
and plateaus.

The walled city of Carcassonne encompasses towers, dungeons, moats and drawbridges and serves as one of the most impressive examples of medieval France.

The Château de Peyrepertuse provides a breathtaking panoramic view while ruins of the former Cathare castles can be seen throughout the region. The town of Nîmes is built around a Roman amphitheatre and Perpignan offers the unmistakable characteristics of Catalan.

Food from the region is Provençal, characterized by garlic and olive oil with delicious sausages and smoked hams. The area produces delicious pastries and sweetmeats made from almond paste and flavored with aniseed, pistachio and orange flower water. Fish is popular along the coast. Wines include the reds of Corbières, Minervois, and the sweet Banyuls and Muscat.

Lifestyle:

Life in France is a well-documented joy, whether you choose the celebrity-draped promenades of Cannes or the historic richness and natural beauty of the Loire. A way of life that comfortably combines the traditional and the modern means that towns are taken over by regular street markets where locals barter while urban workers enjoy a coffee outdoors, and of course everything grinds to a halt over the leisurely lunch hours. The country's cuisine and innumerable wines are legendary, and the schools are renowned worldwide. The healthcare system is superb, even fêted in Michael Moore's latest film Sicko, which applauds the French system of combining public and private financing.

Prices:

Always popular with the British, who adore the sizzling south coast of their Gallic neighbour, French property has been performing well, with an average increase of just under eight per cent every year over the past decade. Despite this consistent rise, you'll fi nd that when it comes to choosing a home your cash goes far further than it would in the UK. President Nicolas Sarkozy has been quick to lay out plans to boost the French housing market; his Prime Minister, François Fillon, has prepared a bill that will cap the amount of personal tax paid to 50 per cent, which will also limit the amount of wealth tax paid by top earners and the asset-rich, encouraging investment into the country's property market.

Buying Property:

France developed the leaseback scheme (résidence de tourisme), which enables you to buy a freehold property and lease it to a managing agent in return for guaranteed rental income. In some cases the owner can use the home for up to six weeks, receiving an income of up to fi ve per cent of the property's value each year. A bonus is that the VAT of 19.6 per cent on a new property is refunded for leaseback homes. Based on a £100,000 property, expect to pay about 10 per cent in fees.

In The News:

As it sweeps north from the rugged snow-capped peaks of the Pyrénées at the Basque borderland of Spain to the foothills of the Massif Central, Midi-Pyrénées luxuriates in the gentle climate of Southwestern France. It encompasses places with vaguely familiar, yet still evocative names-like Gascony, Quercy, and Aveyron-that have for centuries rewarded the visitor with their unique treasures. From its fertile farms and forests Midi-Pyrénées has developed a special cuisine.

It is the home of authentic Roquefort cheese, foie gras, truffl es, and the best cassoulet and duck dishes in the world. Its Cahors wines are reasonably priced, high quality products that have earned their recent increased presence on the world market. The incomparable delights of Armagnac, the golden colored brandy, is prized by connoisseurs. The region's many fi ne restaurants prepare the freshest ingredients using time-honored techniques.


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