What a difference a few weeks can make! The sun greets us every morning now here in the south of France and bathes our village in a warm peachy glow each evening. Spring really does feel like an awakening and we have noticed several shops and restaurants dusting off their shutters and opening up for the summer months. There seems to be both a feeling of enjoying every moment as well as huge anticipation for a relaxed and joyous time in the coming months. Having been here, working on our house for around 6 weeks now, I can tell you that there is nothing at all we miss about the UK. Sometimes it is hard to know how things will be until you experience them so if you are contemplating a move to France or a second home there, take it from me, you are unlikely to regret your decision: life here is wonderful in this great country.
Fired up by the gradual progress we are making on our house, I have lots of great information for you in this month’s newsletter. The French job market can be a bit of a minefield but I go through the options you may have if you are hoping to work here as well as a few tips of my own, we have a stunning property to show you to tempt you further to take the plunge, our very own Charles Purdy shares with you his expertise on currency exchange (don’t EVER use a bank is no. 1!) and I have some super photos to show you of our life here in France. They say every picture tells a story and I am determined to take as many as possible along the way so that one day, when our house is actually finished, we will have a proper record of the whole renovation and no doubt wonder at what we took on in the first place!
But first, here I am on a lucky work break – after all, there is SO much to discover down in this beautiful part of France….
Living in another country is something more and more of us contemplate these days and it occurred to me the other day that both of my grown up children are unlikely to make their homes in the UK. My daughter is getting married and will be living in Germany where her fiancé works and my son lives in New York. I am proud that they have flown the nest and made their way in the world. My son Saul is about to embark on a 3,600 mile cycling trip right across the USA in aid of the most dreadful of illnesses, Motor Neurone Disease, from which his dear uncle Tony Judt suffers. He and his French friend Augustin will set off from Seattle on May 15th, taking 2 months for this, a most gruelling trip. He really wants to make a difference. Take a look at his website and please feel free to pass on to friends/family/colleagues: www.moveforals.com He needs to spread the word far and wide across the globe and you can make a difference. I admire his fortitude, bravery and kindness.
So welcome to this month’s France Buying Guide newsletter. Do remember we are all here to help you fulfil your dream of buying a home in France. I welcome your comments/letters/emails and you will always receive a personal reply.
Happy reading and my very best regards to you as we welcome spring to our world!
Moving to France is one thing and it takes a while to become established in your new home. If you are contemplating working in France, take heart: it IS possible but you may have to jump few a through hoops before you find your niche. But then hoops are there to be jumped through aren’t they? You can do a certain amount of research before you move to France but do also bear in mind that once you are there, other opportunities may present themselves and it may be a case of getting to know your area, meeting people and simply putting yourself about.
In any event, here are some important matters to consider before you decide what you want to do and what you CAN do. First things first:
1. Language
The bottom line here is that unless your French is really up to scratch, you are unlikely to get a job which a French person could do just as well. I always advocate learning as much French as you can for general communication and integration purposes in your new life in France but, in the job market, you will have to take a long view as to what you can usefully offer an employer if your French is still somewhat basic. That said, you may well find a job where English is more important than French such as teaching English, in an Anglo/French company or among the large English expat community. Think about what you can offer and take it from there – and continue to brush up your French!
2. Practical steps
Scan the pages of English language newspapers in France such as The Connexion or The French Paper. Look also at newspapers such as The Guardian, The Times or the International Herald Tribune for secretarial and management jobs.
Put an ad in a French newspapers such as Le Monde or Le Figaro
Dust off your CV and publish it on websites offering work (check out French google on: www.google.fr)
Once you are in France take a look at ANPE, the French job centre. This has offices in most towns (www.anpe.fr)
Temping may be an option and a good short term solution, plus it is a good way of becoming familiar with the French workplace. Check out Adecco which has temp work in many fields (www.adecco.fr)
3.Starting a business
Beware the rather draconian French bureaucracy but if you do have an idea for a small business and have done some research into the field you are contemplating, there is no reason why you should not be successful. As always, a visit to your local Mairie is a good start. You will begin to get a feel for your neighbourhood and may be able to find out what is needed there: for example, a garden or cleaning service may be welcome in your village.
4.Thinking outside the box
Once you are settled in France, ask around your locality for jobs such as babysitting, gardening, DIY, dog walking. You will find most communes have excellent networks and if you simply would like to earn some pocket money, there may well be something for you in your village/town. The more you involve yourself in local life, the more likely you are to eventually find your niche.
5.Yellow Pages
Or Pages Jaunes in French. Set aside one afternoon once you are in France and go to your local library or post office and take a look, armed with pen and paper. Write down all the companies to whom you think you could offer your services. You may be inspired by what you find there and this could have the added advantage of allowing you to really get to know your area.
Do bear in mind that wages are often lower in France than in the UK, particularly in rural areas. There may be more work in the summer months in areas which attract large numbers of tourists. But do look on the positive side: you may be earning less but your quality of life will be far superior!
If you would like more specific help with job hunting in France, do let us know and we will be happy to help you further. Just go to:
Whoever wins the next general election may well inherit a “poisoned chalice”.
The UK is in a mess, as are a lot of other countries throughout the world. Economically the UK is not sure if it is on the road to recovery or likely to fall back into recession. And this is after the huge amount of money the Bank of England has pumped into the UK economy over the last 12 months in an effort to kick-start the economy.
The government is continuing to have to borrow huge amounts of money to fund the budget shortfall because government costs exceed tax inflows. Also we continue to see a large balance of payments deficit, where the amount of money leaving the country exceeds the amount of money coming in. Not a pretty picture.
Personal taxes are being increased to help fund the budget deficit but I wonder if this is counter productive as people tend to avoid taxes if they believe they are being taxed too highly.
Here in the UK it seems that people who are able to get up and go are doing so, moving to countries where the tax regime is friendlier. When you are going to have pay tax at 50 per cent plus national insurance, plus value added tax on most of your purchases, plus council tax, it does make you wonder how much you actually pay to the government out of each pound you earn.
We have also seen an increase in the unemployed, who now will not be paying tax. In fact, they will end up as additional cost as they access their State benefits.
Company profits are also suffering and so tax revenues from companies are falling. It would be a great surprise if company tax was increased as the need to keep the recession from returning is viewed as key.
So, if the tax income cannot be increased, what is the government able to do? Apparently, under Gordon Brown we have enjoyed, prior to the recession, improving employment. The truth appears to be that the public sector has seen increasing employment while the private sector has seen a decreasing number employed. It seems to be a case of smoke and mirrors - all an illusion.
And we have to remember, we have to pay interest on the government debt which has to be paid out of our tax revenues. So the problem seems to be spiralling out of control; increasing interest payments on government debt, reduced tax revenues as people leave or avoid tax or become unemployed and company’s profits fall and increasing costs as we pay State benefits to the unemployed.
So what options are left? The most obvious one is cutting government costs. Apparently government costs now exceed 50 per cent of the UK economy. Quite frightening especially when, when Labour came to power, it was only 40 per cent. We also have to remember that the UK economy has expanded in the intervening period.
The Irish have attacked their government cost base with great vigour on the basis that the sooner they sort out their finances the sooner the country will emerge from their problems. They have cut jobs and cut salaries. Not everyone is happy but it needed to be done.
In the UK we have a general election coming up and no government is going to commit political suicide by taking such dramatic action. This of course is exacerbating the problem as costs exceed revenues and debts continue to rise.
But, assuming a hung Parliament is avoided and one party does take control, then costs will need to be cut. There would not be a choice, because the UK is very dependent on the inflow of money from international investors and they would not accept the current situation long term – and they will require the UK to balance the books.
But how will the unions or their members take this? Not well, is my most optimistic view and I am sure we are in for some unwelcome strikes. Also, we will have tougher economic times. House prices are likely to fall; pay rises to be non existent and job security at best tenuous. And this is what the electorate will remember when the next election comes around – the pain and despair. They will forget who was originally responsible for it all.
So will Brown or Cameron be pleased to be voted in? Without doubt, as politics seems to be more about egos than helping the nation.
It is a lifetime ambition to be voted in by the British electorate as Prime Minister. Also, neither of them will get another chance – because if they fail, they will lose the leadership of their respective parties. But, if elected, they will not be able to duck the tough decisions, however unpleasant they are – and they may wish they had never arrived at their destiny!
Remember, in these times of doom and gloom, you can get expert advice and assistance from the experts at Smart Currency. Let’s face it, we need to make our money work for us in the tough days ahead. By using a currency company like Smart, you can save up to 4 per cent on the exchange rate your high street bank will offer and that can mount up as you move your money abroad or bring it back into the UK! There are also mechanisms that will allow you to plan your currency exchange rate well into the year ahead…
It’s often the people that wait until the last minute that are forced into buying at the worst times – don’t let that be you. Request a Quote from Smart Currency Exchange below or give a ring today to discuss your options!
Rod recently made a transfer through Smart and I thought you would like to read the amazing testimonial he wrote for us:
My wife and I have just bought a house in France and were astounded at the amount of money we saved on transferring our money into euros. We dealt with James at Smart Currency Exchange who gave us excellent advice on watching the rate over the last few weeks. We decided to lock the rate in when the pound had gained a little in strength, which James did for us quickly and effortlessly.
I asked my bank for the rate they would have given me on the same day and worked out that we saved over £8,000 by using Smart, the price of our recently bought left-hand car!
I would not hesitate to recommend Smart to anyone. Not only is a large saving guaranteed, their service is second to none. In this age of waiting to be put through to the right person on the phone or having to press buttons, there was not one occasion when James did not answer immediately and take the time to explain everything to me courteously and as if I was his most important client.
Thank you so much Smart - we will be using you many times again in the future.
Rod Stratfold
The Taxman Cometh...
I think you will agree with me when I say that, on planning to move abroad, keeping the taxman happy can be very important.
I was recently reminded of my move abroad; a really good friend of mine has fallen into a trap that I avoided - he left South Africa without actually going through the emigration process - and therefore the final tax process too. His wife has a British passport so there was no problem when it came to moving to Britain, but the problem has arisen now that his mother has died and he wants to transfer the balance of his inheritance to the UK.
If he had officially emigrated this process would have been comparatively easy and much more tax-friendly but, since he did not do so, it has become a highly complex process.
Plus of course there is the added problem of trying to get things done from a distance. It took me a full month of visits and endless phone calls to tax and government offices in South Africa before I finally had all the papers I needed to formally emigrate – I don’t want to think of the frustration and the cost of trying to do this from abroad. Quite apart from anything else, it was a personal relationship that I forged with one of the people in the tax office that finally ‘cracked the case’! Incidentally, a word to the wise: never lose sight of the personal touch and of being remorselessly pleasant and patient throughout. A few tantrums and ill temper can delay you by weeks as obstructive staff may decide that it’s payback time!
You obviously need to make sure in your own mind that you intend to remain abroad, but once you are absolutely sure of this – as I was – you need to go into all the tax implications of your move in order so that you get the most possible value from your savings.
You may be surprised to hear that many Brits end up actually paying more tax than they need to when they emigrate. It’s all down to exactly when you leave the country. I was surprised to learn that you may even be owed a refund: it has something to do with unused allowances and varies by the month, peaking for lower income earners in July and higher earners if they leave in August. You need the input of a good IFA (independent financial advisor) here to make sure that you time your move correctly.
I must hastily add that I am no tax expert and you need to take good professional advice, but did you know that there is a completely legal way to save on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) when you come to sell your property/properties?
If you have rental or holiday properties as well as the home you live in, the real saving comes if at some stage you have used the property as your Principal Private Residence or PPR. Principle Private Residence relief means you don't pay CGT on gains you make when selling your main home - and you can also make use of it for other properties you own too.
You can still benefit from PPR by using your rental or holiday properties as your main home at some point before you sell it. This will give you the last three years worth of growth free from CGT as well as the period in which you live there. HM Revenue and Customs does not specify how long you need to have lived there, but may ask for proof such as phone and utility bills, electoral address etc.
If you let the property out at some stage you will be entitled to up to £40,000 letting relief against your capital gain and this is available for each owner - so if it is in joint names, this doubles to a maximum £80,000. However, letting relief is only applicable to properties which have at some point been your main home.
Legal fees and stamp duty count as part of the cost of buying a property, as do selling costs such as estate agent fees - and these can be offset against any gains. In other words, any costs incurred in the buying of the property (lawyer’s fees, surveys etc.) plus in the selling of the property such as agent’s fees are taken off your capital gain before taking any CGT allowances into account. This can be further lowered by calculating the costs of any capital improvements.
If any significant alterations have been made to the property while you have owned it, the cost of these can also be taken off the gain. Minor things like painting and fixing a broken window do not count though. Again, expert advice would be welcome here: the rule of thumb is keeping every receipt!
Also, remember that if you have let your property as a corporate rental to a trading company or business, you may qualify for the much more generous business asset taper relief, giving you a 75% discount on your capital gain after only two years.
I know that much of this may be ‘slamming the stable door after the horse has bolted’, but if you are taking a long term view of moving abroad you may still be able to use this info.
Once again, it’s all down to planning and homework. Not a minute of the planning I did was time wasted and, in the end, it allowed me to move seamlessly and with the minimum of trouble.
I cannot stress enough that this is a really involved subject, one that requires expert advice. However, what I want to achieved is to make you aware that choices do exist, perfectly legal ones that could end up saving you thousands of pounds.
Also, Smart Currency has put out a brilliant FREE relocation report. One of the toughest lessons I learned was that I should have used a currency company to transfer my money abroad rather than my high street bank. Why? Well, this report will explain all that and tell you how to save money…always useful! If you would like this report please go to:
As an owner - or a potential owner - of a home overseas, you will already understand the importance of protecting your valuable asset. Until now it has been hard to find an insurer who provides comprehensive protection combined with a flexibility that covers all eventualities.
I am delighted to tell you that we have found such an insurance provider that provides comprehensive cover against all eventualities for holiday homes. Whether your home is occupied or not, or let short term or long, their policies are ideal for property abroad and are flexible and designed to meet your specific needs.
One of the key advantages is the UK-based English speaking team that resolves any problems that may arise. In addition, all policy documentation is written in English, so you know exactly what you are getting.
Don't risk turning you dream home into a nightmare by not having the right insurance cover - for more information please contact me at 0207 898 0549 and let’s have a chat. Or go to the link below and fill in the insurance resources form. I will phone you to discuss this very important aspect of your property abroad.
The Overseas Guides Company (the OGC) was formed with the express aim of helping people to research and to solve the numerous questions and problems that arise when buying property and/or moving abroad.
Director of the company, Kim Brown, had seen up close and personal just how badly things can go wrong when her parents-in-law suffered at the hands of unethical people when buying a property in Spain. It all ended disastrously and Kim decided then and there that this should not be allowed to happen to others.
The OGC Resource Centre team help educate overseas property buyers on how to avoid pitfalls, minimise risks and save money! Talking to hundreds of people on a daily basis means that they have come across most of the problems that can arise and, in many cases, have been able to help resolve them.
Here’s what a happy OGC reader has to say:
“…Let me say how happy Philip and I are with your [OGC Resource Centre] service. You have opened so many doors for us….I like to take things one step at a time, to fully take on board every situation, but I could never have been prepared for the multitude of options that you have presented us with. …You can be sure that we will be using your recommendations because we are gaining more and more confidence in your company and that is all down to the interest you take and the advice you give”
Just pick up the phone at 0207 898 0549 and the OGC Resource Team will be happy to help you. The team is available Mon-Fri from 9am to 6pm. You are under no obligation to use any of the recommendations and this service is absolutely free at the moment, so give them a ring today or complete the form at:
Contrary to ‘the movies’, dreams usually come true only after a lot of hard work, planning and dedicated effort rather than just good luck…Here is an email from one of my readers (abbreviated slightly):
Unfortunately, we have no definite time line. We want to have one [overseas property], BUT with 3 teenagers in school here in Cork, Ireland, our Dream of moving abroad must wait.
We have purchased the Guide from you and love reading through it. We just have to wait ...maybe not as long as we think....maybe, just maybe we can purchase sooner than we realize. If we can go on a holiday or two in the coming few years....then....hopefully we will know exactly the place where our Heaven lies!
It is so wonderful to get all your expertise in the Guide, so glad I fell upon your site and purchased it. We TALK, THINK and DREAM of (buying abroad) each and every day.
So thanks again for all your news and updates, keep them coming! Love hearing from you - well done!!!
Best Regards,
Paula and Michael.
Plan exactly what it is you want from your dream. Travel there and find out the location that suits you best. Factor into the equation things like access, transport, cost and so on and read the France Property Buying Guide if you have not already done so. To order your copy, go to: http://www.FranceBuyingGuide.com/guide.htm
To get more information on each guide on offer, please select the country below:
We are making good progress in our lovely big house in Languedoc Roussillon. If you are not already following my blog and would like to know how we are getting on week by week, you can do so here: http://francepropertybuyingguide.blogspot.com/ This is a massive project and occasionally it is hard to know what to do next! We had a breakthrough last week though when we found the most charming local family firm of builders. They came when they said they would, got on with the job, were reasonably priced and seemed to take pride in their work. Our kitchen is now open; they took down a supporting wall between it and the next room so we can now see the wonderful space and will be able to design a proper kitchen/dining room. Here it is in its raw beauty!
I am always touched to receive so many emails in response to this newsletter. We are always striving to make them even better and would love to know if there is something you would like us to cover in future issues so please do feel free to email me if you have any thoughts on this. Equally, if you have a story you would like to tell us, let us know and we will include it.
My own story continues and I would like to share with you our progress over the coming months so watch this space!
I leave you with a lovely testimonial from one of our readers, Lezley Anne Irving.
Dear Alexis, your guide most definitely will save me money, as I was not aware of currency exchanges and would probably have used a bank instead. I also knew nothing about leaseback schemes. I found the guide extremely well laid out and a joy to read.
Warm regards,
Lezley
I wish you as many happy and light evenings as we are having here in France and urge you to continue to follow your dream of owning a property in France.
