The places are normally converted from old farm buildings and because of this they have a wonderful architectural style that is very French. Today, most of these buildings have all of the facilities you would expect in a holiday villa and are in very appealing locations for anyone who is looking for a relaxing getaway. Most of these buildings are privately rented and there are many websites with information about one’s you can stay in.

The difference in prices between gite’s can vary enormously and if you are on a budget it is easy to find a simple gite with basic facilities. On the other hand if you have more money to spend you are going to be able to rent something that would be equivalent to a luxury villa.

Many of these more expensive locations have large swimming pools and high-tech facilities. If you are looking for a location with a bit more charm than your average holiday home then considering staying in a gite can be a great idea for your next holiday to France.

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Areas that are attracting the wealthy are the least affected in the downturn and these are areas of France – most notably the Alps and other areas of southern France, as well as the Algarve region of Portugal. The fact that the very wealthy have remained less affected by the economic downturn has meant that the areas with the highest property values have maintained their value. Other such areas include some of Italy’s high end locations and certain Spanish islands including Mallorca.

UK buyers consider several factors when choosing where to invest in a second home. One of the most influential factors is proximity to an airport as this can significantly reduce the travel time required to get to the home. Other important factors include having a well developed tourism infrastructure and whether there are good bars and beaches close to the home. Children’s entertainment as well as golf courses are also an important factor.

In France, Italy and Switzerland, buyers have typically opted for older, traditional style properties, while in the US and Cyprus, and also albeit to a lesser extent in Spain and Portugal, investors have tended to buy more modern properties. This reflects the volume of new build development in these locations.

Holiday home owners like outdoor living, reflected in their preference for balconies and terraces with their properties. Buyers like the modern conveniences of their primary home to be available in their holiday homes. Internet connection is on the rise, particularly in long haul destinations. Air conditioning is in half of properties and 80% of home owners have access to either a private or shared swimming pool.

More than half (55%) of our survey respondents said that income generated from letting their property partially covered costs, helping them to mitigate against current global economic conditions. More interestingly, almost a third of respondents said that rental income completely covered their costs and 13% indicated it made them a comfortable profit: Over one in 20 holiday homes generated in excess of £30,000 per annum.

A 2011 survey of more than one thousand tourists who were looking to rent holiday properties showed that similar to traditional overseas buying trends, Spain, France, the UK, Italy, Portugal and the United States topped the list of favourite destinations. They were followed by areas in south eastern Europe, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, with Ireland in tenth place. These are typically summer destinations, with almost 80% of holiday rental requests being for the months April to September, with peaks in July and August.

In areas where prices are thought to have bottomed-out, most notably in selected US locations, investors are now looking at high yield potential and capital appreciation opportunities that will come with recovery. This demonstrates that appetite for investment has not disappeared.

There are investment opportunities where low house prices and high rental income can generate strong yield potential, especially in areas of the Caribbean, such as the British Virgin Isles and parts of the US, South Africa, the Spanish islands and in Portugal’s Algarve region. This demonstrates that despite comparably low capital values in these locations, holiday home rental demand supported by strong tourism fundamentals, remains strong.

Rebecca Gill, research analyst at Savills International and the author of the report, said: “Clearly, holiday home owners and tourists share similar preferences for overseas properties. Strong underlying “lifestyle demand” for a property helps to support an investment case. It is these fundamentals that drive longer term capital appreciation and attract rental income.”

Tim Boughton, General Manager, HomeAway.co.uk commented “The holiday rentals market is one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry with around one in five people now opting for this type of accommodation over a hotel due to the value and experience it offers. This is good news for today’s lifestyle-motivated buyers as it generally means they can be assured of a strong rentals market which will help contribute towards costs.”

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There are some important steps that can be taken to avoid pitfalls when buying property in the country. First off, it might be a good idea to learn some of the language. The French are a very polite nation and learning even a few words of the language will show that you have made an effort with it. This will make the French much more willing to deal with you. Learning a few essential phrases will also make you feel more confident in your interactions.

It is not easy to learn a language but it will probably be worth it as you will be able to understand what the seller of the house might be saying when he thinks you do not understand. Most people in France won’t do this, but it can be useful if you are in a situation when there is someone who does.

Even if you are fluent in the French language, you probably won’t understand the paperwork required to purchase a house. The internet is your friend here and there are numerous sites advising on the legal process and about hiring a ‘Notaire’ – a type of lawyer who will help you. Make sure when getting advice from a site that it is not pushing its own agenda.

Those looking to buy a property in France will want to consider hiring a consultant or an interpreter. This person will certainly make the buying process easier but they can be very expensive. The French land law system is very different to the UK with regard to issues such as rights of access or what planning regulations may need to be followed. You should research into whether hiring someone is something you will need.

If you choose to hire a French agent they may assume that you are as knowledgeable about the laws as their local clients. The buying system is very different so educate yourself, or hire someone who is English speaking and educated in such things. That said, the agents will be very helpful as you are the client after all. If you don’t know something, do not be afraid to ask them, they will probably know the answer and if not, they will try and find out.

To sum up the advice about buying property in France: do not be afraid to ask questions and make sure that you fully comprehend the answers. If the agent doesn’t understand, rephrase and ask again. If you don’t understand, ask them to repeat themselves until you do.

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Town or Country?

Property on the French Riviera remains among the most expensive, but also prestigious, in the world and with such a beautiful capital city one would expect Paris to be a very expensive buy as well but property in Paris remains a good long-term investment. In France, new properties are widely available and include coastal and city apartments, ski and golf developments, and a wide range of individually designed houses and chalets. It must be said that most new French properties are part of purpose-built developments, often located along the coast or in mountain areas, encompassing a golf course, swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, a gym or fitness club, and a restaurant. British purchasers of French property need to understand that the French purchase procedure for property is somewhat different to the norm in the UK, the French have different Building Surveys and their own version of the Home Buyers Report.

North or South?

Some of the most popular areas for buyers of French property include Paris, the Loire Valley, the South of France (particularly the French Riviera or Côte d’Azur and Provence), south-west France (e.g. Charente, Dordogne and Gascony), and of course Brittany and Normandy, which are particularly popular with the British. Winter holiday homes in French alpine ski resorts are also popular, especially in fashionable resorts such as Chamonix. Properties in French ski resorts are usually an excellent investment and also make fine summer holiday homes, especially if you’re a keen hiker. But do remember that French properties are built differently than in the UK, they not only look different, but tend to use different techniques and materials, so don’t expect a UK Building Survey to be of enormous help!

Big or Small?

Apart from obvious points such as size, quality and land area, the most important factor influencing a house valuation in France is its location. A restored or modernised two-bedroom house in the north-west (e.g. Normandy) but sells for double or treble that price in the south-east (e.g. Provence), so don’t rely on a one size fits all assumption for house valuations, France is a huge country. Similarly, the closer you are to the coast or Paris the more the house valuation is.

A farmhouse with a barn and a large plot of land in North West France will have the same house valuation or cost as a tiny studio apartment in Paris or on the Côte d’Azur. Property in ski resorts varies considerably in price according to the resort and the location of the property.

Help financing your French property in France is well worth investigating, mortgages are available from all major French banks (both for residents and non-residents) and many foreign banks and by using local services you will get the right building survey and equivalent of the HomeBuyer Report.

Article courtesy of www.direct-valuations.com

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Orange is currently the largest mobile phone provider in France and it is a brand that is largely owned and operated by France Telecom. It operates using a number of universal network technologies and this included high speed 3G networking with HSPA connectivity for unrivalled mobile internet access and seamless downloads. Orange provides a number of deals for customers and it is a key partner for smartphone manufacturer Apple, bringing the iPhone to consumers before any other network. A variety of price plans including pay monthly and pay as you go options are available from Orange and if you are after entry level mobiles rather than high end smartphones it has great value handsets on offer.

SFR is France`s second largest mobile phone provider and it is partially owned by Vodafone, which means it acts as a partner network for any UK customers arriving on the continent. It supports 3G networking for high speed data transfers via mobile phone and it champions a number of different smartphones, including those which use the Google Android operating system. Amongst its price plans of the pay monthly variety you can pick up deals which give you the first few months of the service free of charge and this is applied across a wide range of contracts as long as you sign up for a minimum of 12 months. Delivery on all of its new mobiles is free of charge and if you are not satisfied with your purchase or service there is a conditional money back guarantee.

Bouygues Telecom currently services the third largest mobile user base in France and it has competitive pricing and offers which allow it to stack up against its larger rivals. Its motto is that the mobile user should not only have freedom of movement, but also freedom of choice and as such it has a number of customisable packages and price plans to examine. Many of its offers are exclusively open to online transactions, so it is worth keeping tabs on its website if you want to get the best possible deal. Each package includes a set number of inclusive minutes and texts each month, starting with one hour of talk time on the cheapest deal and going right up to 40 hours or more depending on your needs. you can choose either a 12 or 24 month contract and the longer commitment period will get you a cheaper monthly price.

Choosing one of these three major French providers or one of the smaller alternatives can be difficult, particularly if you are looking to make cheap calls abroad by picking up a locally sourced mobile phone and contract. However, if you use price comparison online you will be able to seek out the ideal plan for you.

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Throughout the rest of France, climate and temperatures vary by region and altitude. In Lyon, for example, with an elevation of 200 metres, average July temperatures are 21 degrees. Bordeaux, at an elevation of 47 metres, averages 19 degrees in July. The coastal areas are the most moderate, due to the sea breezes. The rainiest area is in Brittany, which receives a lot of rain from October to December.

In the south, along the Mediterranean coast and encompassing the cities of Nice, Marseille, and Cannes, rain falls more in the spring and autumn than it does in the rest of the year. In the summer, it is generally hot and dry. Strong winds, each with their own characteristics, are particular to many areas. In Provence, the strong winds are known as Le Mistral, which blow in from the north and bring with them dry and often clear weather. The wind can be felt throughout the Rhone Valley and along the Cote d’Azur; it also affects parts of Italy. Other strong winds in the area include the Sirocco, which is a violent wind that comes from the Sahara and brings dusty, dry weather with it.

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The French have always taken advantage of the sea’s bounty and the rich soil, which produces colourful and tasty produce as well as some of the world’s finest wines.

National favourites include steak and fried potatoes, chicken in wine called coq au vin, goose liver known as foie gras, and a rich fish soup known as Bouillabaisse. Common French desserts include chocolate mousse, a rich broiled custard called crème brulee, rich fruit tarts including a caramelised apple tart known as a tarte tatin. While French food has a national history and shared characteristics, regional differences add interest while travelling and dining in France.

While much of French cuisine incorporates potatoes, mushrooms, leeks, chicken, beef, veal, apples, cherries, and oranges, many regional specialties treat these raw ingredients differently.  For example, in Bordeaux, the local red wine enhances many of the area’s special dishes, as do the locally produced ewe’s milk cheeses. The Loire Valley is known for its delicious fruits and mushrooms, and Orleans is well known for its speciality vinegars. Lyon is famous for its locally produced sausage.

Wine is a specialty in France, with each region claiming its own local variety. In addition to the wines from Bordeaux, there are Burgundies and Champagnes from those regions.

France is also well known for its bread and the skills of the pastry chefs. The long skinny baguette, with its soft interior and crusty outside, is known throughout the world as French bread.

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However the recent drop in strength of the British Pound against the Euro has made many people in the UK think twice about taking a holiday on the European mainland. That said aside, longer term lets are still sought as even with the economic downturn many Brits attracted by the slower pace of life and lower general living costs continue to house hunt for a property of their own in France.

Another problem facing gite owners today is that due to the influx of Brits over the last few years (many of whom decide on running gites in France or a chambre d’Hote B&B) within the most sought after regions there is something of an over-abundance of holiday gite accommodation.

As soon as you add to this excess of gites the short length of the peak tourist season it quickly becomes clear why the majority of gite and villa landlords are struggling to continue to keep their business feasible let alone profitable.

Offering long term lets of a month or more can give owners the ability to get the most out of their properties earnings potential. By opting to offer short term, holiday gite rental in the summer months and then long term lets off-peak and even over the winter period a property owner in France can begin make the most from their gite.

The potential of renting out a property purely for longer term rental can be attractive to many owners. Even with the downturn in the pound, the market for long term lets in France remains a healthy one, popular not only with house-hunters looking to rent a place before they buy but with French nationals too. Many young French families choose to rent long term, often for periods of two to three years and in some cases, much longer.

A long term let could indeed become a regular income source for a landlord coupled with less work due to numerous changeovers involved when providing short term, gite accommodation.

I would strongly advise property landlords and prospective tenants alike to seek relevant, professional advice from a French Notaire before entering into any form of rental agreement or contract.

Steve Ellis runs LetsRentPropertyInFrance.com, a website offering a wide range of properties available for long term lets or holiday gites/villas in France. He is unsure why he is writing about himself in the third person.

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The France Show 2009 continues to sign up the best Chefs, wine experts, travel writers, tour operators, property developers, estate agents and financial experts to accompany the array of features including live cooking demonstrations by Jean-Christophe Novelli, Can Can dancers, live musicians and caricaturists.

Other attractions on show will be a single storey green Oak timber frame construction by S.Harlow Period Oak, a ‘free-to-play’ Petanque court which has been sponsored by legendary French drinks brand Ricard, and a luxurious mobile home from Siblu Exclusif which proved very popular all weekend last year.

As you would expect, food at the show will be nothing but the finest, prepared and served on site by London’s oldest French eatery, Mon Plaisir and modern cuisine specialists Café des Amis.

There are some great competitions to be won at the show including a boating holiday on France’s rivers including ferry crossing from Le Boat and Brittany Ferries; with lots more exciting promotions detailed on the website at: www.thefranceshow.com/visitor-promotions.asp.

The official show website is www.thefranceshow.com.

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Going to Gascony this summer? You might be interested in this new book by Martin Calder.

Martin Calder’s A Summer in Gascony evokes the spirit, sights, smells and sounds of this still relatively unknown and unspoiled ‘other South of France’. It is a perfect read for summer. Calder, a senior lecturer in French at the University of Bristol, has a PhD in eighteenth-century French literature. He is a true Francophile who has come to know the people of Gascony and understands their way of life.It is a tale of two love affairs: an idyllic summer romance with blond-haired Anja and and a lifelong love affair with Gascony, with its village festivals, dusty roads and sun-baked wine country, which endures to this day.

In the tiny hamlet of Péguilhan, Martin Calder is introduced to the Gascon way of life: working in the fields, shepherding and slaughtering sheep, feeding the cattle, harvesting the wheat, watering the crops. He discovers a unique people, fiercely proud of their independent heritage.
As an Englishman, he finds himself more welcome than he expected. Old affinities exist between England and Gascony: they fought for years against a common foe – the French! – and Gascony exported huge quantities of wine to slake the thirst of mediaeval Englishmen.

Told with charm and gentle humour, A Summer in Gascony is full of colourful characters: the charismatic and convivial Jacques-Henri, the hardworking farmer whose family take Martin into their home; Anja, the German student who steals Martin’s heart: the yoga-practising Germans; Pattes, the mischievous stray dog; Madame ‘Parle-Beaucoup’, the town gossip and Monsieur Fustignac, whose pride in his Gascon heritage is unforgettable.

But the real star of the book is Gascony itself, with its strong spirit of independence and the simple pleasures it provides.

“This engaging recollection of an unforgettable summer… replete with regional culinary delights, smells, sights and sounds of Gascony, is a sensory feast. Highly recommended.”
Michelle Dixon, French Magazine Book Club

“A charming and nostalgic account, written in an accessible and down-to-earth style, this book offers an insider’s perspective of Gascony. I felt entirely satisfied with this read and keen to sample Gascony’s rural pleasures for myself.”
Becci Sargent, French Magazine Book Club

“A Summer in Gascony accurately describes what it is like to live in this wonderful part of France. Characters like Jacques-Henri and Madame Parle-Beaucoup can be encountered in many of the small villages and hamlets scattered across Gascony – proud, warm-hearted people who welcome visitors into their hearts and homes. Martin’s experiences and vivid descriptions allow his readers to travel, eat and drink their way through a summer in Gascony from the comfort of an armchair.”
Nick and Karen Kitchener, Domaine do Lauroux Winery

To enter the competition all you need is to sign up for our destination france newsletter. Competition closes midnight 8 August 2008.

If you can’t wait to see if you win, you can purchase the book by clicking on the link below:

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