Welcome to the 19th newsletter - it is amazing how time flies past. Already this year we have had enquiries about buying in France from over 500 new clients. Whilst there is certainly strong interest for other European countries, UK buyers have certainly not changed their desire to own a property in France. Now is a good time to buy with prices stable, if not a bit lower than this time last year, and not subject to the steady increases of the years immediately following the New Millenium. Our sales team of Hayley, Bridget, Marcus & myself are confident that we have the best selection of properties for the Poitou Charentes area.

France is becoming increasingly accessible. The already excellent autoroutes are getting better, flights to regional airports are opening up on an almost monthly basis, and broadband is arriving in France making working from home an option for many more people.

Our new website www.frenchproperty4sale.com focusing on the whole of France rather than just the Poitou Charentes has started to generate traffic and French agents are starting to use this site as their marketing tool for the British market. It is still in its youth and promises to expand quite rapidly.

When buying or selling many people think about doing the whole thing privately and cutting out the agent. From a buyer's viewpoint the attraction is that you save on the agency fees - but ask yourself how did the vendor arrive at the asking price? How will you negotiate? Do you have the expertise to arrange a purchase in France? We offer a lot of pre and post sales support to clients. This will typically include arranging a mortgage or insurances, and also include the services of an English speaking Notaire, through to the use of a specialist currency dealer to transfer funds to France. Click here to request our guide to successful property purchase in France.

From a vendor's point of view, experience has proven that many try and then give up! The pricing issue is very hard to estimate. A property on the market at an inflated price will remain unsold, and with few viewings. Some vendors try to set up their own private websites hoping that enquiries will flood in, but inevitably they don't. Others use specific websites and then find that they get a rush of enquiries and viewings from total timewasters. That is why using an agent is important. Our results speak for themselves.

We regularly highlight the importance of using our currency specialists, and this true whether you are buying or selling. The value of using a currency dealer as opposed to your local bank will save you between 3 and 5% in general - a very significant amount in all cases.

Finally, some people appear suspicious about our claims for free telephone calls via "Skype". The number of clients using that facility has been lower than expected, but higher amongst the Scots!!! Perhaps that is proof enough ... Click here for our Skype link.

STOP PRESS ?
We have a selection of bar / restaurants available if somebody is looking for a lifestyle change. In addition we have a large farm of 50 Hectares for under 300,000 € just outside Poitiers.
We are pleased to welcome enquiries from the Irish market, where we know that many clients are looking for investment in projects such as homes overseas.