French Property News and ‘Le Cuvage’ in the Rhône-Alpes

We are here again with the December issue of French Property News in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes – the 4th chapter of the ‘Le Cuvage Story’. There will be more as we move into 2009!

That aside for the moment, French Property News has provided some further feedback on the state of the French property market in light of the ‘credit crunch’.

“French property survives credit crunch: FNAIM says prices remained stable in 2008” – The biggest association of French estate agents, FNAIM, has declared that property prices will likely turn in a stable result for the full year 2008. In its third-quarter report, the association claimed that resale property turned in strong results in the first quarter, but flat sales in the third quarter meant that the market was likely to end the year with a minute rise of 0.1%.

Property in France is still in high demand despite the current financial climate. the head of Knight Frank’s French desk, paul Humphreys, said: “We are currently experiencing a very strong demand for French.” Some 80% of UK buyers are still eager to purchase, he explained, though at a reduced price, and vendors will benefit from the current demand if they price their property rationally.

Meanwhile, France remains in the top 10 ‘hot spot’ destinations fro UK buyers. And with Spain’s property market in turmoil, 2009 may well be the year that France takes the top spot. Simon Conn, sales and marketing director at Conti Finance, comments on France’s position in the tables: “It’s not difficult to see why. Affordable prices, easy access and great weather have all contributed to the attraction of this destination.”

An increasingly attractive investment option, France accounts for 14% of all enquiries due to lower interest rates and property prices, and more recently, tax incentives introduced by Sarkozy to promote home ownership.

Returning to ‘Le Cuvage’, Brian and Lucy Franklin’s story of their discovery of the Roannais in the Rhône-Alpes, and their renovation and conversion of a large, ancient ‘Pressoir’ (wine-making barn), continues in the December issue of French Property News.

“All the world’s a stage” is the lead-in title of Brian Franklin’s article in this month’s issue. Following on from the November issue, where Brian talked about the first steps towards their ‘Grand Design’ project in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes, and the early stages of destruction and reconstruction. Now, as time moved on, and building work progressed, all their earlier plans and decisions were now coming to fruition.

As building continued during April and May 2005, they could certainly see massive progress: “The internal wall layouts seemed to be growing gradually out of the ground like rough-cut sculptures.”

Follow Brian and Lucy’s intriguing story each month in French Property News.

www. french-property-news.com

And visit www.purefrancenow.com for a fascinating insight into the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes. You can also find some great property opportunities as well as holidays, special gourmet week-ends, and different event options for businesses, clubs, associations, and private clients.