French mortgage rates 1.8%, good news for your French property plans.

The French mortgage rates have touched their lowest ever, below 2%, ideal for an investment in France. French mortgages have always been a good option for investors as they are locked for long periods up to 25 years.

Since the pound sterling exchange rate has declined over the last 2 years the French mortgage interest rates have declined also. The interest you would have paid on a French mortgage has therefore declined by over 40% for a 20 year period.

This would mean today’s loss on the exchange rate has been offset by the interest rate decline.

Best rates at the moment can be obtained for a 80% LTV of 1.8% over 20 years, and this rate is fixed for that whole period. This can be obtained for properties all over France.

If you have savings already locked up given yield of over 2% then it’s worth leaving them untouched and obtaining a mortgage instead. You would also be protected by the current trampoline exchange rates we are experiencing presently.

Cle France Mortgage Options...

Looking for more spending power? 'The Banks' will only try and sell you their own tired products!

For the vast majority of people looking for property in France, and especially non-resident buyers, it is much quicker and much more effective to use the services of a experienced and qualified Independent Mortgage Broker.

An Independent Mortgage Broker will look at your specific circumstances then look through a selection of lenders to find you the best possible Mortgage product for your specific requirements, it is so obvious when you think about it!

We have 2 clear options for you

Option 1 would be a French Bank Mortgage or option 2 is UK Bank Mortgage.

It does not matter if you have not found your perfect French House yet, you can still start planning for when you do buy into your French property dream so in no particular order choose from our 2 options, just think about the one that best suits your circumstances and you can discuss your plans on a 'no obligation' basis, International, UK based or the leading French mortgage arranger.

Both Cle France Partners will be willing to advise you on a no obligation basis: 

OPTION 1 : English Speaking French Mortgage Broker

Aurore Davis is our English speaking French Mortgage broker at 'Vous Financer' the French Mortgage Experts, Aurore is our main English speaking advisor, born in Paris she speaks perfect English as she has lived and worked in London for many years after working in Paris.

Whether you have found the perfect French home for sale or still looking at the options for buying French property, Cle France and Aurore Davis at Vous Financer can help you to find the best mortgage out there.

OPTION 2 : UK borrowing for overseas buying

Tim Durkin of STAG Mortgages and Insurance services may have the borrowing / mortgage solution for you.

We are proud to work in partnership with STAG Mortgage & Insurance Services. Tim Durkin is your specialist contact in this British owned and managed company.

Contact them by clicking the links above - you have nothing to lose!

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

The recent Brexit vote in the UK has left many people wondering about the future of the EU. One aspect in particular has been questioned: the role of l’anglais (English) now that the UK is no longer a member, and the role of the other langues de travail (working languages), French and German.

The role of French in the EU has greatly diminished since its creation. Les Français (the French) were not always pleased with this and until recently were sometimes very vocal about the issue. L’ex-président français (the former French president), Jacques Chirac, famously left une reunion (a meeting) à Bruxelles when the French businessman, Ernest-Antoine Seillière, said:

"I will express myself in English because it is the language of business"

Jacques Chirac was not impressed.

Any linguistic tension has mostly died down in the past decade, although les Français are still known to make mistakes. It has become almost universally accepted that l’anglais is the main langue de travail.

Cependant, tout a changé !

However, is everything about to change?

Is The Future Of The EU French?

According to EU law, members are allowed one official language, and seulement le Royaume-Uni (only the United Kingdom) chose l’anglais as its official language in the EU.

Mais il y a d’autres pays anglophones dans l’Union européenne ?

But there are other English speaking countries in the European Union?

Tous les autres pays anglophones (all the other English speaking countries) chose a different language as their official language dans l’UE.

L’Irlande (Ireland) chose le gaélique irlandais (Irish Gaelic)

Malte (Malta) chose le maltais (Maltese)

Le Chypre (Cyprus) chose le grec (Greek)

Having one of those countries change their language or adding l’anglais as a separate official language would be very hard to do.

Changing a language would require a unanimous vote, and it’s always difficult to get tous les pays (all the countries) to agree on something.

Allowing un pays (a country) to have two official languages or allowing a non-member language into the EU would open up the question for other languages used throughout the continent like le catalan, le corse, le russe, etc (Catalan, Corsican, Russian, etc).

The other issue is that en pratique (in practice), l’anglais is the most commonly used language across Europe. It is also the most commonly used langue de travail in l’Union européenne (with the notable exceptions of le parlement européen à Strasbourg and la Cour de justice européenne).

L’anglais is also spoken as a second language by environ (about) around 38% of Europeans. However, le français is spoken natively by environ 80 millions de personnes en Europe and l’allemand (German) by environ 100 millions de personnes en Europe.

Cela dit (that said), it looks like l’anglais will continue to be used as la langue véhiculaire (the lingua franca) of Europe and l’Union européenne, but the recent vote au Royaume-uni raises questions about the legality of its continued use.

En tout cas (in any case), the role of le français dans l’Union européenne will likely be discussed while these changes take place.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

Are you about to relocate for a major lifestyle and career change?

Pi Productions, the creators of Grand Designs and the reinvented MasterChef, are looking for couples and families planning to quit the rat race for a better life.

They are making a brand new documentary series for Channel 5 that follows people as they relocate to start a new life and a new business. This is an aspirational show, propelling people to follow their dreams.

Whether it’s moving to the countryside to run a farm, setting up a surf school by the sea or opening a BnB in a bustling new town, a Guest Gite business or vineyards we want to hear your story.

NEW PRIME-TIME CHANNEL 5 TV DOCUMENTARY IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE ABOUT TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES

We are looking for families or couples who are planning to ditch the 9 to 5 to pursue a career in something they are passionate about. We want to showcase the amazing lifestyle business opportunities out there and show what it takes to make a new business a success. 

Interested parties can email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give us a call on 0203 761 4522 or 0203 761 4569.

There is no pressure to take part at the initial enquiry stage.

Blog submitted by: Laura Coquereau at Pi Productions working with The French Property Network - Cle France.

Sterling surges to multi-month highs as "Remain" camp leads in 'Brexit' poll.

The pound has posted significant gains against a basket of currencies after the publication of an opinion poll by IPSOS Mori showed an 18% lead for the "Remain" camp.

With 55% likely to vote to stay in the EU compared to the 37% opting to leave, the pound clawed back recent losses, hitting the key psychological level of 1.3000 interbank (IB) versus the Euro – representing almost a 10 week high versus the single currency. 

We have also seen significant changes in the following currency pairs with the pound breaking through key levels.

The sensitivity that the pound currently has to the polls highlights the difficulty that investors face when trying to second guess the movement in exchange rates.

As we draw nearer to the Referendum we are likely to see increased volatility in all sterling crosses, so in order to stay ahead of the game, it is important that you speak to your dealer who will explain the options available to you.

Do you want more information ?

So if you need to buy or sell currency and would like to be kept up to date with all the latest data releases and exchange rate movements then feel free to contact myself Ben Amrany.

If you are buying or selling a house in France we will make sure your monies are in the right place at the right time, we work hand in hand with you, the notaire and Cle France.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.

Blog submitted by: Ben Amrany for The French Property Network - Cle France.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

The EU Referendum campaigns started today with David Cameron and Boris Johnson et-al touring the country to gain support for each side. Our blog pages have become a bit 'heavy' recently so we are trying to lighten the mood with our translation of the Eurovision song entry from France, watch it tonight and sing along!

It’s May, and for many Europeans, it’s the return of something very important. Non, je ne parle pas du soleil (no, I’m not talking about the sun), but Eurovision!

Not familiar with it? Basically, every participating country submits a singer and song to represent them. From there, the songs are performed in 2 semi-finals and a final, then the vote is decided via a jury and the public. You can read more about how that works on the post I wrote about France’s 2015 submission.

Last year, France picked Lisa Angell who performed “N’oubliez pas” Unfortunately, the song wasn’t very successful, garnering only 4 votes. Yikes.

France seems to have a pattern of doing a fun and catchy pop song one year followed by a slower song the next. “N’oubliez pas” was slow, so that means this year’s is fun and catchy! And it really is…

Cette année (This year), France chose 31-year-old Israeli-French singer/songwriter Amir to perform in the contest in Stockholm. “J’ai cherché” (I’ve Been Looking) was written by Amir, Nazim Khaled, and Johan Errami.

Here are the results after the semi-finals.

The following 10 countries qualified from semi-final 1:

Azerbaijan

Russia

The Netherlands

Hungary

Croatia

Austria

Armenia

Czech Republic

Cyprus

Malta

The following 10 countries qualified from semi-final 2:

Latvia

Georgia

Bulgaria

Australia

Ukraine

Serbia

Poland

Israel

Lithuania

Belgium

You may have noticed that France isn’t listed as a qualifier. As per the contest rules, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and the host country all perform in the final because they are the biggest monetary contributors in the contest.

Translation of the song into English

Want to hear this year’s entry? tune in tonight and the song already has some English in it, but the translation published below is courtesy of Eurovision’s official page.

J’ai cherché un sens à mon existence

I was looking for a sense in my existence

J’y ai laissé mon innocence

I have lost my innocence in doing so

J’ai fini le cœur sans défense

I finished my heart without defence

J’ai cherché

I was looking for

L’amour et la reconnaissance

Love and recognition

J’ai payé le prix du silence

I paid the price of silence

Je me blesse et recommence

I hurt myself to start again

Tu m’as comme donné l’envie d’être moi

You gave me like the need to be me

Donné un sens à mes pourquoi

Gave a sense to my whys

Tu as tué la peur

You killed the fear

Qui dormait là, qui dormait là

Sleeping there, sleeping there

Dans mes bras

In my arms

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

J’ai cherché un sens,

I was looking for a sense

un point de repère

A point of reference

Partagé en deux hémisphères

Divided into two hemispheres

Comme une erreur de l’univers

Like an error of the universe

J’ai jeté tellement de bouteilles à la mer

I threw so many bottles into the sea

J’ai bu tant de liqueurs amères

I drank so many bitter liqueurs

Que j’en ai les lèvres de pierre

That I got lips of stone from it

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

Au gré de nos blessures

According to our injuries

Et de nos désinvoltures

And to our casualness

C’est quand on n’y croit plus du tout

It’s when you don’t believe in at all,

Qu’on trouve un Paradis perdu

That you will find a paradise lost

En nous-ou-ou-ou-ou

Within u-u-us

Oh, you, you, you, you

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

You’re the one that’s making me strong

I’ll be looking, looking, looking for

You-ou-ou-ou-ou

Like the melody of my song

Like the melody of my song

Repeat x 2 and fade.

Everybody sing!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.