Clé France

Ceri, bon apres-midi.

Thank you so very much for putting our minds at rest regarding the monthly and annual charges.

Your service has been absolutely first class and I will make sure I let people know that.

Be assured, when... note I say when and not if !... we emigrate you will be the person we contact for insurance and not only health but vehicle and home.

Sincere thanks for all of your help.

June and Jeremy.

There is a lot of information on the Cle France website on House Insurance, Health Insurance, Auto & even Holiday Insurance and along with our partners Allainz Assurance we make sure we give good and timly advice, so together we make sure you have the right cover and the best possible service.

A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE this ideal holiday home, easy to run and 'lock up and leave' in a small village hamlet between l'Absie and Coulonges, only 30 minutes south of Bressuire, where there are all shops and services. 90 minutes from the Vendee coast and airports at Nantes and La Rochelle. 4-5 hours from the car ferries in Caen, Cherbourg and Le Havre.

ONLY 54500 euros including agency fees...

A well presented end cottage with attractive rural aspect. There is a small courtyard directly in front of the house with further gravelled garden with outbuildings across the lane. Parking spaces.

Entrance into open plan living room with kitchen area, stairs to first floor landing, good size double bedroom, shower room with WC.

Rooms in more detail: 

Ground Floor - Living/Dining/Kitchen - 33.00 m2 - Open Plan, exposed beams, exposed brickwork.

1st Floor - Bedroom - 23.00 m2.

Corridor - 3.00 m2 - landing and large cupboard.

Bathroom - 4.00 m2 - Hip Bath with shower over, WC and basin.

Cellar - 33.00 m2 - head height under living room, storage, sink and electric.

Local Taxes:

Taxe fonciere - 147 euros a year.

Taxe d'habitation : 204 euros  year.

Some of the furniture can be left if requeired: Dining Table and 4 chairs, Settee, Cooker (gas bottle), Buffet Unit, SuperKing Bed / Mattress, Other items (to be agreed), Washing Machine (top Loader - new), Misc items / fixtures and fittings.

Outside:

Courtyard, further courtyard with covered terrace and small outbuilding. Parking for 2 cars.

Mains drainage is connected to the property.

Estimated Notaire fees of 4633 euros.

Features: Parking space, Terrace, Outbuilding(s), Courtyard. Living area 62 m2 approx. Living room 33 m2 approx. Shower room (1st floor). Bedroom 1 (1st floor 23 m2).

The department of Deux Sevres is in the Poitou-Charentes region, in the western part of France below the Pays de la Loire region. In recent times this department has become an ever popular destination for French property buyers. Prices are still reasonable and one cannot help being seduced by the diverse cultural heritage, delicious local cuisine, seafood and of course the lovely rolling countryside.

Deux Sevres has a very mild climate, similar to that of Aquitaine and the Poitou-Charentes region, it is the second sunniest region of France where people adopt a relaxed, simple way of life ideal for holidays and leisure activities.

The transport links are very good too, with five international airports, the TGV (high speed train) in Niort can reach Paris in 2 hours, to Bordeaux in 1hrs 30mins and Toulouse in 4hrs 30mins. Good motorway links to Bordeaux, Nantes, Tours and Paris make it a great location.

Cle France are French Estate agents with agents across France in most regions and with over 8000 houses for sale in all price brackets and in all styles to suit everyone. This bi-lingual service will help you find the right property for you with the minimum of fuss.

NO HIDDEN FEES: The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of our agency in France, same as the price paid by the French buyer.

All quoted prices are INCLUSIVE OF AGENCY FEES (FAI): with Notaire's fees to be added (these average 7% to 8%).

OUR AGENTS: are all registered and insured in France, they are holders of the 'carte professionnelle'as required by French law.

So when you buy through Clé France: you have the benefit of a bi-lingual support team & can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway.

CONTACT US: to discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales.

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

Britons with second homes in French towns and cities will see their council tax rates rise by hundreds of euros a year after President Hollande’s government yesterday rounded on “wealthy foreigners” in a desperate attempt to raise money.

The move is designed to generate €150 million for local councils, and will hit anyone who has a second home in 28 cities and suburbs, including Paris and Nice.

No one with a second home in rural France will be affected.

 Holiday Homes for sale like this one (GTY01287) will not be affected.

The so-called weekend tax has been sold by President Hollande as a measure to address France’s housing crisis by claiming that it will encourage property owners to rent out their second homes. However, in truth, the levy is a means of raising new revenue for hard-up local councils from a group of people, many of whom do not have the vote.

The Socialist cabinet has recently been forced to slash state subsidies for local councils to try to meet calls from Brussels to cut the French budget deficit. At the end of last month, President Hollande was rattled by a threat from Brussels that it would reject his budget because it did not reduce the deficit significantly. The government then was forced to announce a €3.7 billion cut in subsidies for next year’s budget.

However, the tax has caused fierce controversy amid signs that the government was itself split over the measure. Under the plan disclosed by Michel Sapin, the finance minister, urban councils will be authorised to levy a tax equivalent to 20 per cent of the residency tax paid by all households for anyone with a second home in one of the prescribed 28 town areas.

This will add €90 to the rates on an average flat in Paris — which are among the lowest in France — but €200 to €300 in some of the capital’s suburbs and in other cities. All households pay at least one type of council tax — a residency tax, paid by everyone, and an owner tax, paid only by those who own their property.

French press reports suggested that tourist destinations popular with the British, such as Annecy in the Alps, or Bordeaux in the southwest could also be hit by the tax.

Most of the 200,000 Britons with holiday homes in France will escape the tax rise since their properties are in rural areas. However, 10,000 Britons own second homes on the French Riviera, some urban areas of which, such as Nice, will be included by the new tax. Many Britons have also invested in property in cities such as Lyon and Toulouse.

Rural houses like this (CLS00397) will not be affected.

Cle France are French Estate agents with agents across France in most regions and with over 8000 houses for sale in all price brackets and in all styles to suit everyone. This bi-lingual service will help you find the right property for you with the minimum of fuss.

NO HIDDEN FEES: The price you pay is the same as anyone walking through the door of our agency in France, same as the price paid by the French buyer.

All quoted prices are INCLUSIVE OF AGENCY FEES (FAI): with Notaire's fees to be added (these average 7% to 8%).

OUR AGENTS: are all registered and insured in France, they are holders of the 'carte professionnelle'as required by French law.

So when you buy through Clé France: you have the benefit of a bi-lingual support team & can be confident that you are paying no more than the standard commission rates you would pay anyway.

CONTACT US: to discuss your search for property in France, or indeed for any further information you may require on French property sales.

This article originally appeared in The Times on Wednesday 5th November 2014.

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

Dear David & Sharon,

Sorry for the delay in writing, the month since returning from our new abode has been hectic.

Anyhow, first we must say many thanks for your sterling help in the purchase of our Plemet, Cotes d'Armor house; you were vital as the liaison with the folk on the ground & without you I sense we could still be in limbo!

Having said that, your agents were very good and fine in face to face situations. He was at the house when we arrived & arranged for SAUR to come the following day. Incredibly we had a knock on the door later the same day & a SAUR engineer who happened to be in the area saved us from the indignity of having to rely on the public loos. Who says the French don't work!

It's taken two & a half years of looking to find the right house for us, both visiting the area, perusing probably 500 agent's offerings and viewing over 30. Admittedly our meagre budget limited our choice though it also gave an insight into other Brits' lost dreams & grandiose schemes: 'An exciting renovation project' etc.

Maggie had her heart set on a village house (we are both dedicated townies) in stone with a French double front door & wooden shuttered windows. Well we ended up with a shop front but with a very attractive old stone rear overlooking our garden. Compromise. We can always change the front later.

Being in the town centre we have the advantage of mains drainage, a short walk to the shops, bank, PO, bars, 1st class restaurant and importantly we have friendly neighbours & thus few worries about security. Already we've made a friend of the old chap across the road who was born & raised in our house & has lived in Plemet, let alone just Brittany, all his life. Although he speaks no English & our minimal French doesn't translate to his Breton ear we get along fine & he is now keeper of our keys & garden tender. It's amazing what a bottle of Scotch will do!

We also have a friend in our account manager at Credit Mutuel de Bretagne for whom nothing seems to be too much trouble bank related or not. No need to waste time & money trying to get through to Britline.

Incidentally if you recall there was a bit of a problem with setting up an EDF account. We found that there was absolutely no point in doing it over the phone (I ran up a bill on our land line for £14 to no avail) but the website is fairly idiot proof & allows you to add information over a long period so you can save & return on another day if you don't have all the information you need. There is also a leisurely period of explanatory & help emails after set up.

Well, what have we learned about holiday home owning so far? First unless you have the furniture & fittings already, buy the house with everything in it because hunting the overpriced brocantes & vente depots will take forever & the alternative is an IKEA job lot!

Good French furniture & sundries are available online in GB at a fraction of the French prices.

This brings me to observation two. If a 4x4 has always been on your (secret) wish list holiday home owning is the ideal excuse. Carting furniture, rugs, tools, materials etc. is just what they're designed for.  Equally for taking unwanted stuff to the decheterie (recycling site). We've found ours to be a very friendly place & very civilised.

Well thanks again, I will give you a call if I may because I would like your advice on getting a translation of the works we need to have done for our builder's devis. 

Best wishes, Martin & Maggie.

Well that has got to be the most comprehensive feedback of all time eh! We wish Martin & Maggie many many years of happy times at their delightful house in Plemet, Cotes d'Armor in Brittany. Martin offers some great advice and some very good insights, thanks you Martin & Maggie and best of luck for the future, keep in touch.

If you really want to learn French, you need to know a few French expressions...

Si tu veux vraiment apprendre le Français, il faut connaître quelques expressions Françaises!

Bored with your everyday use of the French language? Are you looking to add un peu de variété (a little variety) to your daily discourse?

Have you had a chance to apply some of the French idioms we saw in previous posts? In parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 ( Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 ) we covered a variety of expressions, many of which can be used in everyday language in one way or another. It may take a little time to become familiar with them, but you’re bound to find a few that stick out and that you might want to insert into your conversations with other French speakers.

 Photo by Tim Morgan on Flickr

If you haven’t found any aphorisms in the previous posts that appeal to you or that you deem useful, here are a few may that may suit your fancy.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 for a bevy of witty little French idioms you might have missed.

This is the final instalment in our series on French expressions. When writing the posts for this series, we wanted to help readers inject a little humor into their conversations with native French speakers. The purpose was to amuse, surprise and even impress your listener.

If you usually converse with people who are just learning French, you might not get the same results. In the end, these are simply to help you appreciate the breadth of the French language and to familiarise yourself with witty sayings you might not hear very often. 

**Phrase in parentheses is the literal translation, or as close to it as possible.**

Raconter des salades (Telling salads) – Telling lies.

Fier comme Artaban (Proud like Artaban) – Being very proud, even arrogant.

Avoir des fourmis (Having ants) – Feeling antsy/restless, wanting to move.

Avoir du sang de navet (Having the blood of a turnip) – Lacking courage.

Presser quelqu’un comme un citron (Squeezing someone like a lemon) – To exploit another person.

La fin des haricots (The end of beans) – To feel hopeless.

Dormir comme un sabot (Sleep like a shoe/clog) – To be in a deep sleep, similar to the expression “Sleeping like a log.”

Tuer le temps (Killing time) – Distracting oneself to avoid boredom, like the English expression “Killing time.”

C’est une huile (It’s an oil) – To be a person of high stature/influence.

Partir les pieds devant (To leave with feet in front) – To die/pass away.

Jamais deux sans trois (Never two without three) – Similar to the English expressions “Third time’s a charm” or “When it rains, it pours.”

Aller au charbon (Going to the coal) – To do all the work/to make a living.

Pas folle, la guêpe! (Not crazy, the wasp!) – He/she is smart/cunning.

Se serrer la ceinture (To tighten one’s belt) – To cut back/make do.

Ramener sa fraise (To bring back one’s strawberry) – To have a pretentious attitude.

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

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