NEW YORK TO NICE
A tale of two cities

City life. Nice at night from our apartment

Two cities I really feel at home: Nice my real home and NY my 'wish I lived there at some time in my life' home. Completely different places, I know, but there is also some cross-over I think. Stick with me on this one, people. Both cities have a street-life culture of eating out and simply hanging out. Both cities can be frenetic and pushy at times until you get to really know the different areas away from the tourist throng. Niçoise pretend to be laid back, but they are actually as highly strung and volatile as any New Yorker. Just try driving here. Each neighbourhood has its own distinct feel. Architecturally they couldn't be more apart, but at the same time both are visually pleasing. And last, at night our view from our penthouse apartment is a little like the big Apple (...well if I squint).
In order to get to know a city, you really need to live in it, be part of the everyday-ness of it. Cities take some time to grow on you. However, for me Nice and New York were never like that. It was love at first sight with both.
Someone recently asked me about Nice's reputation as an unsafe town. I really have no idea where this one comes from except a past image of a Southern city that has long been discarded. I have to smile. It's not the Bronx (with apologies to people in the Bronx).  But then I remember people saying things to me about New York before I visited. Sure, you need to watch yourself whenever you are in a city, but no more than I would expect than if I were in London or Paris.
What's great about Nice is that it is a living, vibrant place. People rub up against one another (and it pays to be careful where you choose to buy here because of this), but this is what also makes it interesting as a place to live or visit. Other places on the Côte d'Azur may offer a more sedate, softer image, but a visit in winter gives you the real picture. Whereas many places out of season feel about as fun as drinking rosé in the rain, Nice keeps you interested.
The other thing I like about Nice? There are regular flights between us and New York now. What's not to like?
For help buying on the Côte d'Azur, see www.coteabode.com 

Villa Kérylos and Beaulieu-sur-mer
Ancient Greece in a French Riviera setting

Beaulieu-sur-mer is a discreet Côte d'Azur seaside town that has a reputation for being charming but rather aloof and perhaps a little too well-heeled. It's true that its neighbour Villefranche is the more gregarious sister. With its bijou old town and tourist-friendly restaurants that cater for the large cruise ships that constantly pile into its deep-water harbour, Villefranche draws the crowds.
In contrast, Beaulieu is never really that busy and has a much smaller coterie of followers who rather like it that way. There is always room for one more on the beach in summer. People picnic under the shade of the palm trees, a pan bagnat (basically a salad niçoise in a roll) and bottle of rosé to hand.
Villefranche may have its Old Town and the delightfully quirky small chapel decorated by Jean Cocteau, but Beaulieu oozes old-style Riviera chic and has the beautiful, if rather eccentric, Villa Kérylos.
Perched on the rocky Beaulieu coastline, Kérylos is an angular white-washed villa built in the style of an ancient Greek noble house. Constructed between 1902 and 1908, the Belle Epoque era, the house was the creation of two men, Théodore Reinach, who commissioned the villa, and Emmanuel Pontremelli, an architect. Both men were passionate about ancient Greece.
The villa is now a museum and is well worth a visit for anyone interested in architecture, history, or just as a place to feel peaceful and admire the beauty of the building and setting. I managed to miss visiting it for quite some time. It seems many people do as it is tucked away and anything but flashy. However, this means you can almost have the place to yourself in the winter months, which is a rather delicious feeling.

The house is based on ancient Greek principles of architecture. The beautiful tiled, open-to-the-sky peristyle is the focal point round which the rooms are grouped. Spread over two floors, the house is a folly. It is not an authentic representation (check out the stunning early 20th century jet shower) but an interpretation and spirt of 2nd century BC Greece. It adheres to basic rules of good architecture. Natural light, a feeling of open space and flow between rooms, clean lines. The walls are decorated in muted frescoes, beautiful mosiac tiles pattern the floors.  From the windows you glimpse the sea, but the view is always discreet and tantalising. It always leaves you feeling like you want to see more.
The ground-floor gallery houses bizarre life-size casts of Greco-Roman statues. Jean Cocteau would surely have used it as a setting for his film Orphée if he were making it today.
Beaulieu is a perfect home for Villa Kérylos. Discreet, bathed in good taste and not too bothered if you pass by as it happily goes about life. But try not to pass it by.

The villa is centred around the internal courtyard

A giant marble bath is the focal point of the bathroom

The intricately tiled peristyle (internal courtyard) is flanked by columns

Life-sized replicas of Greco-Roman statues line the gallery

French Riviera property market 
Predictions 2012

You have to be a little mad or arrogant to predict property markets - crisis or no crisis. However, as we leave 2011 and enter 2012 I thought I would have a stab at what next year may hold for the Côte d'Azur. 


Against the economic odds, 2011 was hugely busy and successful for Côte Abode. We had a stream of serious clients throughout the year and found (and importantly secured) the right property for each one first visit. It is not surprising, however, as more people hear of our reputation and can see the advantage in professional assistance when property buying. We act for the buyer, so our expertise and work is different from estate agents.


Many of the estate agents on the Riviera, especially those dealing in the luxury property market, have also done well in 2011. Prices on the Côte d'Azur were up by 5 percent for apartments this year and 8 percent for houses (figures from l'immoblier des Notaires de France). The Riviera is seen as a safe haven in shaky times. But for some in the property business it has been a tough year on the Riviera. Too few good properties, too many cautious wait-and-see buyers, and just too many agents competing in an already competitive market.   


So what will 2012 bring? Here are some predictions, but I can't promise they will hold true. We shall just have to wait and see!


- Asking prices will hold up but the price is still negotiable. 
This year we have negotiated between 4 and 8 percent off the asking price for apartments and villas. We believe this will continue into 2012


- It will remain a serious buyers' market
Less available credit around means that cash buyers will continue to dominate the Riviera property market. One of the biggest complaints from agents in 2011 were about buyers who were not able to fulfill a deal due to financing falling through at the last moment. People in a position to buy immediately always have the advantage, as our clients prove.


- More US and Asian interest 
As the Euro wobbles and the US dollar gains, we should see interest from American buyers once again. The South of France is not yet a favourite choice for Asian buyers, but this is set to change as a younger affluent generation discovers the chic status of the region.


- Investment properties in Nice will stay strong
A city that is on the move, Nice is a hot-spot for rental apartment investment. The City government is on a mission to make Nice the jewel of the South. Public spending on new developments and infrastructure continues apace. Owning an apartment in Nice makes sense with its almost year-round tourist industry and high seasonal rental returns.   


- Two-bedroom apartments are the best investment choice for rentals
There is a good quantity of studios and 1 bedrooms available on the Riviera property market. The next stage up is harder to find but far more desirable as more people eschew hotels for short-term apartments and want more space.  


- The quartier to invest in Nice is Lafayette
The Carré d'Or - traditionally Nice's most expensive central neighbourhood - will hand the crown over to Lafayette/Place Massena and streets in close proxmity - Alberti, Pastorelli, Hotel des Postes - Gubernatis, Place Wilson.... Smart investors know that the new park that is being built on Felix Fauvres and bordering the Old Town will dramatically change the area. It is also simply a quartier that has the branché (trendy) factor - great restaurants and shops are springing up daily here.


For villas on the Riviera, look to Beaulieu and Eze bord de mer
- Villefranche is beautiful but crowded and touristy. The real afficionado will buy in expensive but chic and discreet Beaulieu and Eze.


- The personal, smaller agent will continue to have the good properties
A lot of properties that come to our attention are by word of mouth or 'silent' listings (a seller who wants to sell discretely). Smaller agents often pick up the best and more interesting properties. Bigger, flashier agencies tend to share the same properties between them, take more commission and over-price them to a non-local market. Local and small is always best and 2012 will continue to confirm this! 


Bonne Année!
www.coteabode.com

A few of my favourite things
Christmas in Nice
Christmas shopping with the sun shining in a deep blue sky is one of the pleasures of Nice. It might not feel particularly 'winter wonder-land' but there is still something very pleasing about the season. The city returns to the locals after the summer wave of tourists. Nice's Vieille Ville (Old Town) is a pleasure in winter. One can actually navigate the narrow, windy streets in peace and really enjoy the architecture and sense of history. A stroll along the Cours Saleya market picking up seasonal vegetables, followed by a lunch at Le Cambuse is a regular out of season Saturday morning for our family.
With Christmas only a week away, it seems a good time to share some of my favourite Christmas shopping spots in Old Nice. 
Joyeux Noël!


Maison AUER patisserie and chocolatier
7 rue François de Paule


A little chocolate delight of a shop that has been in existence since 1820. A Florentine-Rococo style interior is lined with every sweet chocolate treat imaginable plus their famous 'fruits confits' (honeyed fruit), a speciality that originated in Provence but is now adopted by the Southerners on the coast.  There are perhaps smarter, more modern chocolatiers like Lac, but there is something lovely and old fashioned about Auer. 

A selection of fruits confits at Auer in traditional earthenware bowls

The enticing Rococo interior of Auer

Cours Saleya

Nice has many wonderful markets but the Cours Saleya on the edge of Vieux Nice is the best known. Seasonal vegetables, bunches of flowers and sellers with local produce - honey, olives, olive oil and lavender soaps - nestle side by side. Watch out for the small, more local stall-holders selling 'Bio' (organic) harvested from their gardens. For the Christmas feast, this is where I will be buying my side of salmon to marinate (in dill and orange), fresh beetroot to roast with lemon thyme, and celeriac to make a traditional remoulade.

The small stalls are often the best as the produce is grown locally and organic

Compagnie de Provence

rue François de Paule

We love this soaps and lotions shop for the fact that everything smells good, is lovely to use and is beautifully packaged. They will even gift wrap the tiniest bar of soap to make it look like a million-dollars. The lavender based range is divine - from organic hand cream to crisp linen spray. And there is nothing old lady about it.

Cabane 

rue de la Préfecture

A concept store that feels more Paris than Nice in its cool style. Eschewing the Provencal look for something more earthy and funky, the shop is an eclectic mix of household  ware, clothing, decorative objects and linen. 

Maison Baral

rue Sainte-Reparate

The proliferation of fresh pasta shops in Nice is a reminder  of its Italian past. Maison Baral is one of the best. The display of fresh ravioli changes everyday and is constantly inventive - from the more traditional daube to newer flavours such as roquette, ricotta and pistachio. They also have a good selection of oils, pasta sauces in jars and truffle paste that make great presents. 

Caprice

rue Droit

Caprice is our favourite vintage shop in the Old Town. Two floors of clothes, bags, accessories and small pieces of furniture. For something original, this is the place to pick up a snakeskin clutch or a pair of Chanel shoes from the 70s. Nostalgia with a modern twist.

RENOVATED RIVIERA

RENOVATED APARTMENTS To renovate or not to renovate, that is the question I am often asked. Buying a place that needs work is the less-expensive option and usually allows you to gain more from your investment. It also lets you put your personal stamp on an apartment. However,  for many the thought of working on a renovation project in a foreign country is neither practical nor fun.  In the past couple of years on the Côte d'Azur - in Nice and Cannes in particular - there has been a glut of renovated apartments on the market. Suddenly everyone thinks they can be a property developer. Most of these apartments, I have to say, are poor, and I tend to avoid them for my clients. Typically, they are small, done on the cheap and then priced far too high.  Eventually they sell - but usually considerably under the asking price (or if not, then to a foolish buyer).  However, recently I have had to stifle my sniffy tendencies towards new fit-outs as I have seen some rather good examples. One in particular impressed me in Nice. The location was perfect on an upmarket shopping street close to the beach. Although the space was small - 30 sq metres - the developer had thought about the design (he works in the fashion world) and had used quality fittings. I have a real aversion to mezzanines, but this time even I had to admit it had been done exceptionally well.  Price-wise, the difference between a renovated and an unrenovated apartment can be as much as double. Thus in Nice in a good neighbourhood, you will be looking at paying around €4,000 to €5,000 per square metre for place that needs work. This then shoots up to anywhere between €7,000 and €9,000 per sqm for a renovated apartment. What they ask for and what they get, of course, are often not the same. But a smart developer will know the market, know the clientele he is aiming for and make a handsome profit. I usually still come down on the side of renovation when looking for clients on a tight budget - even if it means having to cost in the extra for hiring someone to supervise the work. But if your heart is set on a ready-to-rock rental investment apartment, then I am beginning to waver slightly after seeing my latest batch of viewings.

We're having a heatwave...

ROQUEBRUNE CAP MARTIN - A BEACH FOR ARCHITECTS

Le Corbusier's 'Cabanon' at Roquebrune 

I know I should be writing about the recent Notaires' figures on the property market (not that they hold much relevance here on the French Riviera where we have a specific micro-market). Or the  extraordinary - and welcome- announcement by some of France's wealthiest citizens, such as Mme Bettencourt, that they will voluntarily pay more tax (you can read it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/24/wealthiest-french-citizens-ask-to-pay-more-tax ). Or Sarkozy's new proposals for taxation. However, it has been too hot on the Côte d'Azur. Almost too hot to work, sleep, think, eat, and certainly to write about serious matters .... So I think it is appropriate to write instead about the beach. It is summer holidays, after all. This beach has an architectural twist, however.

With temperatures in the 30s, mornings are the best time to get anything done as after that the sun is even more unforgiving and everyone is either short-tempered (road rage seems to be the norm) or closed. Trying to property search in this heat is difficult. Fortunately, all my clients have been looked after for the summer now and new ones are not due until September. I have a few interior design projects on the go for clients who have bought, but this can be handled under air-conditioned conditions with scheduled ice-cream breaks.

Mad-dogs and Englishmen won't agree but the best time to head for the beach is either a very early morning swim to start the day or an early evening trip that turns into a beach-dinner. I am currently giving my beloved Villefranche a swerve in the height of tourist season (too many cruise ship people en masse stumbling around with cameras and loud clothing). Instead, we head for St Jean and, recently, Roquebrune Cap-Martin - my latest obsession.

Roquebrune is not a beach for people wanting sand, shops selling plastic-rings in the shape of dinosaurs, and cafés selling yet another poor excuse for a salade niçoise. It is discreet, it is stony and it is not easy to find. It is also for people who love 20th century architecture. It combines my passion for architecture and bord de la mer location.

A glimpse of Villa E.1027 from Roquebrune beach

In fact there are two beaches at Roquebrune, but the one that is of most interest (to me at least) is a tiny stretch of stones which has perched above it three very special places. On one side of the bay is Villa E.1027 (http://e1027.org/),  a beautiful modernist house designed by Eileen Gray (a painter, designer and architect) and Jean Badovici between 1926-1929. It is currently undergoing renovation and restoration and is due to be open to the public in 2012.

On the other side is Le Corbusier's 'Cabane'. A mere 16 sq metres in size, the great modern architect Le Corbusier described it as his 'Château sur la Côte d'Azur'. Built in the 1950s as a retreat for himself and his wife, he famously claimed that he drew the plans in three-quarters of an hour and didn't change a thing (although as my mother tartly commented, given the tiny dimensions, that couldn't have been that difficult!). You can book to visit the Cabane through the Roquebrune tourist office.

The third delight on this beach is really not something you can see from the beach, and certainly not a property you will be able to visit. It is best to view it from a boat on the water. Casa del Mare is a magnificent villa hidden behind an enormous white-washed wall that spans almost the entire beach. You can catch glimpses of its lush tropical garden and mosiac pool as you descend to the beach. Once owned by the movie mogul Dino de Laurentiis and his wife the Italian actress Silvana Mangano, this house is my dream property. Although I would happily settle for either E.1027 or Le Corbusier's 'château' as well.

The sympathetic and adventurous architecture of these three buildings combined with the untamed, untrammeled, setting takes me away from talk of property investment, prices and taxes. And I don't make any apologies for that. Instead, for a moment  one can relax on a tucked away Côte d'Azur beach and relish the beauty, both architectural and natural.

AGENT PROPERTY SHARING

TAKING CARE WITH BUYING ON THE COTE D'AZUR

I am always delighted -  OK, a bit smug  - when I come across great properties thanks to my detective work. The weeks leading up to a client arriving are intense, but it always pays off and it is a wonderful feeling when I do find that special property.

However, this year  I have been experiencing a whole new level of service from agents and developers. They have started to call me when they have a new property on their books and ... 'would I like to see it before anyone else does?' Private sellers, too, are contacting me on a regular basis. (Although I have to say this market tends not to turn up that many interesting finds in my experience - but I always keep an eye on it.) Even a contact at a Syndic (apartment management company who are able to act as estate agents) called me recently to suggest some apartments they wanted to sell. This week-end my popularity hit a new high, however. Chasing up Notaires for clients is a game those of us in the business are use to playing. This weekend, however, a Notaire phoned me about  a couple of million-euro properties available for sale.

The word is that my clients are serious and always buy. Now although I am flattered by this attention, and being the first through the doors is obviously a huge advantage for my clients, I am in no doubt about the motives of the agents and sellers. They are entirely self-interested. If they can sell a property quickly and directly, they stand to make a bigger profit. Once a property goes 'public', competing agents will fall over themselves to make the sale even if it is not directly on their books. This means that the original agent (who holds the 'exclusive mandate') is obliged to split his or her commission with a second agent, and sometimes even a third is involved. On the buyer's side, this means the margin for negotiation is less as the pie gets cut thinner and thinner.

Many agencies on the Côte d'Azur are part of the SIA group. SIA is like a club which agencies pay to join. It allows them to access and share each other's properties via a computer listing system. The 'exclusive mandate' agent lists his or her property, throwing it open to all the other agents in the SIA club, but the original agent still retains a cut of the commission (usually 50 %) if sold by one of these secondary agents.

Agents and property finders who are signed up to SIA are very keen to tell buyers that this gives them access to a much wider number of properties. In one sense it does and I can see it has its uses as a search tool. But in reality, agents are often not that happy to share and will certainly do what they can to keep a good property to themselves. Although those in the SIA club are obliged to list apartments and villas, they can make it difficult for other agents to see them. If it is a particularly interesting property, they will often try and sell it before it goes on the site. Hence why I get so many calls from agents wanting me to bring them clients first as I don't share the commission with them.

SIA is the reason if you go to a Riviera-based estate agent or property finder's website these days you will often see a huge number of properties. However, when you call the agent you are more than likely to be told: 'Oh that one is sold...' (usually months ago). It was never their direct property to start with so they have no idea it is sold until they check the listing. They have probably never even been to visit it. But having so many in the shop window is a good tactic to get you to call them and start talking.  The next question is usually, 'what are you looking for? We can do a property search for you....'

In fact what they actually do is called 'being an estate agent'. Many agencies on the Côte d'Azur - particularly the Anglo-focused ones - have cottoned on to the fact that 'property finder' or 'property finding' sounds as if they are working for you. However, there has to be a conflict of interest in there, no matter how you dress it up. If I hire an estate agent to sell my property, I don't want him or her to be working for the other side as well. As a seller, I want the best price I can get. And no matter how nice and charming an agent is to your face, the agent wants the best commission he or she can get. It's not complicated.

One concern I have is that the SIA listing has actually created a competitive first-to-the-post situation. While this works in favour of my clients since I am getting first pick through direct tip-offs from the original mandated agent, I am seeing consequences for some buyers. In an aggressive and competitive market like Nice, for example, some agents are pushing properties on to clients that they have little or no knowledge of in the hope they make the sale before someone else does. Under SIA agency sharing, the pressure is on for an agent to get a seller to commit quickly to an offer before another agency comes along. The agent accepts an offer and then 'blocks' the apartment from being shown by other agents.

A seller I know whose apartment is up for sale in Nice has serious legal issues in her building (an illegal restaurant that is in long-term litigation with the Syndic). But you would probably only know this if you have some connection to the owner and the original agent. And if you are one of literally hundreds of agents chasing this apartment, chances are many will not know or think to ask the right questions (and some unscrupulous ones will try and cover it up - and I have this as a fact). The hope is, then, that the Notaire picks up on any problems at the Compromis stage. But not all Notaires are perfect, plus by this point the buyer has wasted considerable time and money on a deal that should by rights fall down.  

Many agents in Nice and the Côte d'Azur are good, professional and careful. I am happy to have a very good relationship with these agents. They claim that they have always shared properties, it is just easier now with a one-stop site.  But I see how it works daily with the less meticulous agents and 'free' property finders and there are serious issues for the buyers. With big money at stake, this is not a market where one wants to be taking risks nor to make decisions about property without being fully informed. I want an agent to know the owner and I want to find out the history of the property before I go any further with a serious offer. It just makes sense.