tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2718053194855753372024-03-13T11:38:22.664+01:00Côte AbodeCôte d'Azur Living and PropertyRebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-56188992882977058852015-11-05T08:58:00.001+01:002015-11-05T08:58:52.234+01:00Côte Abode<a href="http://coteabode.blogspot.fr/2015/11/my-parents-chateau-this-is-all-about.html#links">Côte Abode</a><br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog">http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog</a>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-76054132158315057622015-11-04T20:24:00.001+01:002015-11-05T10:18:36.990+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
MY PARENTS' CHATEAU </div>
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This is all about a beautiful apartment in Nice in a château. A château in the centre of Nice? That can't be possible!, I hear you say. Well it is, believe me. My parents have lived here happily for some years. It is a well-kept secret. Tucked away from the bustle of the city, the château sits apart in its own grounds decorated with eccentric statues (a lion wrestling a crocodile is just one of the more outlandish pieces). Yet it is only a quick skip to the beach and the centre of town on foot. </div>
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The château has a rather grand pedigree. Built circa 1850 in a fantastical neo-Gothic meets Moorish style, its gardens originally stretched down to the Promenade and sea front of Nice. The second owner, Count Joseph Caravadossi d'Asprement, took it over in 1879. It was later<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> </span>passed to his son who had married a wealthy American heiress, Elizabeth de Groot. Tragically the son died young as did his wife and daughter. Some say the castle is haunted. (but we can't say we have seen a ghost).<br />
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But back to the apartment (which is for sale, by the way). Glorious high ceilings, original black and white marble floors, lead skylights. The apartment is an elegant example of fin-de-siècle style. And the pièce de resistance - a garden with 400-year old olive trees.<br />
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Stepping through the front door is to step back in history but with twenty-first century Nice on your doorstep. It's the best of all worlds, one could say.<br />
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For enquiries about the Château apartment, please email <a href="mailto:home@coteabode.com">home@coteabode.com</a><br />
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The Lou Messugo #AllAboutFrance blog link up, see here<br />
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<a href="http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog" target="_blank"><img alt="LouMessugo" src="http://www.loumessugo.com/images/easyblog_images/121/AllAboutFranceBadge.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a><br />
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-11038169893699645812015-05-17T18:23:00.002+02:002015-06-11T22:47:25.375+02:00Beaches of the Côte d'Azur<h2>
Plage Mala, Cap d'Ail</h2>
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It's official. The first swim of the season on the Côte d'Azur. Or rather, I dived into the exquisite turquoise-blue water and almost immediately ran out. Yes the water was really that cold, but the sun was hot and the day has been perfect.<br />
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Although I have lived here for many years I have never been to the mythical Plage Mala, Cap d'Ail, near Monaco. So it was about time I took a trip. It is often mooted as the most beautiful beach on the Côte, the most unspoilt and so on. In reality it is very nice, but not as unspoilt as I had hoped. (But then, I'm from New Zealand so unspoilt beaches for me are another thing altogether.)</div>
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The thing about Plage Mala that keeps it relatively low-key is the difficulty of getting there. There are 120 steps or so down to the beach. Going down, not so bad. Coming up, just a bit harder. You can also walk along the coastal path from Monaco, but this takes time. The extremely stylish alternative is to arrive by yacht and be ferried ashore. I think I am going to go for that option next time. </div>
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There are two restaurant-clubs on the beach. Both very cool and very expensive (the young Monaco crowd obviously likes to hang here). But we took home-made sandwiches like real Niçois locals do and sat on the pebbles. You get use to them, honest you do. Anyway, sun loungers are for sissies.</div>
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So that's Plage Mala for you. Stunningly beautiful, difficult to get to, but not as remote and unspoilt as I would have hoped. </div>
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I'll carry on my swims of the summer around the Côte's different beaches and report back.<br />
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This post also features on the excellent #AllAboutFrance Lou Messugo blog; Check it out here <a href="http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/all-about-france-5">http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/all-about-france-5</a></div>
Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-83446127765296298532015-05-01T23:00:00.001+02:002015-05-07T22:50:37.737+02:00how to blend in like a local<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>HOW TO BLEND IN LIKE A LOCAL ON THE RIVIERA</b></span><br />
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Holiday season has started on the Côte d'Azur and I've been thinking about tourists and how so often they would like to blend in but don't. So here are a few tips to get you looking and behaving like a local on the French Riviera<br />
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SUNGLASSES<br />
It is mandatory at all times to wear sunglasses - indoors and out; day and night. They must be designer and the bigger the better if you are a woman. We don't take them off as not only do they protect our eyes from the sunshine, but after several hours of wearing them they leave rather unattractive marks on our cheeks. So it's better just to keep them on.<br />
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CARRY A BAGUETE<br />
Go to a boulangerie and buy a baguette and carry it around with you. People will think you are a local going home with your bread. It really works.<br />
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NICE MATIN THE 'JOURNAL' OF THE LOCALS<br />
<i>Nice Matin</i>, what can we say? The daily newspaper of the Côte that swings between a double-page spread on a boule competition in Grasse to the latest murder in a Nice neighbourhood. It appears to be written in old French and has footnotes. Yes footnotes in a daily rag! For that alone we love it. Pretend to read it in the café. Perhaps you will not understand a word. But neither do most locals.<br />
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LOCALS DO NOT WEAR HATS<br />
I can't stress this one enough. Sunglasses good. Hats bad. It is tempting to go all 50s Audrey Hepburn-Riviera-straw-hat but the local women would not be seen dead in one. As for the Panama hat for men. Please don't go there. The most you will see is an 'ado' (teenager) with a baseball cap trying to look cool and American, and failing. Locals do not wear hats.<br />
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THE SHOPPING BASKET ON WHEELS<br />
I promise that this will guarantee you local street (market) creed. I know that your dream is to go to the market with that cute Provençal straw basket. I had that dream, too, once upon a time. Reality is this says 'tourist'. Most of us carry around scrunched-up plastic recyclable supermarket bags (if you want to be trendy, an Italian supermarket bag says something extra). But to go the whole way, then the shopping trolley - the more battered the better - really shouts 'local'. Make sure you bang in to a few people as you march through the market muttering to yourself.<br />
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ROSE WINE<br />
Drink only rosé and ask for ice with it to be served in a separate glass with a spoon. It is one of life's mysteries that rosé can range from €2.50 a bottle to €20 and it all tastes exactly the same. So order the cheapest and pile on the ice cubes like the locals do.<br />
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GET A DOG<br />
If all else fails, get a dog. The smaller the better is the rule and they must go with you everywhere, especially to restaurants where they can be given a seat at the table. There is nothing like a dog to signal that you have stopped playing at being a local and can now be taken seriously.<br />
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Ciao!, as they say here (this will also help if you speak like a local)<br />
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This is a link to a blog we like at Côte Abode - All about France <a href="http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/all-about-france-4">http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/all-about-france-4</a><br />
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<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-43388061253917824962015-03-22T17:03:00.000+01:002015-03-22T17:03:18.105+01:00Fayence and around<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's an unusual week for me. I am leaving the Côte d'Azur coast that I am so familiar with for the hills far above Cannes. The 'perched' villages of Fayence, Seillans and Caillans are in the Var, but only about 40 minutes away from Nice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's another world. Less hectic than the coast with a generous dash of Provençal charm. These villages are very quiet at the moment, but will soon come to life as Spring arrives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trip is to show a client around with a good but modest budget. He wants a house, and with house prices on the coast so high, these small, charming inland villages are an incredible bargain by comparison. For the price of a two-bedroom apartment in Cannes, you can find </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a whole house with a pool in this neck of the woods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After doing several research trips I am quite pleased to have discovered a new side to living here. After years of resisting going up the hill, I now think I may have found an area that is not only beautiful and not far away, but also affordable</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. May it last!</span><br />
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-48861461806827443522014-03-03T14:54:00.000+01:002014-03-03T14:54:34.343+01:00St Jean Cap Ferrat<h4>
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St Jean Cap Ferrat </h2>
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A story of Kings, mistresses and local councils</h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I love how one story can lead to another without it having been the original intention. It is like cooking a meal and then realising the recipe is no longer what you set out to create, but you end up with something delicious nonetheless. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">So, thinking about a recent frustrating work experience in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">St Jean Cap Ferrat has led me on another path altogether. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">First, apologies to my client who will be reading this as he does not need the original story retold! We are both still exasperated with St Jean Cap Ferrat Marie over a situation of pre-emption. </span>Pre-emption is a peculiar French system whereby the local council decides to buy the property/land from under your nose once you have had an offer accepted. It is not common in urban areas for an apartment to be pre-empted, so most buyers in cities should not be concerned. In most cases it will involve empty plots of urban land (which the council can turn into something - be it a park, car park, recreational centre) or agricultural land (which a body called SAFER oversees and is intended to protect rural France). There is also a third option to do with tenants' rights. A long-term tenant in France has first option to buy the property they are living in if it comes up for sale.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">My experience, thankfully, is rare on the Côte d'Azur. And I hope it will be my last. The reason given for pre-emption in this case was St Jean's need for 'social housing'. Do I believe this? No comment. But apparently my negotiation skills were too good, the price too keen and the Marie could not resist. It was just bad luck.</span><br />
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What I did stumble across, however (as I waded through reams of legal documents and case histories trying to find a solution to our pre-empt problem), is the story of King Leopold II of Belgium and his 16-year-old mistress Caroline Delacroix. It was light-relief from all the legal work. I had known about the King's connection to the Côte d'Azur, but had never read the story. The most recent news-worthy story about Leopold was that his original Villefranche estate - the Villa Leopolda - had been bought by a Russian oligarch for a record €390 million in 2008. The Russian buyer later reneged on the deal and had to forfeit his €39 million deposit plus interest to the current owner.<br />
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The story of King Leopold and the Côte begins the end of the 19th Century when he arrived here and fell in love with the beauty of the coastline. He began to buy up land, especially around St Jean Cap Ferrat. This was bought with blood money - the profits made from his cruel conquest of the Congo. His 16-year-old mistress Caroline Delacroix - a courtesan from Paris also known as Blanche Lacroix (the 'De' was added later to give her a more aristocratic air) - was settled in a villa on Plage Passable, now a popular St Jean beach. The villa is still there today.<br />
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Caroline is the more interesting story because, although she plays a back-seat in history, it shows the tenacity of a woman from humble beginnings who rose to become the mistress-wife of a King and (seemingly) manipulated the situation to ensure that she gained millions. Although she was no great beauty, Caroline was picked out for the King's pleasure. However, rather than a dalliance to be cast aside like his other mistresses, Caroline managed to capture the King's heart and remained with him until his death. They were married while on his deathbed (his unloved Queen having already died) although this was never formally recognised by the Belgium State. Caroline bore him two sons, neither of whom were officially acknowledged as legal heirs, yet most of the King's money and assets went to Caroline and their sons upon his death. This was highly contentious at the time as he had three legitimate daughters who were to all intents and purposes disinherited.<br />
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Not much is known about Caroline's early life. She is thought to have been born in Romania in 1883, the daughter of a Frenchman. She later became a high-class prostitute in Paris, pimped by her lover Antoine Durrieux, a former Army Officer and gambler. She first encountered King Leopold, an aging man of 65, when she was 16.<br />
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When the King set Caroline up in the villa at Plage Passable in St Jean Cap Ferrat, she effectively became a prisoner in a gilded cage, Caroline would wait for the King - who was unhappily married - to make nocturnal visits. The grander estate in Villefrance later became one of her residences until, after Leopold's death, she was shut out by members of his family. Indeed, she was locked out from most of her homes across Europe after his death.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline DelaCroix with her two sons</td></tr>
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Caroline was hated by the King's family, the Belgium public and the European elite. She was jeeringly referred to as 'La reine du Congo' - in part because of the large sums of bonds, property and money given to her by the King acquired through his vicious exploitation of the African state and its people. Even by the standards of the time, King Leopold shocked his fellow Western colonialists with his brutality of the Congolese. The cutting off of hands being one of the less severe forms of punishment for workers (including children) who did not meet quotas on the rubber plantations.<br />
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It seems that in a bid to leave nothing to his legitimate daughters, King Leopold did his best to unburden himself of money and assets during his final years, putting as much as he could in the name of Caroline and her sons, and spending what he could, including the purchase of big swathes of land in St Jean Cap Ferrat.<br />
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What is interesting, however, is that eight months after Leopold's death in 1909, and having returned to France (or fled, depending on the source), Caroline, now Baronesse de Vaughan - a title given to her by Leopold after the birth of their first son Lucien - married her former lover/pimp Antoine Durrieux. Durrieux then officially legitimised her two sons. Durrieux helped her after the King's death to claim her inheritance and to fight the legal battles with his daughters. Their short marriage ended in divorce in 1912 and he accepted a handsome settlement. The trail of Caroline seems to go rather cold after this time. She never remarried and died in France in 1948.<br />
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It would seem, then, that Caroline remained in contact with her former lover Durrieux throughout her relationship with the King, which makes one wonder whether Leopold was the ultimate cuckold husband. Was Caroline's seeming devotion to the King perhaps a clever plot conceived by the two lovers who both knew it was just a matter of waiting for his death?<br />
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So <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">a story of pre-emption in St Jean Cap Ferrat, becomes a story of Kings and mistresses mixed with a little intrigue. Even with my frustration over legal matters with St Jean, I'm happy to have uncovered some more history of this area. I will see Plage Passable with new eyes next time I visit and think a little of Caroline Delacroix. </span><br />
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-37383551015943266842014-01-08T14:16:00.000+01:002014-01-08T14:16:06.350+01:00Happy New Year 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy New Year to all!</div>
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From Côte Abode</div>
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<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-91873711687091259522013-09-06T18:36:00.000+02:002013-09-06T18:36:15.205+02:00<h3>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/" target="_blank">A dance around Cocteau's villa</a></span></span></h3>
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The Villa Santo Sospir is one of those extraordinary finds one stumbles on in life if you are lucky. Once the summer house of wealthy socialite (and patron of the arts) Francine Weisweiller, Cocteau arrived at his friend's St Jean Cap Ferrat villa in 1950 and was immediately enchanted.</div>
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Over the course of a decade Cocteau proceeded to decorate (or tattoo as he described it) the walls, the ceilings, lampshades, the cupboards ... in fact anything he could lay his paintbrush and pens on.</div>
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As breath-taking as the view is from the house (perched delicately on the St Jean peninsula), the house itself is the real treasure. The walls are covered in the beautiful free-hand art of Cocteau. The interiors are a jumble of old furniture, bric-à-brac, photos and the odd sketch by Picasso. A glass cocktail cabinet stands open with rows of bottles. The old iron-wrought beds are made-up with starched worn linen. Leopard-print carpet designed by Cocteau lines the staircase to the lower floor. </div>
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Everything is as if it were yesterday, with Cocteau and his friends enjoying summers on the terrace and a dip in the sea below. It's a dance back in time and a rare dance at that. </div>
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-73524488877801843802013-08-09T14:25:00.000+02:002013-08-09T14:25:57.195+02:00<h3>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>French Riviera beaches</b></span></h3>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 28px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">Beach life the egalitarian way on the Côte d'Azur</span></b></span><br />
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The topic 'beaches' seems to be a popular subject for readers of this blog. So since it is August, what better time for an update.<br />
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The Côte d'Azur is fortunate to have a stretch of coastline that meanders from wild rocky coves to golden sand. Having just returned from a holiday in Italy where almost the entire Ligurian coastline is organised in regimented beach huts and sun-beds, there is something appealing and free about coming back to the French Riviera. Maybe it is a hang-over from France's ethos of <i>égalité, </i>but there certainly seems to be more of an attitude that the beaches are for everyone, not just for those who will pay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two sides: Private and public at St Jean Cap Ferrat</td></tr>
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Of course, if you want private beaches then the Côte d'Azur has plenty. From the hip <b>Hi Beach </b>in Nice (for the young and chic) to <b>Paloma</b> at St Jean Cap Ferrat (for the ... well, young and chic), to <b>Bâoli</b> in Cannes and <b>Pampelonne</b> in St Tropez, plage privée is a staple of life here. Private beaches start from around €20 (Nice's Plage Opera is one of the least expensive) and then rise steeply depending on the chic -metre. Count on around €30-40 per day for the sunbeds etc and then add food on top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach beds in a row, St Jean Cap Ferrat</td></tr>
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Private beaches have advantages. The private beaches along the Nice coastline tend to be sandy (having trucked in tonnes of sand just before the season). The rest of us have to develop hardened feet to cope with the stony public beaches of Nice, Beaulieu, St Jean et al. The private beaches have restaurants and bars on tap. We bring picnics. In all honesty, we look upon the private beach dwellers as a bit sissy. What's a few stones?, we say as we hop over the blazing pebbles. If we really want moules marinière we can gatecrash their restaurants.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Plage Passable, St Jean Cap Ferrat</td></tr>
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<b>Plage Passable</b> at St Jean Cap Ferrat is one of my favourite beaches. As the beautiful people lie back on sun-beds on one side of this small cove, the locals monpolise the other side. Stones are just part of the pleasure. We splash around in the sea, dive from the concrete pier, probably make too much noise, laugh too loudly, and bring our own food. They look over at us with envy - or at least I think that is what that look is.<br />
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So Vive Egalité! And remember, jellyfish sting everyone.<br />
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<b>The pick of the best public beaches on the Côte d'Azur</b><br />
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St Tropez - it requires a short walk, but <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Plage des Graniers</span></b> is a pretty cove surrounded by pine trees.<br />
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Cannes -<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>Plage de L'Abreuvoir</b></span></span>. Sandy and relaxed<br />
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Antibes - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>Plage de la Gravette</b></span>. Town beach, easy to get to and wide so plenty of space<br />
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Nice - The best <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>Nice </b></span>city beaches are grouped near the Port and Hotel Negresco centre of town. Stoney but good for a dip after a hot day.<br />
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Villefranche - entirely public and more fine gravel than stone<br />
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Beaulieu - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>La Petite Afrique</b></span>. low-key family beach<br />
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St Jean Cap Ferrat -<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> Plage Pasable</span> or the public beach next to the entrance to the SJCP Port<br />
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Eze - stony but generally not too crowded<br />
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Roquebrune Cap Matin - rocky, difficult to get to (you need to walk some distance) and where Corbusier built his beach 'cabanon' (beach house). Perfect.<br />
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-85495612966971665252013-01-05T16:48:00.000+01:002013-01-05T16:48:12.446+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2013 COTE d'AZUR</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A good year ahead on the French Riviera</span></div>
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There are many reasons to feel happy about living on the Côte d'Azur. However, sometimes I feel those of us who live here all-year round simply take it for granted. So, in the spirit of starting the year with positive thoughts, here are a few of my favourite things about Nice and the French Riviera generally.<br />
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<li>Blue skies. We have around 300 days of sunshine a year</li>
<li>Sitting outside in mid-winter at a beach-side restaurant having moules and frites and drinking rosé</li>
<li>Every day seeing the Mediterranean sea from my terrace.</li>
<li>Coco beach in Nice - for afficionados only because of the rocks but the best place to sunbathe in the city</li>
<li>Driving along the Grande Corniche in an open-top car - the route of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in<i> To Catch a Thief</i></li>
<li>A walk along the beaches and coastline of St Jean Cap Ferrat</li>
<li>Knowing my local boulangerie bakes the best bread in the world in a wood-fired oven every day</li>
<li>Driving to Italy for the market at San Remo and having lunch</li>
<li>A swim at Villefranche in September when the crowds and jellyfish have gone</li>
<li>Going to the Cannes Film Festival and <i>not</i> being a tourist</li>
<li>Catching the tram to the market at Liberation in Nice - the best market in town</li>
<li>Going to the opera/ballet/classical concert in Monaco as if it were an everyday event</li>
<li>Enjoying not going to supermarkets for shopping - every day</li>
<li>Being able to wear summer clothes for around 9 months of the year (and also never feeling over-dressed. A girl can never have enough sparkle here)</li>
<li>The warmth (and wildness) of people who live here </li>
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I could add many more things about living here but a list has to stop sometime. </div>
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Happy NEW YEAR from the Côte d'Azur.</div>
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Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-29666529555936352852012-12-19T09:11:00.000+01:002012-12-19T09:11:23.523+01:00Joyeux Noël<br />
Happy Christmas<br />
From Côte Abode<br />
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<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-91982252432634434952012-11-07T18:58:00.001+01:002012-11-07T18:58:56.786+01:00<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blue skies over the Côte d'Azur</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What is in store for the French Côte d'Azur property market this Autumn-Winter 2012?</i></span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Returning home to Nice from a trip to the UK this week I had one of those moments. (In fact, I have these 'moments' quite frequently.) The plane flew low over the sparkling Mediterranean sea. As I glimpsed the Promenade des Anglais and the terracotta roof-tops below, I felt overwhelmingly happy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As artists from Matisse to Picasso and many many more appreciated, the light of the South of France has a quality that seems especially magical after the grey skies of Paris, London, or other Northern cities. It lifts the soul. You actually feel spiritually (and physically) lighter as the coat is discarded and the dark glasses take up their familiar place over the eyes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what has light and sunglasses got to do with the property market? Well, in these rather grey and grim global times a touch of blue sky optimism can't be a bad thing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A market divided</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no doubt, even the protected Côte d'Azur has been knocked back this year. Less buyers, less sellers, a change of government, a schizophrenic Euro situation, less credit available and less properties of quality have all combined to make life hugely difficult. Ask an agent and they will typically tell you that all is just fine. Ask a Notaire and they will give you a more honest opinion based on transactions (down and continuing to fall now we hit winter). Some are doing better than others, but some are struggling. (One notaire told me that if it weren't for sales of private garages she would be really worried about her income.)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reality is, however, that the French Riviera property market contracts and wobbles but doesn't collapse. The majority of sellers and buyers in these current circumstances will bunker down and wait, and wait and.... </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But how long should one wait? I have clients holding off until next year, while others are leaping in now wanting to grab 'a bargain'. But quality and stock being limited, bargains are not easy to come by. My biggest fear is that we are in a prolonged period of unrealistic expectations on both sides - the buyers who want too much of a drop and the sellers who won't move on silly prices for average abodes. This always ends in a predictable stale-mate.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>From bijou to luxury </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An unscientific poll of the notaires and agents that I know reveals that the slowest sector of the market at the moment without a doubt is the €500,000 to €1 million range (which is effectively a large apartment on the French Riviera). Traditionally this budget attracted both French and overseas' buyers. With an absence of both, this tier has flat-lined.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is moving? Smaller investment apartments - studios and one bedrooms - in cities like Nice and Cannes continue to attract cash buyers with an eye on rental return plus the desire to own a bolt-hole in the sun. It is perhaps not moving as quickly as in the past but this sector continues to be within the reach of more buyers.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other level - perhaps surprising, perhaps not - is the high-end luxury property market. As one nationality falls away (British, Americans, Italians...) another is waiting to step in - Australians, South Africans, ex-pats from the Middle East and Asia, and of course the Russians (who never go away). Many rich have remained rich, or got richer. Prices have become negotiable and this makes the Côte d'Azur more appealing than ever. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where once an apartment in St Jean Cap Ferrat seemed unattainable, it now looks possible if you have a million or two. Slightly higher up the luxe pecking order, the historic waterfront property Palais Maeterlink on Cap de Nice sold this year for 48 million euros to a billionaire Czech property developer. Who knows what he would have paid if times had been better. The point is the big spenders are still spending. The plans for Maeterlink are to turn it into luxury apartments. Seizing the moment will, the hope is, beget future returns a hundred-fold (or a million-fold).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And next year? </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hollande's latest backtrack (and we knew these were coming - indeed, had to come) is to reduce capital gains tax on second homes and rental properties by 20 percent for next year. It's a one-off concession for 2013, but if it is passed as law it will offer a little hope to kick-start a sluggish market.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever people's fears are for the future, the Côte d'Azur at the moment seems to offer a chance to buy in to an area that might not be so affordable in a few more years once the property cycle has come full circle again. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would I buy now? Yes I would, but carefully and at the right price. Light can be blinding and play tricks, hence the need for dark glasses and common sense in this market.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For information and assistance on buying on the Côte d'Azur, please contact us </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:home@coteabode.com">home@coteabode.com</a>. or visit our website <a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">www.coteabode.com</a>.</span></div>
Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-54169490986290535562012-08-08T17:59:00.000+02:002012-08-08T18:15:26.763+02:00<br />
<h2>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9;">Slow shopping in Nice</span></b></h2>
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<i>Nothing is more tantalizing than a local French market on
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One of the first things I do when I visit a new place is to
check out the local market. I have to say a recent trip to Barcelona left me
disappointed. Rather a lot of salt cod and tired fruit and vegetables. Maybe it
was a bad day, but it didn’t bring out the usual cook in me.</div>
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By contrast, coming home to Nice on the French Riviera was
an inspiration. Sometimes you need to leave home to appreciate home.</div>
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Saturday morning I grabbed my shopping bags (I know that I
should paint a scene of Provençal wicker baskets here, but as locals we use
plastic reusable Carrefour supermarket bags) and headed for our very local,
local market. </div>
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Every day, except Mondays, stalls set up outside the church
square in our neighbourhood, St Roch in Nice. It’s a small city market but it
has everything you could want in the way of fresh seasonal fruit and
vegetables. It’s a pleasure taking the time to shop like this. The stall owners
all want to know what you are cooking, offer their opinion and recipes and
always throw in for free fresh bunches of basil, parsley and some lemons.</div>
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<b>Glorious food </b></div>
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There are bigger markets in Nice such as the Cours Saleya in
the Old Town (we leave it to the tourists for most of the year, especially the
summer) and at Liberation (a fabulous huge Niçoise market). But we are spoilt
having this little one our doorstep. This Saturday I headed home with baby
aubergines, sweet tomatoes, glorious peppers (perfect for making the
traditional Provencal dish of legumes farci), rose-tinged garlic, fresh salad,
roquette, melons, nectarines, flat white peaches (to be eaten immediately with
great greedy slurping noises), local olive oil … with, of course, armfuls of
the ubiquitous heaven scented basil for a pesto feast.</div>
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The local butcher is another stopping off point. Seats are
placed around the counter as you need to wait and chat, and wait and chat.
That’s how it is done here. Slow food at it’s best. The outdoor farm chicken I
picked out, although thankfully dead, still needed its head and feet cut off,
and insides removed (and given to me separately for pâté or to enrich a sauce).
The remnants of feathers were then blow-torched. Seasoned inside and out with
Provençal herbs and trussed, I finally had my prize. </div>
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Then there is the boulangerie … but you get the picture. By
12ish you are home having spent 2 hours or so doing the food shopping (3 if you
stop for an espresso) and are ready to cook lunch. </div>
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The phenomenon in the UK, US and other Anglo countries of
farmers’ markets doesn’t happen here. Every market in Nice is a farmers’ market
of sorts. It is a way of life in the South of France, even in the cities. It’s
a manner of shopping that takes time and couldn’t be more enjoyable. If you are
visiting the Côte d’Azur, there will be a market near you, so please do get up
early, grab your plastic carrier bag and check it out.</div>
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<i>For information and help buying property on the Côte d'Azur, contact us on home@coteabode.com</i></div>
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<i>website www.coteabode.com</i></div>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-73306307471345059292012-07-10T11:59:00.001+02:002012-07-10T12:01:46.670+02:00<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;">THE INSIDE VIEW UPDATE</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><b>Hollande's new taxes</b></span></div>
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Following on from my last post, it has been pointed out that the tax increase on rent revenue for second homes will apply to unfurnished properties only. This means very few non-French residents will see any change in their status as most second-home owners who rent out do so as furnished lets.<br />
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So, even less for people to get worried about.<br />
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<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-86171968786985519372012-07-06T10:37:00.001+02:002012-07-06T10:38:51.881+02:00<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;">THE INSIDE VIEW</span></a></span></h2>
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Hollande's proposed new taxes for second homeowners in France</span></span></h2>
I have been mulling over several ideas for posts recently (I tend to have too many in my head at any one time, causing perpetual writer's block). However, the latest announcement from President Hollande's camp about how they are to raise revenue by taxation has finally managed to galvanise me.<br />
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By now most second home-owners in France will be in panic mode thanks in part to hurried newspaper reports in the <i>Daily Telegraph</i> and <i>Daily Mail</i>. We have been here before. Most recently with Sarkozy's defunct second-home tax (thrown out by Parliament last year, but I still have people ask about it as though it exists). Most newspapers seem hardwired to splash sensational headlines and can not be bothered to investigate or explain details further. I guess this is instant journalism - the McDo media (as McDonalds is known here in France).<br />
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The latest tax announcements come as little surprise. Hollande is making his mark across the business and banking sector, and we all knew that was coming. What worries the foreign second-home owner market is his proposed rise in capital gains tax and rental income tax. Nothing has become law yet, but it is looking likely to do so as the Socialists hold the majority. That said, there is a good chance the proposed law will be challenged under EU law (as Sarkozy's second home tax would have been if the French Parliament had not rejected it in advance).<br />
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It is important to pause and look at what is proposed and offer a counterpoint to the headings that scream 'French Tax Grab on Holiday Homes'.<br />
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<b>Capital Gains Tax increase</b><br />
For second homes owned by EU foreigners, Hollande is looking to increase the rate from 19% to 34.5%. This will effect EU second homeowners <i>only. </i> Currently French residents pay the full rate of 34.5%. Non-EU second homeowners (e.g. US, Australians, South Africans, Canadians etc) already pay 33.3%. This means everyone, be they French, British, Russian, American, Chinese, will pay almost the same rate across the board.<br />
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The controversy in part lies in the fact that the increase is labelled as 'social charges', which will ultimately prove to be the legal challenge. If it does pass to become law, however, British and other EU residents will simply pay the same rate as French and non-EU residents. The sliding scale (deduction by percentage points after year 6) will still apply, as will tax relief for renovation and improvements.<br />
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Thus the longer you hold on to a property, the less you will pay in capital gains tax (assuming and hoping there is a profit when you sell). As well, if you own a property under the SCI scheme (limited company for property purchases), then different laws apply to you.<br />
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It may be irksome as a British second homeowner suddenly to have this hike, but the logic is that it brings you in line with your French and non-EU colleagues.<br />
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<b>Rental tax</b><br />
Raising rental income taxes from 20% for non-residents to 35.5% again is based on 'social charges', so no doubt this will be challenged as well if it is passed by Parliament (the legal argument being that non-French residents should not have to pay social charges in a country they do not reside in).<br />
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I think this rise is a foolish move by Hollande. Not only will it scare away less experienced overseas investors but it will probably encourage more second homeowners who are renting out not to declare or to be creative with their accountancy. Obviously those who are not renting out (and they tend to be the wealthy) won't be concerned at all. Those that do, as I say, will find ways and means to either not pay or reduce the shown profit.<br />
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However, I also have to say that I am perplexed when I talk to many second homeowners here. They often feel aggrieved to be paying <i>any tax </i>at all on their rental incomes. For some strange reason, in their world, buying a property in another country exempts them from the normal laws that would apply in their own countries if they were landlords. It is a bit like they are living life on a Monopoly board with fun money. These same people grumble about paying the standard (for all owners) Taxe Foncière (land tax) and Taxe d'habitation (council tax). When I suggest we stop having their rubbish removed, ban firemen turning up to put out a fire in their home, refuse to send police when they have a break-in, leave the street outside their house unpathed etc, they look blank.<br />
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The point is if you are earning an income, you pay tax. Whether that money is earned in another country makes no difference. The amount you pay will depend on a number of factors and a good accountant should be able to offset most expenses against the income you make from the rental.<br />
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<b>Good news for buyers</b><br />
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More tax is never fun. Hollande's new approach will upset many. However, the Côte d'Azur property market will continue to flourish and the smart investors are already swooping as they prey on sellers' nerves. The last time I saw this happen was end of 2011 when the Capital Gains time limit was raised from 15 years to 30 years (by right-wing Sarkozy, please don't forget). At the end of last year, I managed to save tens of thousands off the asking price for several of my clients as we hit the right moment to negotiate.<br />
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I also think it is worth remembering for the nervous buyers and sellers out there that governments come and go. Five years from now who knows what will be. It's not the time to make a quick buck, that's for sure. But as we have seen from the financial mess we are in, stability and long-term growth are far better bets for the future.<br />
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<i><b>If you would like professional assistance buying on the Côte d'Azur, please contact us at home@coteabode.com or telephone 0033 (0)623630779</b></i>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-1708309572468521862012-06-14T18:56:00.000+02:002012-06-14T19:15:21.106+02:00<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">LEMON COTE D'AZUR</a></span></h2>
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I'll step away here from the property market on the French Riviera for once.<br />
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The lemons have been falling from the trees in my parents' garden in Nice. Although they live only 5 minutes walk from the beach and the Promenade des Anglais, they are one of the lucky few to have a private garden in the centre of town. The apartment with a garden (in a chateau no less, and yes really it is in the city) was chosen entirely on the basis of the dog needing outside space. But that's my family.<br />
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Anyway, thanks to Rosie the dog we have a reliable source of lemons, bitter oranges (best for marmalade making) fresh herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, stunning roses and so forth depending on the season and my mother's planting whims. The lemons are luckily an annual constant, however.<br />
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I live across town in a martini-modern penthouse. Granted it is chic and has fabulous views of Nice and the sea, but my parents' garden is a refuge now that summer is here. A little paradise in the city.<br />
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And the lemons? In the past we have thrown a limoncello party in January with friends and made bottles of the divine Southern Italian drink. This means trips to the pharmacy to get our quota of pure alcohol. (As my mother and her friends limp in with mystery ailments, the chemist always says 'ahhh, limoncello season is it'?) and to Italy, half an hour away, where sale of the 90% proof is less regulated. The magical potion of alcohol, lemon rinds and bay then sit on the dining room table for several weeks marinating before sugar syrup is added to make the yellow nectar of limoncello (nothing like that horrible sweet stuff you get in Italian restaurants, by the way).<br />
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This year, however, we have been a bit preoccupied and let the January party slip away (some lemons did go to Sweden with friends who rather wonderfully created a Northern version of the Nice limoncello party this year). The lemons are now destined to be preserved. I'll serve them late Summer with a Moroccan tagine on a sultry Côte d'Azur evening. <br />
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By the way, there are a couple of apartments for sale in the Nice chateau where my parents live. Well, I couldn't resist adding that, could I?<br />
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<i>For help buying a property on the Côte d'Azur, please contact us <a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">www.coteabode.com </a>or email <a href="mailto:home@coteabode.com">home@coteabode.com</a></i>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-49847514504500067402012-05-13T19:45:00.000+02:002012-05-13T21:50:27.935+02:00<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-size: large;">THE VIEW</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #b6d7a8; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal;"><i>A Côte d'Azur property is all about the right view </i></span></h2>
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When doing a search for a client it quickly becomes obvious that there is always one ingredient that is more important to them above all else. It can be location, it can be space, it can be architectural charm. However, more often than not it is the view. This seemingly simple request for a 'view' has led me to some of the most magnificent villas and apartments on the French Riviera. However, equally over the years I have been shown some shocking examples. Ones near Nice airport are usually the most irritating. Sea views and ... industrial landscape and planes!<br />
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The rationale here on the Côte d'Azur with sellers and agents is that a view of the sea is a view of the sea. This means your property must be worth far more than one without a view of the sea and is far more desirable. Well, no actually. You see, not all sea views are the same. There is a magnificent sea view in a desirable location - and this is without a doubt a property price hike to the super-league. Next is a great view but wrong location (Nice West and the far-end of Promenade des Anglais, for instance, are more affordable areas agents are fond of touting for 'views', but frankly not a place to invest). Then there is a so-so view (usually a glimpse of the sea between buildings or if you crane your head out of a window). This sort of view is second best and quite honestly it doesn't deserve the extra 'sea view' price tag. Finally, there is the sea view that should work but just doesn't.<br />
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I have seen a few of the latter category recently while on a 'view' hunt for a client (it started with thinking the style of building was important but it quickly became clear the sea view was the thing). We narrowed the area to Villefranche sur mer or close to it. The budget was good enough for a two or three bedroom apartment in this expensive location (prices round Villefranche can reach €12,000 to €15,000 per square metre). You would think it would be an easy search. It wasn't.<br />
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It usually goes like this with agents (not all but generally). First they want to show the properties that have been on their books for years (yes, often years!) or ones where they are friends with the owners. This is in part due to a delusional hope I will suspend all my aesthetic and business judgement and allow my client to visit (I don't), and in part to appease owners who want to see that a certain number of visits have been clocked up. Once that formality is over (and actually I don't mind this as it means I can see the market and give feedback to clients), I get down to business of seeing the interesting and new properties.<br />
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This search I saw some fabulous views, but not so fabulous apartments. Or fabulous apartments but the so-so view rule came into play (usually squeezed between buildings). But the most depressing category has to be the view that should work but simply does not. Usually this means if you keep your eye on the horizon all will be fine, but don't look down, left or right.<br />
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The runner-up in this category in my latest search was an apartment that gazed out over the beautiful Villefranche Bay. However, look down and there was a particularly grim car parking lot, look left there was some kind of ravaged cliff with houses about to fall off - held up there by chicken wire. However, the overall winner went to the apartment that had the sea view but when you looked down from the terrace you enjoyed the cemetery. And we are not talking a quaint cemetery with overgrown ivy here. This was modern grey tombstones in rows a-go-go. The agent slightly ironically (but only slightly I fear) piped up that 'there would be no noise from the neignbours'. Quite.<br />
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Anyway, the point is that not all sea views are the same and what you see on the internet is in reality far more complicated and nuanced (price should be a give-away, by the way, but sometimes it is not).<br />
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As for my client. Well she surprised me. After initially going for a fabulous on the waterfront apartment (view charming and pied dans l'eau but needing work), she changed overnight and decided on a higher up view that also took in a bit of Nice city. I share the same view and love it (it has a slightly Hollywood feel at night). In the end the apartment and view had to work in tandem - and this one does perfectly.<br />
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So next time you see a place advertised with 'magnificent sea views', remember it is not always that simple on the Côte d'Azur. For property assistance on the Côte d'Azur, contact us at <a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">www.coteabode.com</a><br />
<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-19572580169013963802012-05-04T18:26:00.000+02:002012-05-08T14:12:23.245+02:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af;">WHAT WE WISH FOR</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">A French Presidential election this Sunday makes for interesting times</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE VIEW FROM NICE - IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE</td></tr>
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It has been a while. Between zipping round the Côte d'Azur for clients on a villa hunt and helping other clients who have bought to decorate their apartment, somehow the time for writing seemed to slip away. I also think it has to do with the fact that I have succumbed to Twitter fever. I resisted for a long time, but I now find myself uploading photos, dashing off haiku-like bons mots and links to interesting articles, plus spearheading with a few other likeminded souls a fan-club for the Côte. I have gone from thinking Twitter was the instant pot noodle soup of social media (addictive but leaves you feeling dissatisfied) to becoming a disciple of the Twitter Church. It's a little worrying to be so enthralled by it, but follow me anyway at @coteabode. You will get all the happening news on the French Riviera that way quickly.<br />
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I have had several general enquiries recently along the lines of 'What will happen in the election? Isn't it risky to buy now' What they really mean to say is 'if Hollande gets elected will France become a Socialist state?' Some people seem to think we are in for another Revolution, with the storming of the Bastille round the corner and some good guillotine shows coming up. It is amazing how a little bit of information can quickly become misinformation, or alarmist information. A recent Telegraph article (3 May 2012) announced 'France faces 40% house price slump.' This headline was taken from a quote by M. Sabatier from the economic consultancy company Primeview. According to him: </div>
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<i>'Starting this year, the demographic structure (of France) will have a profound deflationary impact on property, reversing the last 40 years. We could see a vicious circle of falling prices. Ageing means the end of property's golden age. It may be less rapid than in the US because French households have less solvency problems, but we think 40 percent fall may be inevitable over five or ten years.'</i></div>
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Well that is some news to digest and there is certainly some intelligent economists out there who are predicting, if not extremely hard times, then certainly a bumpy road ahead. But I like the use of the conditional in this article 'we <i>could </i>see a vicious circle of falling prices', 'we think 40% fall <i>may </i>be inevitable.' </div>
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The fact is these are pretty general pronouncements at a time when we all know how hard things are economically across the world. Further, what it doesn't do is take in to account the micro-markets within France. Yes, Paris has probably over-heated (according to the same article 'the world's third costliest city' but according to the Global Property Guide it is ranked fourth after Monaco, London and Hong Kong). But Paris is and always will be a major city with willing investors. The Côte d'Azur is in exactly the same position. Prices have been rising and demand is constant. It is a place people dream about and in the end the harsh truth is that only some can afford the dream. </div>
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According to M. Sabatier there will be an aging population of sellers and a stagnant population of buyers. This may fit the general French population model, but it doesn't include the international buying market that bolsters the Côte d'Azur property market - and fundamentally (whether one likes it or not) sustains it. </div>
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What do we wish from this election, then? Personally, I am not concerned. I don't think we shall see much change between Hollande or Sarkozy as President. This is a global crisis, with a messy Euro twist. Neither side wants to make things worse. I think anyone who is hesitant about buying before the election will remain so subsequently. 'Tant pis' or 'too bad', as they say in France. The reality is serious cash buyers are not in short supply and continue to flock to the Côte d'Azur (the British less so, but the Russians more and more). A <i>Financial Times</i> article (also 3 May) by Tony Barber on the Hollande situation was very measured and intelligent. He comments that, 'All told, leftist change will not be the hallmark of a Hollande presidency'. </div>
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What I wish for is a little less headline shock and speculation and a little more reasonable thinking about how we can adjust to this new world and at the same time make it a little fairer. If this means prices come down slightly on the Côte d'Azur, then that is good news both for my international clients and for local people. I have been finding the negotiation stage on behalf of clients rewarding. As for my clients that have bought, well they were never interested in selling on quickly. Plus they are all sitting on great properties - I made sure of that. </div>
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In the spirit of my Twitter haiku style, the Swedish writer and doctor Axel Munthe had this to say in 1929 about what he wished for:</div>
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<i>All I needed was a whitewashed room with a hard bed, a deal table, a couple of chairs and a piano. The twitter of birds outside my open window and the sound of the sea from afar.</i></div>
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That sounds good to me.</div>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-16968360789244644032012-03-06T15:17:00.002+01:002012-03-06T15:17:18.677+01:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">NEW YORK TO NICE</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">A tale o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">f two cities</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City life. Nice at night from our apartment</td></tr>
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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).<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
The other thing I like about Nice? There are regular flights between us and New York now. What's not to like?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><i>For help buying on the Côte d'Azur, see <a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">www.coteabode.com</a> </i></span>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-894143691190299312012-02-04T19:15:00.002+01:002012-02-04T19:15:37.317+01:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Villa Kérylos and Beaulieu-sur-mer</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b6d7a8;">Ancient Greece in a French Riviera setting</span><br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The villa is centred around the internal courtyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A giant marble bath is the focal point of the bathroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The intricately tiled peristyle (internal courtyard) is flanked by columns</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life-sized replicas of Greco-Roman statues line the gallery</td></tr>
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<br />Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-88353784033734482452011-12-27T19:08:00.000+01:002012-01-06T09:58:54.276+01:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1461341508">French Riviera property market </a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">Predictions 2012</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">act for the buyer, so our expertise and work is different from estate agents.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i>l'immoblier des Notaires de France</i>). 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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- Asking prices will hold up but the price is still negotiable. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- It will remain a serious buyers' market</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- More US and Asian interest </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- Investment properties in Nice will stay strong</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- Two-bedroom apartments are the best investment choice for rentals</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- The quartier to invest in Nice is Lafayette</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>For villas on the Riviera, look to Beaulieu and Eze bord de mer</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Villefranche is beautiful but crowded and touristy. The real afficionado will buy in expensive but chic and discreet Beaulieu and Eze.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- The personal, smaller agent will continue to have the good properties</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bonne Année!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">www.coteabode.com</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-41697454901346663482011-12-08T09:48:00.001+01:002011-12-18T21:13:01.623+01:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few of my favourite things
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Christmas only a week away, it seems a good time to share some of my favourite Christmas shopping spots in Old Nice. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maison AUER patisserie and chocolatier</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7 rue François de Paule</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A selection of fruits confits at Auer in traditional earthenware bowls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The enticing Rococo interior of Auer</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The small stalls are often the best as the produce is grown locally and organic</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rue François de Paule</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>rue de la Préfecture</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Caprice</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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</div>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-61082812265510189142011-11-19T16:08:00.000+01:002011-11-19T16:08:15.480+01:00RENOVATED RIVIERA<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="100%" style="background-color: #f2f2ed; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 604px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" valign="top"><div style="color: #505050; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #505050; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 260px;"><h4 style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; text-align: left;"><span style="color: lightblue;">RENOVATED APARTMENTS</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0xsr4T7AaE/TsfCFS-ws4I/AAAAAAAAAxI/vVrkLLuCR20/s1600/DSCF2990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0xsr4T7AaE/TsfCFS-ws4I/AAAAAAAAAxI/vVrkLLuCR20/s320/DSCF2990.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 260px;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>314</o:Words> <o:Characters>1792</o:Characters> <o:Lines>14</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>2200</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;">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). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;">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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: ArialMT; font-size: 12.0pt;">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.</span></div><!--EndFragment--></span></div></div></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-89323029391250717042011-08-27T18:30:00.000+02:002011-08-27T18:30:01.290+02:00We're having a heatwave...ROQUEBRUNE CAP MARTIN - A BEACH FOR ARCHITECTS<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Corbusier's 'Cabanon' at Roquebrune </td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A glimpse of Villa E.1027 from Roquebrune beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>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.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271805319485575337.post-40764220517262292932011-06-24T11:34:00.001+02:002011-06-24T12:18:19.450+02:00AGENT PROPERTY SHARING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.coteabode.com/">TAKING CARE WITH BUYING ON THE COTE D'AZUR</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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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.<br />
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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 <i>me </i>about a couple of million-euro properties available for sale.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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<i> </i>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.<br />
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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....'<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.Rebecca Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583727794974151967noreply@blogger.com1Nice, France43.696036 7.2655919999999743.638321499999996 7.19492799999997 43.7537505 7.3362559999999695