Globalizing Your Wealth by Investing in France

Today is a holiday in France — “Assomption.” It’s the number one quietest day in Paris — not only is it a holiday, but it’s the peak of the summer vacation period. Everyone is gone, gone, gone to the beaches and the countryside. It’s one of the few days of the year you can cross rue de Rivoli on foot without looking for oncoming traffic — there isn’t any!

I returned yesterday from the Global Access and Continuity Conference sponsored by Hemispheres Publishing in Zurich where I spoke about living and investing in France. The HIRE Act and FATCA were big topics of conversation, as you can imagine. Some of the topics included international trusts, U.S. tax laws, why gold is such a good investment, how to financially plan for your retirement, etc. My presentation was well received and it was surprising to the attendees that a home in the countryside of France could be so inexpensive. Their perception in general is that France is too expensive to consider…but what they learned is that Paris is at a premium, but the smaller cities and countryside are seriously affordable.

They also learned that owning an asset in euro value is a great way to get their money off-shore, legally, without reporting requirements to the IRS and a it’s a great way of diversifying their investments in another currency. More importantly, it’s a real change in lifestyle, which was the emphasis of my talk and believe it or not, that’s what everyone is looking for, monied or not.

One such seriously well-heeled gentleman told me his interest was owning something agriculturally-based in France, not necessarily a vineyard, but something that produces products from the earth — something healthy and wonderful he can contribute to society. It’s rewarding to know that there are those who have a lot of money who don’t care just about the money.

A conference of this kind is very American in nature. It’s all about making money based on intelligence, creative ideas and hard work. It’s tough to even imagine a conference like this taking place in France (unless it was organized by Americans for Americans, but choose France as a place to meet). The French feel so uncomfortable discussing money at all — so in its place, they might be discussing what they can do to improve their infrastructure, provide better services for their people or even how to grow grapes that make better wine.

This comparison does not mean that one is better or worse than the other. Both are valuable and necessary. I am just the independent observer. In all the years living in France I have personally hoped for a better balance or blend of the two cultures — there are so many things that are right and wrong on both sides.

Just imagine for a moment that if the French were more entrepreneurial, their economy might be stronger, their unemployment might be lower and their youth wouldn’t be “exoding” (this isn’t a real word, but you understand, right?) looking for opportunities elsewhere, such as London (France’s sixth largest city according to the BBC!), New York (according to the New York Post they are flooding the city) or other Canadian (Quebec) and European cities (irishtimes.com) in these tough economic times.

And if the U.S. were a bit less money-driven, then it might have a better health care system for all, a higher level of free education and better public transport.

On the subject of property, the U.S. has seen both great gains and great losses in real estate investment because the banks took greater risks, closing costs are low and ‘flipping’ properties is relatively easy. French real estate has remained more stable overall for the exact opposite reasons — the banks took less risks, the closing costs are high and ‘flipping’ a property is virtually impossible. The cost of ownership is high in the U.S. with annual property taxes varying between .5% and 3.5% compared to France’s low cost of ownership with a .0002% average.

I may be forever dreaming of ‘marrying’ the two systems, the two cultures and the two lifestyles, while never coming to fruition…but understanding them both helps considerably!

BTW, don’t look in your in-box next Thursday for issue number 34, because it won’t be there. Instead I’ll be tanning on the beaches of Corsica and contemplating what’s new on the property horizon for the following week when FPI will resume it’s usual schedule for La Rentrée. Hope you have had a wonderful summer!

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds

Editor, French Property Insider & Director of The Adrian Leeds Group, LLC

Email: [email protected]

P.S. I hope you enjoyed seeing the latest episode of House Hunters International on Tuesday: “Becoming a Buyer in Nice.” (Full details for each episode is available at Adrian Leeds on House Hunters International — If Nice seemed nice, it’s because it is! So, join us, if you can, at the upcoming Living and Investing in France Conference September 27-29. For details, visit Living and Investing in France.

P.P.S. When purchasing a property in France, it is possible to get a mortgage — if you know where to go. We can help by introducing you to lenders, assisting you in organizing your loan applications, and explaining the various mortgage options to you. For more information visit French Property Loan or email [email protected].