The Center of European Politics
Volume II, Issue 45
I’ve been flooded with mail today from readers on both sides of the U.S. political coin expressing their dismay or their elation at the results of the election.
An article in today’s International Herald Tribune gave me encouragement that while the French were largely campaigning for Kerry to win, the Bush victory is likely to benefit Jacques Chirac and France! How ironic. (Read down for the link to the entire article.)
One thing is also clear, many Americans who are unhappy with the political right turn will be seeking new lives in France and other parts outside the U.S. I received a comment from someone who lost his job the same day as John Kerry lost the election: “I wish there were some way we could just move to France and start over but it’s just too hard getting jobs over there as well.”
With all the talk about politics, it seems appropriate that I just visited the center of European politics…Strasbourg. What a beautifully picturesque city — such a seamless blend of French and German cultures. Scroll down for an exposé of Strasbourg, the nearby thermal baths at Baden-Baden in the Black Forest of Germany and some special properties for sale in this international city.
For those of you who might want to hedge your bets by investing in the Euro (before the dollar gets any weaker) and cash in on the consistently appreciating French real estate market, Parler Paris, French Property Insider and John Howell and Co. International Lawyers is hosting a one-day “Invest in France Seminar” on Wednesday, December 29th, to teach you the best way to buy property in France and double or triple your investment.
We know it’s a crazy day of the year — but what better time to take advantage of a vacation during the Holiday Season in the world’s most beautiful and romantic city…and while you’re indulging on champagne and caviar, learn how to buy your own pied-à-terre in Paris or stone cottage in Burgundy, enjoy it for yourself part of the year, rent it out for respectable revenues while you’re not here and then watch it appreciate and grow in value over the years.
We’ve negotiated with Les Jardins du Marais, a four-star hotel near the Bastille and Le Marais for ridiculously low rates at this time of year, or if you prefer an apartment, scroll down for last-minute bargain deals with http://www.ParisMarais.com. Be sure to tell Pascal Fonquernie you’re with French Property Insider.
Scroll down for more information about the conference or click here for all the details and to register before it’s too late: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/liveinfrance/IIF_Paris/IIF_promo.html
And if you can’t make the seminar here in Paris in December, mark your calendar for February 11 – 13 in New Orleans for a three-day Living and Investing in France Conference! Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/liveinfrance/index.html for more information.
A bientôt,
Adrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider
Email: [email protected]
P.S. Meet me this coming Sunday evening at Patricia Laplante Collins’ Paris Soirées for my talk on “Investing In Paris Property: What’s Hot and What’s Not” (visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/calendar.html for details) and to meet other Parler Paris readers, be sure to come have a drink with us at Parler Paris Après Midi on Tuesday, November 9th (visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apresmidi.html for details).
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Volume II, Issue 45, November 4, 2004
In this issue:
* Bush a Blessing for France?
* Jean Taquet Explains What’s a Fair Price to Pay
* A Profitable Holiday Seminar in Paris
* Phone Rates Coming Down, Down, Down
* Baden-Baden Draws a Bath
* Strasbourg — a Modern Capital of Europe
* Strasbourg — the U.S. Consulate
* Strasbourg — a Jewish History Tour
* Strasbourg — Le Cathédrale
* Mortgage News from Abbey National
* Currency Exchange Update
* Hot Property: Strasbourg Beauties, What’s Up for Auction
* Classified Advertising: Last Minute Apartment Rentals for the Holidays at a Big Bargain
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Bush Victory Viewed as a Boon To Chirac
By Katrin Bennhold
International Herald Tribune
Thursday, November 4, 2004
PARIS If it had been up to the French people, John Kerry would have been elected the next president of the United States by a wide margin. But as officials and political observers here came to terms Wednesday with another four years of George W. Bush in the White House, many said that, ironically, France could come out stronger.
Read more…http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/03/news/france.html
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Jean Taquet’s Practical Answers: What’s a Fair Price to Pay? November 1, 2004
QUESTION
I would like to buy lot 79, the lot next to mine in this remote section of the Riviera. Lot 79 has absolutely no access to any street, road, trail, path. None of the neighbors have given the owner access to his land
. Based on our initial conversation on this matter, the owner told me that if I didn’t buy it, he would have to start a process to obtain from the court the right to cross one of the adjacent pieces of land (called a servitude – to access the lot – in French). When I told the story to my architect, he said this could be a good financial investment for me down the line, since the value of a lot where a building can go up will go up five to ten times in the next twenty years.
The problem is the price. I’d be ready to invest about 900 euros in it, but the owner of the lot went to Realtors last week, and found it was worth 2200 euros. Of course, that price might be accurate for a regular lot, with access. But there is no access to this man’s lot, and any servitude would have to be bought for a high price from a neighbor – and the other neighbors have refused to sell him a servitude! How can I make sure that I pay a fair price for this property?
ANSWER
A market price can be defined in two ways. The first way is to take the average price of past sales in this area and convert it to the size of this lot. This is not possible in this case because there would not be enough sales of this kind to draw a meaningful conclusion. There could be absolutely no past transaction of this nature. The second method is to decide that the price that the buyer and the seller agree on is the market price. In this case, what you offer could be the market price. The temptation would be to estimate the cost of the court procedure and then deduct it from the market price. The problem here is that this procedure is not completely sure; neighbors who could be obliged to accept the creation of this path through their property may fight this decision in court on the grounds that the law should define another lot than his/hers to be the site of the servitude. There are a lot of hazards in this kind of procedure even if on paper it seems to be a sure shot considering the fact that this man has the clear right to access the nearest public road. Try to get some information about how much it costs in your area to pay a neighbor to get this kind of right. Since this situation does exist more often than you might think, you could find some sound direction provided that you know how much was paid. Indeed, people in these rural communities in France are extremely close-mouthed and this transaction does not require official registration, contrary to real-estate transactions. All the administration gets is the statement granting this right of passage so that the right can be recorded.
Therefore you are in a unique buyer’s situation and the guidelines for estimating a fair price are very vague. If you are serious about buying, you should enter a negotiation process with the intent of coming to a final agreement. There will be no way to be certain that you end up buying it at a fair price but you can tell yourself that you worked hard to get a “good enough” price. This said, once the two lots are put together, this piece of land would then be worth market price and would generate a sizable capital gain for you. This aspect of the situation should not be underestimated either.
Editor’s Notes:
Jean Taquet is a French jurist and associate member of the Delaware Bar Association, specializes in civil, criminal and commercial law. He frequently gives courses about the legal system in France and regularly speaks at the Living in France Conferences in the U.S. and Paris. He is also well known for his informative Q and A columns in past Paris Voice magazines, which can now be purchased in one document as “The Insider Guide to Practical Answers for Living in France”
To subscribe to his monthly newsletter, email Jean Taquet at [email protected]
To make an appointment with Jean Taquet for his consultation services:
Phone: Cell: 06.16.81.48.07 or email [email protected]
To read this month’s column in it’s entirety, click here: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/practicalanswers.html
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The Most Important Thing You Can Do Before the Year is Over
Learn the best ways to watch your money and real estate investment grow before your very eyes…all while gazing at the world’s most famous monument over a frothy café crème.
Now’s your opportunity to take a holiday vacation in the most romantic and beautiful city in the world and set aside JUST ONE DAY of your busy schedule visiting museums and dining on foie gras to learn how to make your money double (and even triple — like mine has since I bought my Marais apartment just four short years ago).
December 29th, the first 100 individuals to register will learn from some of the finest experts in French real estate…how to make the most of the rest of their lives while building a portfolio of some of the most desirable real estate in the world.
Take just one full power-packed day, this coming December 29th — in Paris, France. Learn how…
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Rates of Calling a Mobile Phone from a Land Line Will Drop
A gradual reduction of rates over two years to 36% has been imposed upon the three French mobile phone operators (Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom) by the Authorité de Régulation des Télécommunications (ART) on calls made from a fixed/land line to a mobile/cellular phone. By 2005, the rate decrease imposed will reach 11%, followed by 15% in 2006. Currently rates are approximately 22 centimes a minute, reduced to 19.6 centimes in 2005 and 16.6 centimes in 2006.
The rates have been criticized for years, representing 11% of the total usage and reflecting a real cost of 6 centimes per minute. At the beginning, the surtax was added to support mobile operators’ development costs. Now that the networks are fully developed, the is little reason for the exorbitant taxation. Mid October, the council estimated that the exaggerated rates did not benefit the development of competition within the marketplace and therefore the consumer. The final objective is to reduce the connectivity price to 7.5 centimes, close to its actual cost.
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Bathing in Baden-Baden
By Adrian Leeds
The Irish-Roman baths in Baden-Baden, Germany, just beyond the border of France, 34 kilometers from Strasbourg, are legendary. I’d certainly heard about them
for many years and never had the opportunity to indulge…until a friend in Paris with a car said, “How’d you like to go? We can be back by tomorrow night.”
By car, the 327 mile trip across France is fast and painless, also quite beautiful. By Autoroute, you pass through Ile de France, Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine and Alsace regions…rolling hills, bright green agricultural fields, vineyards, “petits villages” and several cities worth a special stop and visit: Reims, Metz and Strasbourg. Keep your credit card handy and be prepared to stop at many toll stations along the way — you’ll spend more than 30 Euros each way. Estimated driving time: 5 hours.
To go by train, start at the Gare de l’Est to Strasbourg and change trains to get to Baden-Baden. There isn’t much difference in the view from the train coach whipping along toward the same destination. Plus, you will get to see the quaint little town of Bar-le-Duc, which is the half-way point, as well as the famous Nancy, mentioned in various WWII movies and, you may even get a chance to see some beautiful rainbows along the portion that is beside a river after an afternoon rain shower. One reader told me that he saw the most colorful rainbow in his life there one day returning from Paris — it had the deepest intensities of the colors he had ever seen.
Baden-Baden hotels were booked solid, so we reserved in a ski chalet in the Black Forest beyond Baden-Baden near “Wildbad.” The forest is stunningly colorful and lacy at this time of year. Small winding roads littered with leaves take you up to the top of the forest through quaint German villages such as Gernsbach, Reichental and Kaltenbronn. There were dozens of trails in the forest for “randonneurs” and large parking lots at which to deposit their cars — an unusual sight in such a remote spot.
The Friedrichsbad baths in the center of town are three-and-one-half hours of decadence — a bargain, with a soap and brush massage, at 29 Euros. Mark Twain once wrote about the baths in Chapter XXI of “A Tramp Abroad” (http://www.literatureclassics.com/etexts/731/11475/) and had this to say: “The room is divided by a great curtain; you draw this curtain aside, and find a large white marble bathtub, with its rim sunk to the level of the floor, and with three white marble steps leading down to it. This tub is full of water which is as clear as crystal, and is tempered to 28 degrees Re’aumur (about 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Sunk into the floor, by the tub, is a covered copper box which contains some warm towels and a sheet. You look fully as white as an angel when you are stretched out in that limpid bath. You remain in it ten minutes, the first time, and afterward increase the duration from day to day, till you reach twenty-five or thirty minutes. There you stop. The appointments of the place are so luxurious, the benefit so marked, the price so moderate, and the insults so sure, that you very soon find yourself adoring the Friedrichsbad and infesting it.”
Little has changed since Twain wrote that passage in 1880. It was a surrealistic experience, to be so completely comfortable in my own skin in such a lavish, yet in many ways, stark environment. We were surrounded by men and women, mostly middle-aged, mostly German, at complete ease with their own nakedness, in the warmth of the steamy aromatic saunas, floating without care in the large pools of clear, warm therapeutic waters and surrendering to the strong hands of the masseurs and the scratchiness of the defoliating brushes.
At the end of the session, I was waterlogged, but we were both stress-free, ready for an evening at the Baden-Baden casino and cocktail lounge, where we could mingle with an international clientele, drink White Russians, dance till we dripped with sweat and laugh without reservation until heading back into the Black Forest for surrender totally to sleep.
Returning to Paris the next day took us to picturesque Strasbourg for a visit and lunch, a city that is a perfect blend of French and German cultures, worth much more time than we could give to it.
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Strasbourg, Born in 12 BC
http://www.motherearthtravel.com/france/strasbourg/history.htm
Strasbourg, the modern capital of Europe, also boasts a rich and varied past that has made an indelible mark on the local culture and architecture. People in the avant-garde Strasbourg of today may get around using an economical, attractive and environmentally-friendly light rail system; they may live in the city of the Conseil de l’Europe and the Palais des Droits de l’Homme (Palace of Human Rights); but they are also surrounded at all times by a local history that begins in Antiquity and has ever since been shaped by the city’s position at the crossroads of Europe.
Strasbourg was born in the year 12 B.C., and grew out of both the Roman military camp Argentoratum and Strateburgum, the neighboring fishing and hunting village from which the city takes its name. This Strateburgum, “City of Roads,” was truly the crossroads of Europe, a traveler’s stopover but also the frequent target of invaders from the east. Accordingly, historic Strasbourg is where the first known text in (Old) French’ the famous Serment de Strasbourg, pronounced in 842 by Louis le Débonnaire’s two sons and their men, was written.
Strasbourg had become a free Imperial city, it was the scene of Much later, when numerous important scientific, religious, and artistic events. The current Place Gutenberg celebrates the inventor of movable type, who developed his invention right here before taking it to Mayence. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Strasbourg was a major stage for Calvin’s Reformation. In 1725, Louis XV was married to Marie Leszgynska in the Cathédrale Notre Dame, which was built between 1015 and 1365. The rich artistic history of Strasbourg includes concerts by Mozart and Goethe’s long stay here; around the same time, many Parisian-influenced hôtels particuliers (private mansions) were built in central Strasbourg, as was the monumental Palais Rohan .
The city has always been torn between Germany and France. Even today, Strasbourg is subject to the double influence, by turns beneficial and oppressive, of the two giants on whose border it lies. Ironically, it is here that the French national anthem got its start: on April 24, 1792, during a farewell dinner honoring volunteers in the Rhine army, mayor Frédéric de Dietrich asked Rouget de Lisle to compose a song to rally the troops; the result was the “Marseillaise”. Nevertheless, this border town has often fallen under German control. Amon
g the monuments of Strasbourg are some landmarks in German Neoclassicism, including the Palais du Rhin (Palace of the Rhine), the Théâtre National de Strasbourg (Strasbourg National Theatre), and the Bibliothèque Nationale Universitaire (National University Library), all situated near the Place de la République. These important edifices were all damaged in the World Wars, but in the years since the buildings, and Germano-Alsatian relations as well, have been fully restored.
Today Strasbourg is at the center of European politics as it shares with Luxembourg and Brussels the privilege of hosting major European Union institutions. The European Council, which was created on May 5, 1949 and which is made up of representatives from 41 member nations, sits in session in a contemporary complex next to the Parc de l’Orangerie.
A city of importance in all eras, Strasbourg impresses today by the harmonic coexistence of its vibrant modernism and its historical heritage. Roman, Germanic, and French cultures have made their marks here, and throughout the city’s history all have contributed to the specificity that is Alsatian culture.
A complete history of Strasbourg can be found at :http://www.strasbourg.com/sef/
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History of the U.S. Consulate in Strasbourg
http://www.amb-usa.fr/consul/sbghist.htm
The first American Consulate in Strasbourg was opened in 1866, in the building at 4 Place Broglie where the French national anthem, “the Marseillaise”, was composed some 70 years earlier. When Germany incorporated Alsace after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the Consulate was relocated just across the Rhine in Kehl (Baden-Wurtemberg), because German authorities decided not to allow consular representation in Alsace-Lorraine.
After the restoration of Alsace to France at the end of World War I, the Consulate returned to Strasbourg in 1921. From 1925 to 1935, the Territory of Saar was included in the Strasbourg consular district, as it also was from 1949 to 1957. The Consulate was closed during World War II, but re-opened on March 23, 1946, shortly after the Allies liberated Strasbourg. It was designated a Consulate General in 1966.
The current Consulate building, at 15 Avenue d’Alsace, opened in 1950, was built by the U.S. government and houses all U.S. offices in Strasbourg.
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The Virtual Jewish History Tour Strasbourg
By Toni L. Kamins
Strasbourg is a city of contrasts. The language is French, but the architecture, food, and wine are overwhelmingly German. Cities and towns all over Alsace have German names and many streets are a French German hybrid like rue Unter den Linden. Here the clash of history is evident everywhere you go as you recall that over the centuries Alsace changed from French to German hands and back again many times.
Strasbourg is also home to some 16,000 Jews and it’s a good starting point for exploring the province’s rich Jewish history. Like Jews in other parts of France and the rest of Europe in the middle ages, the Jews of Alsace suffered through expulsions, blood libel accusations, and blame for the Black Death. They were driven out of cities and towns, exploited by the Christian aristocracy, forced to pay high taxes, wear identity tags, and to get permission to marry. Jewish children born out of wedlock were forcibly baptized.
History
Alsace became part of France in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia, but it was only after the French Revolution that Jews were granted civil rights.
Following emancipation Jews began to move from small towns to larger cities, and Strasbourg, which had a Jewish population of about one hundred before the Revolution, grew to over 1,000 by the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was during the first flower of emancipation, that synagogues were built all over Alsace – some 176 between 1791 and 1914 – and nearly every town and village had one. It was a big change from the fourteenth through eighteenth centuries when synagogue construction was banned.
Benjamin of Tudela, the twelfth century Sephardic traveler who chronicled the Jewish world of his day, tells us that Jews lived in Strasbourg and in the rest of Alsace around 1170 C.E. Today the Jewish community of Strasbourg retains its predominantly Ashkenazi character, unlike most communities in France. This vibrant community made a comeback from the devastation of the German occupation and the Shoah and is an integral part of life in the city. Many of Strasbourg’s Jews live in the area around the main synagogue – a lovely and fashionable neighborhood around the Parc des Contades. The imposing Synagogue de la Paix, (1a rue du Grand Rabbin René Hirschler) was built in 1958 to replace the synagogue on the same spot that was destroyed by the Germans during the Occupation. The interior is equally impressive – a circular sanctuary nestled beneath a Star of David.
Tourist Sights
Take a walk through the heart of old Strasbourg. There’s plenty to see of Jewish interest. Oddly enough, we’ll start with a church.
To the left of the portal as you face Strasbourg’s Cathedral of Notre Dame are two statues – Ecclesia and Synagoga, circa 1230. The one on the left represents Christianity – a woman adorned with a crown and wearing a flowing gown. She holds a staff with a cross in one hand and a chalice in the other, and grins in triumph over her enemy. The one on the right represents Judaism. Her garment is disheveled and clings tightly to her body. Her staff is broken and the tablets of the Law are about to slip from her hand. As is typical of Ecclesia and Synagoga, we do not see her face – her head is bowed and she is blindfolded because she cannot see the truth of Christianity.
Next to the Cathedral is the Musée de l’Oeuvre Notre Dame. A chronicle of the arts in Strasbourg and the Upper Rhine from the eleventh through seventeenth centuries, you will also see some Jewish tombstones from the twelfth through fourteenth centuries in the museum courtyard. They are originally from a cemetery at the Place de la République.
The Rue des Juifs (Jew street) is the heart of the old Jewish quarter and one of Strasbourg’s oldest streets. Over 1,600 years old, it was the Roman east-west road. On the end of the street furthest from the Cathedral, number 30, between rue des Pucelles and rue de la Faisan, was the site of the twelfth century synagogue; the community’s bakery was at number 17, the Mikvah at the corner of rue des Charpentiers, the butcher shop at 22 rue des Charpentiers and the cemetery at the Place de la République.
Number 15 was constructed in 1290 and is the
only remaining building from this period that was inhabited by a Jewish family. Beginning in 1587, this section of the rue des Juifs was known as Zum Judenbad (to the Jewish bath).
In the heart of the Jewish quarter, at 20, rue des Charpentiers is a thirteenth century Mikvah. Discovered during excavations in the neighborhood, it is not yet completely restored and in a fragile state.
On the other side of the River Ill at 23 Quai Saint Nicholas is the Musée Alsacien. Here you will find two rooms devoted to Alsacien Jewish objects along with a model shtiebel.
A short ride north by car or public transport is the suburb of Bischheim. One of the most important Jewish communities of France up until the French Revolution, Jewish settlement began here following the expulsion from Colmar (in southern Alsace) in 1512.
At 17, rue Nationale is the Cour de Boecklin and the home of David Sintzheim, one of three rabbis who made up France’s first chief rabbinate following the Revolution. Inside, the steep, sixteenth century restored hollow staircase leads to a restored mikveh. The room above depicts Jewish life in Bischheim.
Editor’s Note: The above article was reprinted by permission of the author from Complete Jewish Guides. The Complete Jewish Guide to France is the only resource you need to embark on a trip through Jewish France. Travel writer and journalist Toni L. Kamins catalogs information on well-known sights and little-known treasures, such as the Marais district (Paris’ celebrated Jewish neighborhood), ancient ghettos, beautiful old synagogues around the country and many other places. She includes information on transportation and lodging, plus hundreds of places to buy kosher food. Selected photographs and maps fill out the picture. Kamins also recounts the nearly two thousand years of French-Jewish history, beginning with evidence that Jews may have lived in France as early as the first century, and continuing right up to the present today.The Complete Jewish Guide to France has everything you need to know to make your trip to France a success — and to put it into a historical context that will make it even more worthwhile. To order your copy, visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/books/booksaboutfrance.html
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The Cathedral at Strasbourg
By Victor Hugo
“The church portals are beautiful, particularly the Roman portal; there are truly superb figures on horseback, the rose-window is noble and well-cut, the entire front of the church is a clever poem. But the true triumph of this Cathedral is the spire. It is a veritable tiara of stone with its crown and its cross. It is a gigantic and delicate marvel. I have seen Chartres, I have seen Anvers, but I needed to see Strasbourg… From the belfry, the view is wonderful. Strasbourg lays at your feet, the old city of dentiled triangular roof tops and gable windows, interrupted by towers and churches as picturesque as those of any city in Flanders. Personally, I would go from one turret to another, admiring one by one, the view of France, Switzerland and Germany via one ray of sunshine.”
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The News from Abbey National France
November 2004
Abbey National France reported that mortgage applications increased by 17% for the period of March to August 2004, compared with the same time last year.
The appeal of buying a place in France is widespread, but it’s the British who are the keenest, representing 40% of international buyers*, a figure, which has doubled since 2000. Italian buyers account for 12% and Belgians 6%.
But when it comes to how much money buyers are willing to part with for a French property, it’s the buyers from North America, who, although they only account for 2% of international buyers, pay the most. On average, they spend 229,000 Euros, whereas the average purchase price paid by British buyers is 142,000 Euros.
The number of people buying new-build properties has increased by 143% in the last three years, with 82% of new-builds being bought in the Riviera and French Alps. But it seems people are still drawn to the charm and character of older properties, which account for 81% of properties bought in 2003.
The national average property price in France has risen by 10% over the last year, yet French property remains competitively priced in comparison with UK property, which has increased by around 18% over the same period. It’s little wonder, therefore, that UK buyers are opting for a slice of the good life in France, whether it’s a second home, a holiday or investment property, or selling up entirely to live and work there.
A recent survey carried out by organizers of the Property Investors Show**, highlight the growing interest of UK buyers to invest in property abroad. In a separate poll, the main reasons for
buying abroad were identified as:
– rental / capital gain 60%
– weather 58%
– better standard of living 42%
* Figures from Abbey National France / Perval, international buyers statistics June 2004.
** Source: International property investors Oct/Nov. Issue
Market signs
* Interest Rate Indexes (on 01/11/2004)
3 month Euribor: 2.14%
12 month Euribor: 2.32%
TEC 10: 4.01%
Source: Abbey National France Treasury Dpt.
* Exchange Rates (on 01/11/2004)
Euros 1 = £ 0.694
£ 1 = Euros 1.442
Euros 1 = $ 1.272
Sources: ECB & BoE
* Construction Cost Index
(applic on 01/11/2004)
2004 2nd quarter annual variation: 3.85%
Editor’s Note: To inquire with Abbey National about a mortgage for your next home in France, contact David Anderson, Mortgage Advisor at [email protected]
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SEEKING A MORTGAGE IN FRANCE?
Let us help you secure a mortgage in France with interest rates as low as 3.35%.
Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/loan for more information
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TODAY’S CURRENCY UPDATE
A service of http://www.xe.com
/
Subscribe for free at: http://www.xe.com/cus/
Live mid-market rates as of 2004.11.04 11:46:55 GMT.
1 U.S. Dollar equals 0.777722 Euros (0.786469 Euros last week)
1 Euros equals 1.28581 U.S. Dollars (1.27151 Dollars last week)
1 U.K. Pound equals 1.43732 Euros (1.43736 Euros last week)
1 Euro equals 0.6957371 U.K. Pounds (0.69572 Pounds last week)
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FOR SALE: FPI HOT PROPERTY OF THE WEEK
Each week French Property Insider features a range of properties which we believe are on the market at the time of writing. These properties are featured in order to give readers a sample of what is currently available and a working example of prices being asked in various regions of France and districts of Paris.
As we are not a real estate agency, these properties do not constitute a sales listing. For those readers seriously interested in finding property in Paris or France, you can retain our services to do the whole thing for you. For more information, visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/propertyconsultation.html
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*** Paris Auctions
http://www.encheres-Paris.com
Next sessions:
November 16, 23 and 30, 2004
Notaires de Paris
Place du Châtelet
12 avenue Victoria
Paris 1st
Additional information on Les Ventes aux Enchères des Notaires can be
found on the website at http://www.encheres-Paris.com/
Though the site has a button for an English version, it isn’t reliable
to work.
To read Schuyler Hoffman’s article about the property auctions in
Paris, click on:
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/subscribersonly/articles/auctions1.html
Starting Bid: 1,133,000 Euros
3 Rooms 92,5 m² + parking [+]
7 rue Franco-Russe – 75007 – PARIS 7th
November 30th Session
================================
Starting Bid: 458,800 Euros
Studio 31,3 m² [+]
16 rue du Faubourg du Temple – 75011 – PARIS 11th
November 30th Session
================================
Starting Bid: 138,000 Euros
3 Rooms 43,4 m² [+]
62/74 boulevard Garibaldi – 75015 – PARIS 15th
November 23rd Session
================================
4 Rooms 60,2 m² [+]
62/74 boulevard Garibaldi – 75015 – PARIS 15th
November 23rd Session
================================
Starting Bid: 193,000 Euros
Studio 37,4 m² [+]
16 rue du Faubourg du Temple – 75011 – PARIS 11th
November 16th Session
================================
Starting Bid: 90,000 Euros
Studio 21,34 m² [+]
42 rue de Miromesnil – 75008 – PARIS 8th
November 16th Session
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Starting Bid: 60,000 Euros
2 Rooms 49,56 m² [+]
235 rue de Bercy – 75012 – PARIS 12th
November 16th Session
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*** Strasbourg Department 67
* 4 Rooms – 111m² Krutenau
Superb 3/4 rooms in a residence of good standing, two bedrooms, high ceilings, parquet, sunny, quiet, gas heating, parking, cellar.
Asking Price: 239,000 Euros + 2% Finder’s Fee
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* Bourgeois 5 Room Duplex
130 m², three bedrooms, equipped kitchen, two baths
Asking Price: 615,000 Euros + 2% Finder’s Fee
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* Old Apartment on the Quai
Six beautiful rooms, 162 m², three bedrooms, equipped kitchen, high ceilings, parquet, cellar
Asking Price: 555,000 Euros + 2% Finder’s Fee
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* Quartier des Tanneries
Superb 1990 building, close to commercial, 3 Rooms, 80 m², two bedrooms, equipped kitchen, bath, balcony, terrace, garage, elevator
Asking Price: 195,000 Euros + 2% Finder’s Fee
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PARLER PARIS APRES MIDI
EVERY SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, November 9th, 2004
This is your opportunity to meet every month, often with local professionals who can answer your Working and Living in France questions. You are invited to come for drinks and share your questions and comments about what it takes to create a life here, own property and enjoy what France has to offer. It is also an opportunity to network with other Parler Paris readers.
LOCATION:
Upstairs at La Pierre du Marais
96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
Mtro Lines 9, 3 et 11, stations Temple, Rpublique or Arts et Mtiers
For a detail description of the past meeting and for more information
about Parler Paris Aprs Midi, visit:
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apresmidi.html
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INSIDER PARIS GUIDES DISCOUNT FOR FPI SUBSCRIBERS
Don’t forget that with your FPI subscription you are entitled to a discount on the purchase of any Insider Paris Guides. You’ll find details of the guides at http://www.insiderparisguides.com/. When ordering, a box will pop up allowing you to enter the following username/password
Order more than one guide at a time and you will receive an additional discount!
Username: propertyinsider
Password: liveinfrance
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RENTING AN APARTMENT IN PARIS OR HAVE AN APARTMENT TO RENT?
If you are seeking to rent a furnished apartment for a week, a month or a year or
you have an apartment you wish to rent, visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments
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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
– To access this password protected page:
The username is: fpisubscriber
The password is: paris1001
If your computer utilizes cookies, once you log into a subscriber only section, the login information will remain active for seven days, after which you will have to login again.
– Past issues of FPI are available on the website. You will find the “Past Issues”link on the left under “Subscribers Only”or by going to https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/subscribersonly/pastissues/index.html
– To receive your free French Leaseback Report or the Paris Property Report, click on
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/subscribersonly/reports.html
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
==APARTMENT RENTAL: LAST MINUTE BARGAINS ==
http://www.parismarais.com
* Medieval suite discounted from 140 euros to 110 euros per night from 21 November to 15 December (minimum stay one week)
http://www.parismarais.com/medieval.htm
* Studio Burgundy discounted from 110 euros to 80 euros per night from 25 November to 22 December
http://www.parismarais.com/burgundy.htm
* Studio Florentin discounted from 110 euros to 80 euros per night from 1 December to 22 December
http://www.parismarais.com/florentin.htm
* Suite Normandy discounted from 13 euros to 100 euros per night from 1 December to 31 December
http://www.parismarais.com/normandy.htm
* Special holiday breaks in Burgundy from only 100 euros per person per weekend( 2 nights )
http://www.parismarais.com/house-in-burgundy.htm
* Monte Carlo apartment for Xmas shopping from 600 euros per week from 15 November to 20 December and 900 euros per week New Year’s Week
http://www.parismarais.com/monaco.htm
==APARTMENT RENTAL==
Leeds Marais Guest Room or Entire Two-Bedroom Apartment
Located in a 17th century Le Marais Hotel Particulier, this 70 square meter apartment two-bedroom apartment with lots of light is nicely furnished and is perfect for a single woman in the freshly renovated guest room when owner Adrian Leeds is in or for up to 4 people when she’s traveling.
Pictures and more details available here: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/leeds.html
==APARTMENT RENTALS==
For all short term rental apartments in Paris, take a look at https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments or https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/longterm.html for long term apartments.
==APARTMENT RENTAL==
For rent by the week or longer
Two lovely 2 or 3-bedroom apartments — 1st arrondissement, same building. Just minutes away: the Louvre, Tuilleries, Place Vendome and more. French style gives you a true taste of Paris. Fully equipped makes your Paris stay effortless, comfortable and memorable.
Complete information at http://www.youlloveparis.com
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HELPFUL CONVERSIONS FOR REAL ESTATE
1 square meter = 10.7639104 square feet
1 hectare = 2.4710538 acres
For more conversions, refer to: http://www.onlineconversion.com/
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SUBSCRIBE TO PARLER PARIS
If you’re not a regular reader of the Parler Paris daily e-letter, and would like to be, simply enter your e-mail address here (it’s free!): http://www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis
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Copyright 2004, Adrian Leeds Group, LLC
To read more, click the links below.