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The Great Gascony

Volume V, Issue 41

Both the Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference and “I’m Not a Tourist” Expatica.com Fair are now behind us. See today’s reports on both and plan on coming to the next Conference Stateside in Miami in February 2008. Scroll down to read all about it.

Our newest weekly column, “Ask Adrian,” talks more about the Viager…but buyer beware! It’s French Roulette betting on someone’s life. Read all about it from a Los Angeles foreign correspondent’s very in-depth article found at http://www.viager.fr/
Gascony is a hot spot for property and for tourism. Read today’s article about this special region as a great place to own a vacation home and make note of next year’s tour to the region led by Ruth Mastron, co-author of “Au Contraire, Figuring Out the French” and intercultural expert, who has a home in “Condom” — yes, that’s really the name of this town on the Via Podiensis, one of the three major French arms of the pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James. See some Hot Properties in the region to whet your home-in-France appetite.
On the tip of everyone’s tongues is the question of rate of exchange and how that affects your ability to purchase property using U.S. dollars. We discussed it at length during the conference and all the ways to make it work for you, so that you don’t put off getting into the market any longer, before the disparity worsens and the prices increase further. Today’s motto is, as said by Cecil Jones, president of Just France Sales, “I have seen people kick themselves for not moving ahead. The mistake is…in not taking action.”
A Bientôt,

Adrian LeedsAdrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider
Email: [email protected]

P.S. Now’s a great time to visit properties on the market — before the Christmas holidays are in full swing and before the weather turns for the worst. Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation or email [email protected] for more information on the one-on-one consultations, search and purchase assistance programs available to FPI readers.
P.P.S. There will be no French Property Insider issue on the Thanksgiving holiday, Thursday, November 22, 2007.
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Volume V, Issue 41, October 18, 2007

In this issue:

* New Column: Adrian Addresses Your Property Purchase Questions
* Viagers a Matter of Life and Death
* Report on the Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference
* Expatica’s “I’m Not a Tourist” Fair Report
* Take an Enchanted Journey Through Southwestern France
* New Fractional Ownership Property
* Tax Breaks Make Paris Even More Attractive
* France a Stable Investment
* Gascony a Great Investment
* NEW! Living and Investing in France Conference, February 16-17, 2008, Miami, Florida
* FPI Property Consultation, Search and Relocation Solutions
* Today’s Currency Update from Moneycorp
* Next Parler Paris Après-Midi: November 13, 2007
* Hot Property Picks: Glorious Gascony
* Leasebacks: Arboisie, France, French Alps, Megeve
* Managing Your FPI Subscription
* Classified Advertising: Parler Paris Apartments — Le Penthouse Voltaire

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Ask Adrian LeedsNEW WEEKLY COLUMN: “Ask Adrian’s Advice”
Regularly we receive interesting questions from readers whose answers would be of use and information to all the readers. You, the readers, now have an opportunity to ask Adrian anything related to investing in Paris and France real estate, lifestyle and living in France issues.
We cannot answer all requests, but will choose those questions which have pertinence to the most readers. Your question will remain anonymous. Please direct your questions of 100 words or less to: [email protected]
Q
UESTION

Regarding “Viager”…How do I find someone willing to enter into this type of arrangement? Do the owners usually stay in the property till they pass away? If so, does this difference (as opposed to a traditional purchase) translate to the down payment and mortgage? In other words, is there a savings to be had by entering into this type of arrangement at first?
ADRIAN’S ADVICE
As a potential buyer of a Viager property, you would seek out the properties for sale under this arrangement. Agencies specialize in Viager apartments, such as these:
http://www.viagere-immobiliere-financiere.fr/viagerimmo.htm, http://www.viagers.net/ and others. Simply search “viager immobilier France” to find them and peruse the properties listed under the viager program.
Yes, the owners have the rights of usage till death.
The savings is that normally the properties are sold for a reduced amount, however, if the owner lives to a ripe old age, as in the case of Jeanne Calment, the buyer can lose more than he stood to gain. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment for information on this historical case.
Read the following article by Rone Tempest which fully explains the pluses and minuses of owning a Viager.
Adrian
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ViagerLife and Death and Real Estate in France
By Foreign Correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, Rone Tempest
http://www.viager.fr/
A practice called viager allows the elderly to sell their homes but retain lifelong use of them. The longer they live, the more the buyer has to pay.
PARIS-Although she came from a wealthy family, Hilda Astardjan was never very good at handling money. “I was always a spendthrift,” she recalled with a smile as she sat stroking a fat tabby cat in her comfortable Paris, studio apartment; “My father always told me that someday I would end up in a poorhouse.”
After a life spent happily frittering away her inheritance, she found herself more than a decade ago, at age 72, penniless in Paris with only her apartment to her name.
She feared that if she sold the apartment in Paris’ fashionable Marais district, she would soon spend that money, too. Her father’s prediction of penury seemed frighteningly possible. Then, thanks to an unusual French real estate practice called viager, Astardjan got a new lease on life, based on the anticipation of her death.
Under the system of viager, a concept dating to the Middle Ages that has experienced renewed popularity in France, she was able to sell her apartment for a handsome price and continue living in it until she dies. As long as she lives, the buyer pays her a regular monthly sum that meets her living expenses.
Now 84 and going strong, Astardjan couldn’t be happier with the arrangement she made in 1978.
“This thing has saved me,” she said in a recent interview. In addition to assuring her a steady income, parceled out in monthly payments that help curb her spendthrift ways, viager allows her to continue living among friends in a familiar neighborhood. “The concierge does my shopping for me,” she said, “The two men who live downstairs fuss over me. The woman across the hall checks in on me…. I am exactly where I want to be.”
Viager shares one of the aspects of so-called “reverse annuity” mortgages and charitable remainder trusts in the United States: It allows elderly people to benefit from the sale of their homes while retaining their lifetime use. But the U.S. instruments do not have the element of risk that is the key to viager. For example, if a Parisian sells his property en viager and dies a month later, the buyer gets the property for the price of his modest down payment, never more than 30% of the sale price, without ever having made any of the healthy monthly payments that could have gone on for years. In other words, a buyer gains enormously from the untimely death of the seller.
On the other hand, if a seller lives on for 20 or 30 years, the buyer will have made payments totaling many times the property’s worth. If the, buyer misses making a payment, the property reverts to the seller, who can then sell it again. A defaulting buyer loses the down payment and all of the monthly payments.
Sometimes termed “speculation on death,” viager is high stakes gambling on a person’s life, played by both buyer and seller. That is why the practice is banned in some countries of Europe, including neighboring Switzerland, which has a law specifically forbidding sales en viager.
Viager thrives in Paris and Nice, the two cities where it is most widely practiced. Despite its’ sometimes macabre aspects- sellers occasionally feign illness and disability to increase sale prices-the system is embraced by the French government as an effective ‘way to reduce dependence on social security programs.
According to Bruno Legasse, one of the leading Paris agents, a record 5,000 viager real estate transactions were conducted in Paris last year.
The viager formula is occasionally varied in cases of owners of more than one property who do not live in the one they are selling. In such cases, the buyer gets immediate occupancy but no title until the seller dies, and the seller gets certain tax benefits as well. But the vast majority of viager sales involve aging home and apartment owners who sell their properties on condition that they continue to live in them until death.
The advantage to the sellers, Legasse said, is that they not only retain the properties for their lifetimes, but are also able to supplement their retirement incomes with the down payments and “rent” paid to them by the buyers. Because monthly payments are indexed to the cost-of-living rate in France, the seller is guaranteed an income that keeps pace with inflation. Legasse said that the advantage to buyers is that down payments and sale prices are usually considerably less than they would be in cases of regular real estate transactions.
The down payment, called a bouquet, is never more than one-third the sales price and usually much less-even zero in cases. The sales price is figured on the same kind of actuarial tables used by insurance agents in calculating life insurance rates. Here’s how viager works in practice :
First, a fair market value is determined on the basis of a survey of recent sales of similar properties in the same neighborhoods. Then, a viager price is established according to the age of the seller. The property of a 60-year-old seller is priced at 50% of its fair market value on the open market. In the case of a 70-year-old, the price is 60% of market value; for an 80-year-old, it’s 70%, and for a 90-yearold, it’s 80%.
Finally, monthly payments are based on the estimated life expectancy of the seller. In France, life expectancy at birth is 85 years for women and 81 years for men; actuarial tables show that persons reaching 80 will live an average of seven more years and that persons at 90 will live an average of four years more. Playing the viager market is gambling that the seller will fall short of the statistical average.
A majority of sellers who employ the viager system are elderly people with no living heirs.
“The main reason for viager is that the people can’t make ends meet,” said Legasse.
However, a number of elderly sellers, Legasse said, are people who are angry with greedy children who pay little attention to them in their old age but still stand to inherit their property.
Most of the buyers of viager properties are professional people, often working abroad, who have large disposable incomes but limited capital. However, many are investors who play the viager market, just as speculators trade in commodity futures and stock options. “I know bankers, businessmen and politicians who have made their fortunes thanks to viagers,” said Legasse, whose own success in the business has allowed him to buy a vacation home in Florida and other properties. “I know politicians who have purchased 40 to 50 properties.”
Although there are plenty of stories about instant fortunes being made in the viager market, according to Legasse, the grim reaper is a remarkably consistent factor for investors. “In fact,” he said, “most people die when they are statistically expected to die.” He named a French insurance company that has made a profit by selling policies to viager speculators, protecting them in cases of sellers who live far longer than their statistically calculated life spans. Investors with the most to gain from the viager market, he said, are people with large incomes who have no immediate personal need for the properties they buy.
Among prominent French figures who have dealt in the market is the late President Charles de Gaulle, who purchased his country home at Colombey-les-deux-Eglises en viager.
A more typical buyer is Colette Bouvard 53, wife of French television anchorman and author Philippe Bouvard who bough Astardjan’s apartment in 1978. At the time, Colette Bouvard said she hoped the apartment would be available as a residence for her daughters while they attended the University of Paris. Since then, she has bought five other viager apartments. All of the sellers are still living.
“You have to think of it as a lottery,” she added. “Sometimes you hit the good number with the big prize. Other times you have to wait.”
Considering the large sums of money sometimes at stake in transactions, it is not surprising that relations are often strained. No official cases are on record, but there are legends about buyers taking action to hasten the departure of seller.
According to Legasse, the financial security that viager gives sellers often extends their lives, while the pressures of meeting high monthly payment have driven many a buyer to an early grave. Stories of sellers who outlive their buyers or buyers who hit the viager jackpot are as common in the trade as horse gossip around racing stables.
“There’s the famous case of the owner of the Blue Bar in Cannes, “Bouvard recalled somewhat wistfully. “It was a bar that did great business but the owner wanted to retire. The owner was very fond of his maitre d’hôtel and wanted to sell him the bar, but the guy didn’t have enough money. So he sold it to him en viager. Six months later the owner died and the property belonged to the maitre d’hôtel . Buyers are sometimes known to carefully examine would-be sellers to estimate their possible life spans.
“I remember one couple that was thinking about buying my place,” said Astardjan. “I could hear them talking about how, long they thought I might live. I thought it was amusing, but the bad side of this business is that these people are waiting for you to die so they can hop into your shoes.”
However, the good humored Astardjan, daughter of a Turkish-Armenian cotton merchant, said that she has had very good relations with Bouvard.
“She [Bouvard] took me out for a drink right after we signed the contract. She said she hoped I would go on and live a long happy life and that’s what I’ve done.”
Bouvard said she has generally tried to keep her distance from the aging viager sellers living in her properties.
“You know there are shady aspects on both sides,” Bouvard commented in
an interview. “There are people who try to pass themselves off as much older and more frail than they actually are-as though they were nearly dying at the time of the sale. There are others who use makeup to try to fool the buyers.

“In my case, for example, I signed a viager with a man who had an air of great weakness and illness. Someone told me that he wasn’t for this world much longer because he drank and his health was very bad. But that was 10 years ago and he’s still kicking.”
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Living and Investing In France Real Estate ConferenceReporting on the Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference
October 13, 2007
By Adrian Leeds

This was the 19th conference of this kind John Howell of John Howell & Co and our team has produced and each time we learn something new. The conferences have taken place once or twice a year in Paris, of course, but each year we choose one or two U.S. cities in which to hold the conference, too.
This past July we held the conference in San Francisco, California in co-sponsorship with Alliance Française. Our plans include the next U.S. conference to be held in Miami, Florida, also in co-sponsorship with the Alliance Française, on February 16-17, 2008. This is a great time of year to be in Miami, don’t you think?…especially coming from Paris, Canada or the Northeast where we may not have seen such bright warmth and sun for months!
We had about 20 attendees for this past Saturday’s conference, who came from all over the world. The U.S. is always well represented, with folks from Connecticut, Florida, Texas, New York and California, but we had attendees from as far away as South Africa, Australia and Nigeria, and as close as France.
The U.S. conferences attract more Americans, naturally, so the one thing we learn with each conference, is how the interest in purchasing property in France has expanded well beyond the borders of what we originally perceived as our ‘market.’
All in all their goals are quite similar. Mostly, the attendees are interested in learning how to invest in a property they can use a part of the time and rent the rest of the time to cover their mortgage or profit from the revenues. For Americans, they also want to learn how to best manage today’s weak dollar vs the strong euro.
One thing for sure, anyone waiting for the dollar to get stronger to purchase property is missing the boat. Every year goes by and property gets more expensive while the euro gets stronger. If they had purchased earlier, their investment would be worth more, not only in euro value, but in dollar value even more!
Ways to manage the weak dollar vs the strong euro is to take a mortgage, use a currency broker, such as Moneycorp and rent in euro value so the euro mortgage is covered avoiding out of pocket expense. These are some of the ideas we all learned about during the 12-hour intensive day of presentations by experts in the fields of banking, investment and property in France.
Everyone who has attended a conference leaves with the same overall impression — that there is an enormous amount of information presented for all to learn, and that it’s worth the time, effort and money to be well informed to invest in France successfully.
Editor’s Note: The next Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference is scheduled for February 16-17, 2008 at the Alliance Française, Miami, Florida
For more information and to register, visit: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/conference/
Or email Schuyler Hoffman at [email protected]
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Expatica FairReporting on the “I’m Not a Tourist” Expatica.com Fair
October 14, 2007
By Adrian Leeds

Early Sunday morning we took a pot of geraniums out of my window box and headed down to the Carrousel du Louvre for the annual “I’m Not a Tourist” Expatica.com Fair. There John Howell, his wife, Janie, my assistant Christa Lynn and I set up our Bronze Sponsorship booth recreating the setting of a café table and chairs next to a Marais window planted with bright red geraniums. The photo-poster we used was actually taken of my own bedroom window just a few days earlier.
Vanessa Lotoux, Advertising Director of FrancePress LLC and Louis Kyle, Publisher, joined us by offering free copies of France Today Magazine from our booth. Almost all of the Adrian Leeds Group staff came at one time or another — Mary Ellen Gallagher and Elizabeth Hochman, both Search Consultants, John Rule, our Mortgage and Rental Manager, and Lynda Sydney, our Marketing and Editorial Direction. We spoke to hundreds of people, gave out Eiffel Tower key chains along with free subscriptions to French Property Insider to all those who stopped to chat. Many of the attendees from the Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference took advantage of the two days of information for Expats by coming to the fair — we had a chance to say “rebonjour” and chat again about their goals and plans.
Expatica FairLots and lots of Parler Paris readers made a point to come by to say hello, and old friends who we see so little due to our busy lives. All the while, there were speakers making presentations in the main arena just near our booth and in the afternoon, both John Howell and I spoke at the more intimate setting in the back
, he on
saving tax and me on creating a profitable rental apartment. It was SRO on both occasions and we were pleased to meet so many new people interested in investing in France!

There were thousands of visitors to the fair, more Americans than British, we noticed, and all the other exhibitors had the same sentiment — that it was well worth being there both as a visitor and as an exhibitor.
Until next year…
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Gascony“Enchanting Southwestern France”
October 2008

Next year will be your chance to take the enchanted journey through the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions of France. Led by co-author of “Au Contraire, Figuring Out the French” and intercultural expert, Ruth Mastron, the journey begins in Lourdes, one of the world’s great pilgrimage sites and travels by Brendan deluxe motor coach to Bordeaux. Along the way, you will discover…Wine, Foie Gras, Truffles…Breathtaking Beauty…Ancient and Historical Sites…and you’ll savor every minute and yearn for more!
To read about this past year’s journey, visit http://www.high-simplicity.com/enchantingsouthwesternfrance.htm
For more information about the upcoming journey, email [email protected]
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Fractinal OwnershipThe “Fractional Ownership” Solution…
An Update by Adrian Leeds
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation
Those who have purchased shares in Le Jardin Saint-Paul on Rue Ferdinand Duval, 4th Arrondissement, Le Marais, will be happy to know the renovation is well underway! If you viewed the photos of the apartment prior to any work done on it, you may recall the arch leading from the living room to the bedrooms, stuccoed over and painted a bright mustard yellow.
The construction crew recreated a 17th-century classic keystone arch of beautiful stone using a “trompe l’oeil” technique! Be sure to see the video of and by Liam Gallegos in his excitement over the newly created arch! Just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Y-GuHswLc
To visit the site describing the property, visit
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation/sales/fractional/jardinstpaul.html and to take a video tour of this gorgeous property, visit http://www.parishomeshares.net/jspvideos.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Y-GuHswLc

NEW FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP FOR SALE NEAR EIFFEL TOWER
Chez La TourChez La Tour
Boulevard de Latour-Maubourg, 7th Arrondissement, Eiffel Tower
Two-Bedroom, 88.1 m2
99,500€ / 12 Shares Available
Available for Use May 2008

If you would like to receive more information on this apartment, VISIT https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation
Editor’s Note: We will be discussing Fractional Ownership at the upcoming Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference October 13th but by then it may be too late to take advantage of this opportunity. If you’re interested in learning more about Paris Home Shares upcoming projects, call or write Steve Navaro: +1-303-793-0900, email [email protected]
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Paris real estateJoin the Paris Express: Tax Concessions Will Boost the Allure of a French Pied-à-terre
By Adam Sage
From http://www.timesonline.co.uk
A surge in the popularity of second homes is set to follow the Chancellor’s tax concessions unveiled this week. Anyone selling such a property after nine years will benefit from the new low rate of capital gains tax on the profits — only 18 per cent. According to Liam Bailey, Knight Frank’s head of residential research, “this could have the effect of raising investment volumes — and hence underpin prices in investment and second-home locations.”
To read the entire article visit http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/overseas/article2637836.ece
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French real estateEternal Appeal Creates French Real Estate Demand
By Elizabeth Smith
From http://www.nuw
ireinvestor.com

For centuries, people from across the globe have been drawn to France by its beautiful countryside, food, wine, history and culture. For long-term buy-and-hold investors, France’s more than 80 million tourists each year generate a healthy demand for short-term rental accommodations in many areas of France.
Long-term stability
“France is the most visited country in the entire world,” Vanessa Franquin, managing director of Premier French Leaseback and Investments, said. “Most people, when they invest in France, they know that this is going to be a safe long-term investment.”
To read the entire article, visit http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/eternal-appeal-creates-french-real-estate-demand-51285.aspx
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French propertyGascony Still a Hotspot for Buying French Property
From http://www.homesworldwide.co.uk
Stretching from L’Isle Jourdain in the east to Saint-Mont wine country in the west, and from Condom in the north to Masseube and the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south, Gers bears all the hallmarks of the Englishman’s quintessential France, with its rolling greenery, crimped hedgerows and gorgeous, caramel-stoned farmhouses.
To the north, skirting the River Baise, lies the market town of Condom, offering the best of Gascon cuisine, alongside neighboring Eauze, the old Roman capital of the region, and the commercial center of Bas-Armagnac, where the finest eau-de-vie is made.
A major crossroads since Roman times, departmental capital Auch on the River Gers flaunts its own artistic prowess — a pristine row of restored 18th-century residences flanking the pedestrianized Rue Dessoles, with the ville haute sporting the town’s cultural piece de résistance — a statue of d’Artagnan attired in a floppy hat and boots. Alexandre Dumas’ fourth hero is based on real-life Gascon seigneur Charles de Batz.
GersWhat’s the market like?
The department’s popularity with both UK and French celebs has driven property prices up in the past. Large, mellow-stoned manoirs with pastel-coloured shutters have been snapped up by the likes of Terry Wogan and Sir Christopher Bland. 2006/7 witnessed a more realistic buyers’ market pricing structure, following a five-year staple of 10 per cent annual increases.
“The department is within easy striking distance of Toulouse, Pau and Bordeaux, as well as the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, so it’s ideal for both winter and summer breaks,” reveals Gabrielle Cleasby of Maisons du Gers. “A fluid motorway infrastructure around the department also draws people for both work and pleasure.”
The eastern fringes near L’Isle Jourdain is commuter belt territory for Toulouse city folk, and it’s pushing premium prices — renovated detached family homes are selling for upwards of 400,000€ (£270,000), while the north around Eauze and Condom, popular with Parisians, continues to show steady growth.
Further south towards Masseube, keenly priced property is enticing UK buyers, with demand generally for properties around the 250,000€ (£168,000) mark or less. Chateaux and stately manoirs to renovate start from 550,000€ (£350,000), which is a bargain compared to the Midi. “UK holidaymakers are becoming more familiar with the area,” says local resident Richard Read, “particularly families keen on crowd-free outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing and horse riding.”
Increasingly popular as a way of meeting ‘quality of life’ expectations are integrated building projects, which offer pre-prepared plots on a landscaped site, with a team of professionals to take you through the build process. “It’s an inspired choice,” says Elvira Desarnaud of CNT, a local company that manages several such projects in the area. “Plots are competitively priced from 20,000€ (£13,000), with a support network to help you build the house of your dreams.”
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Miami FloridaNEW! Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference!
February 16-17, 2008
Alliance Française, Miami, Florida

Photo by Erica Simone
If you’ve always dreamed of owning your own “pied-à-terre” in Paris or home in the Provinces of France, perhaps as a future retirement home or for now as investment property rented part of the year…this power-packed one-day conference is a MUST.
Hosted by Adrian Leeds, long time resident of Paris, Editor of the Parler Paris Nouvellettre® and French Property Insider weekly E-zine and John Howell, lead attorney for the International Law Partnership, London, these two days in Miami will point you in the right direction to make it really happen! Includes three course lunch and cocktail reception.
For more information and to register, visit: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/conference/
Or email Schuyler Hoffman at in
fo@adrianleeds
.com

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French Property ConsultationProperty Consultation, Search and Relocation Solutions
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation

Let French Property Insider expert property consultants find your dream home in France for you. We consult with you to help you make the best decisions, ferret out the finest properties to meet your criteria, schedule the visits and accompany you, negotiate with the agencies and owners, recommend the Notaires and other professionals, schedule the signings and oversee the purchase with you from start to finish! You could never do it so easily on your own. Let us take the time and effort off your hands.
FPI Offers More Relocation Solutions!
Moving to Paris? Our experienced relocation expert will make your move easy and hassle-free. We offer complete property and relocation services normally only provided by employer hired relocation firms…but at a price much more affordable for individuals.
Download Complete Brochure
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation/fpibrochure.pdf

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TODAY’S CURRENCY UPDATE

Visit the FPI Web site and click on the link on the left panel or click here for Currency Convertor by Moneycorp: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/moneycorpconvertor.html
for up to the minute conversions of all major currencies.

Compare currency values easily and quickly by visiting:
https://adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/loan/moneycorpconvertor.html

Charts
http://www.Moneycorp.co.uk/members/charts.asp
The charts below are updated every ten seconds.

The prices shown are “inter bank” exchange rates and are not the rates that you will be offered by Moneycorp. Your rate will be determined by the amount of currency that you are buying. Please speak with an Moneycorp dealer or your consultant for a live quotation.
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Parler Paris Apres MidiParler Paris Après Midi
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apresmidi.html
Come for a drink and to meet and chat with other readers in Paris…
The next gathering is November 13, 2007, and every second Tuesday of the month.
 
 
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HOT PROPERTY PICKS: Glorious Gascony
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/consultation
French real estate*** Condom, Wonderful Stone House
Beautiful stone-built house in the countryside of the Gers. Living room with fireplace, fully fitted kitchen with corner eating area, bathroom, toilet and 2 bedrooms, large garden and swimming pool.
Asking Price: 257,000€ + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
 
French real estate*** Gers, Beautiful Maison de Maître in a Pretty Village, approx. 280m²
Located in the historic centre of a beautiful Bastide village near the border of the Gers and the Landes, this attractive old stone house retains much of its original character, with rooms that are spacious and bright. Includes an entry hall, reception room, library, dining room, large sitting room, fitted and equipped kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 separate toilets, wine cellar, utility room, study, and a large convertible attic space.
Asking Price: 320,000€ + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
French real estate
French real estate
French real estate*** Auch, Stone Farmhouse, 8 rooms
Spacious 19th century stone farmhouse set in the rolling countryside and vineyards of the Gers. Filled with country charm it includes a living room, kitchen, dining room, sitting room, laundry room, master bedroom with en suite, two bedrooms, large family bathroom with original French bath, shower, toilet and washbasin, large attic that can be converted into several rooms, eight acres of land with swimming pool.
Asking Price: 525,000€ + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
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LEASEBACK NEWS FROM IMOINVEST
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/sales/leasebacks/lb_list.php
French leasebackARBOISIE
France, French Alps, Megeve

Studio 19m² to 33m² €204,000 to €324,000
One Bedroom 38m² to 82m² €351,000 to €813,000
Two Bedrooms 56m² to 59m² €502,000 to €579,000
Four Bedrooms or More 113m² to 143m² €1,040,000 to €1,183,000
Guaranteed Buy to Let – Leaseback
GUARANTEED RENTAL INCOME UP TO: 3.00%
French leasebackFrench leasebackFrench leaseback
GLAMOROUS WINTER BACKDROP FOR SKIING
Not only is it in Megeve, but more than that Residence Arboisie is located in pricey, prestigious “Le Gollet” with stunning views! One of the most famous and prestigious ski locations in France hosts this deluxe 4 star Hotel Residence located only 70km from Geneva and 83km from Chambery. This exceptional ski resort offers 63 ski slopes and 117 ski-lifts between altitudes of 1050 to 2350 metres. Megeve boasts fantastic exposure with guaranteed sunny vacations. It is in this privileged environment that Residence Arboisie houses 69 units from studio to six-roomed apartments. Most of these units have balconies or terraces to enjoy the stunning views. In addition the residence is close to luxury shops, stores, restaurants, nightclubs and a casino.
* A highly reputable ski resort in an exceptional and privileged environment
* A high-performance road network
* Only 70km from Geneva and 180km from Lyon Airport
* 63 ski slopes and 117 ski-lifts
* Various winter and summer leisure activities
* High quality hotel services
* 3% rental yield with 3 weeks holiday use included!

The residence is easily accessible by plane from the Geneva International Airport (with connections to Megeve by bus service) and Lyon International Airport. By train: 12km from Sallanches SNCF train station (with connections to Megeve by bus service). By road: Geneva (70 km) – Annecy (80 km) – Chambery (83 km) – Grenoble (113 km) – Lausanne (147 km) – Lyon (180 km) – Marseille (390 km).
Megeve during the winter months offers activities including dog sledding, hiking with sled dogs, snowshoe, ice rink, curling, winter kindergarten and so much more! During the summer months Megeve is as exciting as it is during the ski season. Megeve in summer: rafting, rock climbing, paragliding, hot-air balloon, trekking, mountain biking, horse riding, fishing, tennis, 18-hole golf course, giant outdoor swimming pool with toboggan, trampoline, saunas and Turkish baths, discovery and sightseeing flights over the breathtaking Mont-Blanc area. In addition, residence facilities include covered heated outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a fitness centre including a Jacuzzi, a sauna, a Turkish bath, a lounge/bar with a fireplace and a restaurant accommodating up to 100 guests.

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French Propety LoanSEEKING A MORTGAGE IN FRANCE?
When you make a purchase as important as a piece of real estate in a foreign country, you want to know that you can trust the people you are dealing with. Adrian Leeds has developed a network of professionals that meet only the highest of standards. With the expertise and experience of Adrian and her team, you can depend on getting the best advice and support to feel completely confident that you are making an informed investment decision.
Let us help you secure a mortgage in France at a competitive interest rate. Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/loan for more information or contact [email protected]
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Managing Your French Property Insider Subscription is Easy!
We receive many emails from
French Property Insider Subscribers who want to change their email address, or update personal information. But did you know that you can make these changes yourself?

It’s easy…
1. Go to https://adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/insider
2. Click on “Manage Subscription.” You’ll find it under the “Subscribers Only” section in the sidebar.
3. Enter your username and password.
4. On the Welcome Page, go to “Manage Your Account” and click on “Change Password/Edit Profile”
5. Once you’ve made the changes, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Save Profile.”
Simple!
Of course, we’re always happy to help, so if you do need assistance, send an email to [email protected]
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We wanted better guides.
So we wrote them.

Insider Paris Guides are written for people who love the City of Light. You’ll get a Paris insider perspective on Restaurants… Making a Life… Black Culture… Expat Writers…
French Property Insider subscribers receive a discount of 10% off any guide and up to 25% off the entire purchase (if two or more guides are purchased at the same time). Here’s how it works:
1. Click on special Web link we give you just for FPI subscribers.
2. Then order one or more guide(s) and use the promotion
code “ED762.” This promotion code gives you 10% off your total
order.

3. If you order two or more guides, then an additional 15% will be
taken off automatically. There is no promotion code needed.

Here is the special “coupon” Web link just for you:
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/offer/fpi_offer.htm

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

To access password protected pages: click on any of the links on the left panel of the home page of FrenchPropertyInsider.com under “Subscriber’s Only,” then type in your personal username and password.

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/members/content/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/members/content/reports.html

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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/

==== CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ===

Parler Paris ApartmentsPARLER PARIS APARTMENTS
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments
Email: [email protected]/parlerparis

Welcome to your home in Paris. Home is how you will feel in a private apartment in Paris that has the “seal of approval” from Parler Paris Apartments and me, Adrian Leeds.
Parler Paris Apartments offers high quality accommodations to make your stay in the City of Light as enjoyable and memorable as possible. We at Parler Paris know each and every apartment owner or manager personally, and stand behind the quality of those we represent. We understand your needs and desires, all the small details that make a rental apartment a warm and welcoming home – and a much better alternative to an impersonal hotel!
Parler Paris Apartments is administered and serviced by the same great team as Parler Paris, French Property Insider and French Property Consultation. You can trust that Parler Paris Apartments and all those with whom it is associated will do their best for your 100% guaranteed satisfaction.
Parler Paris ApartmentsLe Penthouse Voltaire
American comfort with French flair! Overlooking Boulevards Richard Lenoir and Voltaire, in the 11th Arrondissement. This three-bedroom, two-bath luxury penthouse with wrap-around balconies and spectacular views, sleeps 6.
Reserve now! Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/voltaire.html
or email: [email protected]

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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 2010, Adrian Leeds®
Adrian Leeds Group, LLC, http://www.adrianleeds.com

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