Latest property news
Read the latest property news from all around the world from our expert writers located all over the world. Get the latest on buying, travel, emigration, retirement and much more. Whether you are buying a sunny property to spend your summers, or making a big move abroad you will find everything you need to know here.
Should I buy a cheap Italian house?
It’s so exciting to find a cheap Italian house for sale, that’s well within your budget. But will it only need a lick of paint? Or does the low price indicate there may be other more urgent work needed. The big question is “Why is it so cheap?”.Read more...
Would a French mortgage be a good idea?
There is no doubt that the property market in France remains fairly stable with prices having stayed the same or even decreasing in some regions over the past year or so. Financing your French property purchase deserves careful planning and in many instances it is well worth considering applying for a French mortgage.Read more...
Tasting food straight from the sea on the Costa Brava
Catalonia has a culture of its own and at this time of the year it celebrates a small creature which lives in the sea – the sea urchin. For the last 20 years, the town of Palafrugell has organised an important gastronomic event called La Garoinada. Sea urchins have many different names throughout Catalonia, but Palafrugell is the only place that calls sea urchins “garoines.”Read more...
Why the Languedoc Roussillon is so popular
The region of the Languedoc Roussillon, where we have lived for the past 6 years, is a wonderful land stretching from the Massif Central down to the Pyrenees and around the coast towards Provence. Blessed with the same geography and climate as its more expensive neighbour, Provence, it is fast becoming one of the most popular areas in which to buy in France. Here you will find incredible ruined Cathar castles, often set high up on the hills, making you wonder how on earth they were built so long ago, pretty circulade villages, ancient Roman towns, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Cite ofRead more...
The pros and cons of the French healthcare system, and how to affiliate to it
The French healthcare system is amongst the best in the world. The hospitals are well funded, modern and well equipped, village GP’s offer a great service, and there is little, if any, waiting time for an appointment.Read more...
Solar panels to be installed over the next 5 years on French motorways
French roads will be covered with 1,000km of solar panels over the next five years and it is said that each kilometre will give enough power to light a village of 1,000 inhabitants!Read more...
Changes to the French language
In a bid to simplify the French language, the Ministry of Education has reminded schools to implement a series of spelling changes dating back to 1990 that appear to have gone under the radar until now. There are 2,400 spelling changes in total, which were recommended by the Académie Française, the guardians of the French language, 26 years ago. The Académie Française was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis X111. It was suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution but reinstated in 1803 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It is basically France’s officiRead more...
Is now a good time to buy property in France?
Although the pound has taken a bit of a beating from the euro in recent weeks, it is improving, and rates are still more favourable than they were until their height in 2015, so all is not lost for those buying a property in euros. Many people we speak to are also keen to buy their French property and ensure they have their European assets all tied up before the result of the EU Referendum in June. These factors, in addition to the still low property prices in France and low interest rates meaning that French mortgages are well worth considering at the moment, are making 2016 look like a goodRead more...
The big merger of regions in France
As the new year has dawned, so we have a new map of France. There has not been a great deal of publication about these plans outside of the country but it has been talked about a lot over the last couple of years in France itself and it is true: as of 1 January this year, France’s 22 regions have been whittled down to 13 in an effort to streamline the country’s formidable bureaucracy. There were howls of outrage in 2014 when the plans were announced, with critics comparing some of the merged regions to forced marriages! This is perhaps not surprising for a country with such intense regional anRead more...